Getting accepted is only half the journey — missing your registration window can cost you a full year. Here's when every major South African university opens and closes registration, and how the annual cycle actually works.
Registration isn't one date — it's a sequence spread across January to March, with returning students going first and first-years following once matric results and NSFAS funding are confirmed.
Online portals open first for students continuing into a new year of study.
New students register once acceptance and funding (NSFAS or private) is confirmed.
On-campus help desks support students who missed the online window or need document checks.
Most undergraduate windows close by late February; Honours and Postgraduate Diplomas often run into March.
Confirmed dates for the 2026 academic year, as published by each institution. Registration for 2027 will follow the same January–March pattern; exact dates are typically confirmed by each university in November or December.
Online registration runs 19 January to 13 February. Assisted, in-person registration is available 21 January to 7 February.
Senior students register online from 12 January; first-years from 22 January. Assisted registration continues into early February.
Returning students' online registration opened 6 January. First-year registration runs 2–7 February.
Registration opens 19 January and runs to 7 February, with returning students specifically opening on 27 January.
Online registration opened 6 January and runs through to 13 February.
Returning students register online from 12 to 30 January. First-year off-campus and online registration runs 20 January to 6 February.
First-year registration begins around 12 January, with online registration opening earlier. Check DUT's own registration timetable for exact dates per faculty.
First-time entering students register 19–23 January; senior students 27–30 January. Continuing Master's and Doctoral research registrations close 28 February.
Registration for first-time entering students opens 19 January and continues until quotas are filled; senior student registration runs alongside.
Opened 7 January. Semester modules and CTA close 20 February; full undergraduate qualifications close 20 March; Honours degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas close 31 March.
Institutions like Wits, UP and UJ typically follow the same broad window — returning students from mid-January, first-years shortly after, assisted registration through late January and early February, with final deadlines around 20 February. Always confirm on the university's own student portal, since exact dates shift slightly each year.
These are two entirely different processes, months apart. Confusing them is the single most common reason students miss their spot.
You apply for a place using your Grade 11 or latest Grade 12 results. Most universities open applications for the following year's intake between April and September — for example, UCT and Stellenbosch run 1 April to 31 July, while Wits and UKZN extend to 30 September.
After final matric results are released in January, universities issue firm offers. You must formally accept your offer, in writing, by the university's stated deadline.
Only after accepting your offer do you register — choosing modules, paying the initial fee or confirming NSFAS funding, and receiving your student number. This is the January–March window covered above.
Have your certified ID copy, certified final Matric certificate or results, proof of NSFAS or other funding, and your official letter of acceptance ready. Missing documentation is the most common cause of delayed registration — arrive with copies, not just originals.