Entrance Exam

Entry into the first year of the undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree

In order to study any of the 3-year AFDA Undergraduate Degrees, you need to have passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a Bachelor’s pass.  If you passed the NSC with a Diploma or Higher Certificate pass, you can complete the AFDA 1-year Higher Certificate programme.  Upon successful completion of the Higher Certificate programme, you have access to study your choice of AFDA’s 3 year Degrees in the following year.

There are an alternative method of gaining access to an Undergraduate Degree without the required NSC pass level.  This is through the AFDA Entrance Exam. The AFDA Entrance Exam can also be completed by international students that may not have a matric equivalent to the South African NSC. 

The AFDA entrance exam/ assessment has been designed to offer prospective students who may not be in possession of the right qualification to enter into their chosen programme, the potential and opportunity to be conditionally accepted into their preferred AFDA degree programme.  It is facilitated by an external psychometric consulting company called NO:ME. Important points to note:

• The assessment is a registered psychometric assessment that has been normed for South African standards.
• Candidates must be in possession of a school leaving transcript / certificate.
• The exam assesses your current and potential learning capability for degree programme readiness and you will not need to study for this exam.
• This exam is booked and completed online on a computer and is followed by an interview with an AFDA staff member.
• The exam results, interview feedback and your supporting documentation are all reviewed in order to generate a report detailing the results and NO:ME’s recommendation.
• NO:ME charges an exam fee (in South African Rand) and is payable by electronic transfer directly to NO:ME (not to AFDA).  Please note that the fee is subject to an annual increase.
• The exam itself can take about 1 hour followed by the interview, which would be approximately 15 minutes. The report is presented to the AFDA Senate for final approval.

Next steps:

• Contact your chosen AFDA campus to discuss your matric pass level and possibility of completing the entrance exam.   
• Book a date and time to do the entrance exam, bearing in mind that you may come through to your nearest AFDA campus where we will provide you with a computer and quiet space to complete the entrance exam.   
• Submit your supporting documentation and motivational letters to strengthen your application for entrance into our degree program to the relevant career advisor.
• For example:
  • Motivational letter
  • Any certificates received for outstanding achievements – certified copies
  • CV of achievements
  • Reference letter e.g. from work, community work, or leadership positions you have fulfilled.

In the event of you not being successful in passing the Entrance Exam, you may contact AFDA for feedback on your overall assessment results and consider alternative options. Most candidates who might not get the required results and recommendation for a degree, can likely qualify for entry into AFDA’s Higher Certificate programmes.

* While AFDA and NO:ME try to process exam applications and reports as quickly as possible, please note that the notification of the result to the applicant can take up to 10 working days.