NSC Certificate

NSC Certificate is a significant achievement in that it signals to learners and guardians that the individual has successfully completed his/her required years of schooling.

Admission to the Senior Certificate

The following learners will qualify for admission to the Senior Certificate:

• Adult learners who are 21 years and older who have:
  • a General Education and Training Certificate (GETC); or
  • a Grade 9 school report (or the old standard seven). stating that they have passed Grade 9 or Standard 7; or
  • a recognised equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level which requires two official languages.
• Adult learners who are 21 years and older with an incomplete Senior Certificate qualification.
• Adult learners who are 21 years and older with an incomplete National Senior Certificate
• Only in exceptional cases, out of school youth, who are 18-21 years old and who could not complete their school education due to circumstances beyond their control, as verified by the Head of Department in the Provincial Education Department.
• Adult candidates who are 21 years and older with an incomplete NSC may choose to complete the NSC, or convert to the Senior Certificate.  Should the candidate choose to convert to the Senior Certificate, they may not revert to the NSC and attempt to complete the NSC qualification.
• Adult candidates who have already obtained a qualification but wish to improve their results/status.

Subjects to be offered

The subjects listed below which are part of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement of the National Senior Certificate, will be offered as part of the amended Senior Certificate. The subjects will in essence be the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements of the National Senior Certificate, excluding the School-Based Assessment (SBA) component.

Each candidate must offer six subjects in order to qualify for the Senior Certificate (as amended). Adults who have approved Senior Certificate subject credits, but do not comply with the required six-subject package, must select the remaining required subjects from the following list of 34 adapted National Senior Certificate subjects:

Table A: Official languages at Home and First Additional level

Table B1: Agriculture

Table B2: Business, Commerce and Management Studies

Table B3: Human and Social Studies

Table B4: Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences

The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements for the above-listed Senior Certificate subjects are available here.

Subjects to be recognized

Senior Certificate subjects credits that were passed prior to June 2015, at Higher Grade and Standard Grade levels, excluding Lower Grade conversions, will be recognized.

With the exception of Business English N3, Second Language, and/or Sakeafrikaans N3, Second Language, no N3 subjects will be recognised.

In the case of learners, who have attempted the National Senior Certificate examination, but were unable to complete all the subject requirements, such candidates will have all their previous credits recognised.

Examinations

Candidates that qualify to write the Senior Certificate examination will write the examination in May/June 2026. Candidates writing the Senior Certificate will be exempt from School Based Assessment, and this implies that the examination in the subject will constitute 100% of the final mark.

Examinations will be administered at designated examination centres determined by the Provincial Education Department. The examination may also be offered by the independent assessment bodies accredited by Umalusi.

Promotion requirements 

A Senior Certificate will be achieved by an adult candidate who satisfies the following requirements in these examinations:

1. Pass three subjects at 40%, one of which must be an official language at Home Language level.
2. Pass two subjects at 30%, one of which must be an official language at First Additional or Home Language level.
3. Obtain a subminimum of 20% in the sixth subject.

Registration for the 2026 Senior Certificate Examination

Registration for the 2026 exams may be done online or at any education district office. Both online registration and manual registration will close on 21 February 2026.

Preparation for the Senior Certificate Examination

Learners that intend to write the Senior Certificate examination must commence with preparations for the examinations immediately, given that the curriculum is a year programme. Learners may obtain the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for the relevant subject from the DBE website or the nearest provincial education office. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has made available an Examination Guideline, which provides a framework on the structure and format of the examination.

Exemplar question papers based on CAPS are also available on the DBE website.

How to get Lost NSC certificate

e-Matric e-Re-Issue

If you have lost or damaged your original matric certificate, or you wrote matric in more than one examination sitting and you want to combine your credits to qualify for a National Certificate, i.e. Senior Certificate (SC) or National Senior Certificate (NSC), you may apply online through the e-Matric e-Re-Issue online service on www.eservices.gov.za.

To use the e-Re-issue online service applicants will have to first register as users on the e-Government Portal (www.eservices.gov.za).

Supporting Documentation

Electronic copies of the following supporting documents will be required during the online application process:

For lost or damaged certificates:

• An affidavit stating what happened to your certificate (i.e. if it is lost or damaged);
• The original national/ senior certificate (if it is damaged), this is not applicable if it is lost;
• A certified copy of your identity document (ID); and
• Proof of payment.

For combination of results:

• Your results from all examination sittings;
• A certified copy of your Identity Document; and
• Proof of payment.

How much does it cost?

• The cost for both a replacement certificate and combination of results is R141.00; payable via a bank/ATM deposit or EFT.
• These fees are valid from 01 April 2021 until 31 March 2026.

How long does it take?

It takes four to six weeks for a certificate to be issued. Applicants may use the reference number received during the online application  process to keep track of their application.