Western Cape varsities shut doors for walk-ins, late applications

AS UNIVERSITIES prepare to open their doors for the 2026 academic year, prospective students will find them firmly closed to late entries, with several institutions confirming that no walk-in applications will be accepted.

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) had received more than 177,000 applications for just 4,715 first-year places. 

UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder said that, given the level of demand, the university would not allow walk-ins or accept late applications.

He said UWC will only be able to respond to questions of offers once final Grade 12 results have been published and the university begins making offers (from 14 January onwards) and tracking acceptances.  

UCT would also not accept late applications.

“Admission consideration is limited strictly to applicants who submitted complete applications by the 31 July 2025 deadline. UCT has an enrolment target of approximately 4,000 first-time entering undergraduate students. These enrolment targets are distributed across the six faculties in line with approved DHET enrolment plans,” said UCT spokesperson Velisile Bukula.

He said the university uses an over-offer model to determine the total number of offers that need to be made in order to achieve the required enrolment numbers. 

“This model factors in conditional and firm offers, as well as offers that are withdrawn or declined by applicants. Typically, the over-offer to enrolment ratio is approximately 3:2, meaning that around 12 000 offers are made across various categories to yield the target of 4 000 enrolled students. To date, UCT has successfully met its over-offer targets, and it is anticipated that once final Grade 12 results are released, conditional offers will convert into sufficient firm acceptances to meet the overall enrolment targets,” he said. 

Stellenbosch University’s (SU) enrollment target for the 2026 academic year is 5 769 "first-time entering undergraduate students". When students from the Faculty of Military Science are included, the target increases to 6 074 first-year students.

“Applications for the 2026 academic year closed in July 2025, and the University does not accept late or walk-in applications. Application deadlines ensure fair, transparent and well-planned admissions processes, and enable the University to manage capacity, resources and academic quality responsibly. 

"If it turns out that certain programmes have places available after the registration process has been completed – as not everyone who has accepted a final offer will necessarily register – students on the relevant waiting lists will be contacted,” said SU spokesperson, Martin Viljoen.

Cape Times