Bachelor of Laws (LLB) The LLB degree provides students with a sound knowledge of the general principles of the South African legal system, and an ability to use legal materials effectively. If you want to practice law, you need at least an LLB degree. You have several options if you want to study law at Wits.
Admission requirements
The closing date is an administrative admission guideline for non-selection programs. Once a non-selection program is full and has reached the institutional targets, such program will be closed for further admissions, irrespective of the closing date. However, if the institutional targets have not been met by the closing date, such a program will remain open for admissions until the institutional targets are met.
This Admissions Regulation should be read in conjunction with General Regulations G.1.1 Admission.
In order to register for a first bachelor’s degree at the University, a candidate should have completed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) or equivalent qualification, and meet the minimum requirements for admission to bachelor’s degree study.
Candidates must also comply with the particular subject and level requirement as well as with the minimum Admission Point Score (APS) for the relevant program.
The APS calculation is based on a candidate’s achievement in six 20-credit NSC-recognised subjects with bands 1 to 7, indicating the scale of achievement. Thus, the highest APS that can be achieved is 42.
Please note that Life Orientation is a 10-credit subject and is excluded from the calculation when determining the APS.
Grade 11 results are used in the conditional admission of prospective students.
The final Grade 12 results will be the determining factor with regard to final admission.
All modules will be presented only in English as a medium of instruction.
The language of communication and correspondence is English.
Transferring students
All transferring students, whether they have graduated or not, are admitted on academic merit and availability of space. Application for admission must be made by 30 September and to be considered for final admission all results and the certificate of conduct must be submitted by 31 December.
Transferring applicants
Candidates who have already completed the final Grade 12 examination as well as candidates with South African and foreign school qualifications, who were not previously registered at UP or at another university and did not graduate, may be admitted at the discretion of the Faculty’s Admissions Committee, based on the candidate’s Grade 12 results or complete university academic record and certificate of conduct. Candidates transferring from other universities must obtain at least 50% of the credits required for the LLB degree at the University of Pretoria and must be registered at the University of Pretoria for at least two years before an LLB degree may be awarded by the University of Pretoria.
Candidates who have registered for the BA (Law) or BCom (Law) program at UP, have not graduated, and wish to transfer to the LLB program may be considered by the Faculty’s Admissions Committee based on the candidate’s academic merit, including factors such as the candidate’s final Grade 12 results, the candidate’s grade point average, and the reasons provided by the candidate for applying to transfer to the LLB before first completing the BA (Law) or BCom (Law) degree.
Candidates who have previously been registered at another South African university for the LLB, BA (Law), or BCom (Law), with South African school qualifications or Cambridge school qualifications (South African candidates), who have not graduated, and who wish to transfer to the LLB degree at UP may be admitted on application at year level 1, 2 or 3 of the LLB, depending on the law modules passed, at the discretion of the Faculty’s Admissions Committee, based on the candidate’s Grade 12 results and complete university academic record and certificate of conduct. Candidates who have studied at UP discontinued their studies, and want to be readmitted to the LLB may be admitted subject to conditions set by the Faculty’s Admissions Committee.
Transferring students who graduated (Closing date: 30 September)
Candidates who have previously been registered at UP or another university and who have graduated (excluding BA (Law) and BCom (Law) graduates) may be admitted at year level 1 of the LLB, if there are places available, at the discretion of the Faculty’s Admissions Committee, based on the candidate’s Grade 12 results and complete university academic record and a final certificate of conduct.
Candidates who have been awarded a BA (Law) or BCom (Law) degree by any South African university, including UP, may be admitted on application, at the discretion of the Faculty’s Admissions Committee, based on the candidate’s Grade 12 results and complete university academic record and certificate of conduct. Students transferring from other universities may be admitted at year level 3 of the LLB.
UP students may be admitted at year level 1 of the 04130010— LLB after BCom (Law) and 04130011—LLB after BA (Law) programs. UP BA (Law) and BCom (Law) graduates are guaranteed placement in the LLB program if they completed the BA (Law) or BCom (Law) program in 3 or 4 years.
Non-South African qualifications (The closing date for applications for admission is 31 August)
Non-South African citizens and South African citizens with foreign qualifications must comply with all the admission requirements and the prerequisites for subjects/modules. (All such applications are submitted to the Admissions Committee of the Faculty for consideration.)
Only a limited number of non-South African candidates are admitted to undergraduate studies in the Faculty.
In addition to meeting the admission requirements, admission is based on the performance in the TOEFL, IELTS, or SAT, if required, in competition with other candidates who also comply with the admission requirements.
Non-South African citizens (even if they or their parents have permanent residence or valid work permits in South Africa)
Citizens of SADC-countries with non-South African qualifications
Citizens of other countries with non-South African qualifications
South African citizens and diplomats
It may be expected of South African citizens as well as diplomats and the children of diplomats with non-South African qualifications to write the IELTS, TOEFL, or SAT so that their suitability for admission to the Faculty can be determined.
Candidates must have completed the National Senior Certificate with admission to degree studies or a certificate of complete exemption on the basis of a candidate’s non-South African (‘foreign’) qualifications, the so-called “Immigrant” or ‘Foreign Complete Exemption’. The only condition for the ‘Foreign Complete Exemption’ that is accepted is ‘completion of the degree course.’ The exemption certificate is obtainable from Universities South Africa (USAF). Detailed information is available on the website at click here.
| Minimum requirements | ||
| Achievement level | ||
| English Home Language or English First Additional Language | APS | |
| NSC/IEB | AS Level | |
| 5 | C | 32 |
Candidates that fulfill the requirements for admission as set out in this brochure will be conditionally accepted on a first-come-first-served basis until 30 September, subject to the availability of places. However, as applications already open on 1 March and spaces are limited candidates are urged to apply as early as possible in the year.
Cambridge A-level candidates who obtained at least a D in the required subjects will be considered for admission.
International Baccalaureate (IB) HL candidates who obtained at least a 4 in the required subjects, will be considered for admission.