Selection Process

Merit rating (grade tariff)

For each applicant, a merit rating (also known as grade tariff) is calculated by University Admissions. Based on this merit rating, students are placed in a ranked order, from the highest merit rating to the lowest. The higher the merit rating you have, the better chance you have of being offered a place in the course or programme you have applied to.

Bachelor’s applicants

When you apply to bachelor’s level courses and programmes, the merit rating is based on the grades you have submitted in your supporting documentation. The merit rating scale is from 10 – 22.5. The better your previous grades, the higher the merit rating.

Master’s applicants

For master’s admissions, universities decide what the criteria are when assigning a merit rating. Examples of what may be considered are:

Number of previous university credits
Previous grades
Other requested documentation, such as essays, motivation letters, etc.

For information about what the criteria are for the programme you’ve applied for, see the course description page on the university’s website. University Admissions cannot answer questions about how merit ratings are calculated for specific university programmes.

What merit rating is needed to be accepted?

There are often more eligible applicants than spaces available. As the number of applicants for each course and programme, and the merit rating of these applicants, changes from semester to semester, it is impossible to say what merit rating is needed for entry into specific courses and programmes.