Applying to university can already feel like a lot, and figuring out APS scores shouldn’t add to the stress, especially when each university might have slightly different scales.
That’s exactly why I created this tool – to take the confusion and guesswork out of calculating your Admission Point Score specifically for North-West University (NWU).
This isn’t just any generic APS calculator. It’s designed with the official NWU APS Points Scale at its heart, ensuring you get a precise and reliable score every time.
No more fumbling with tables or manual calculations that could lead to errors!
NWU APS Points Scale
| Percentage Range | Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 90-100% | 8 points |
| 80-89% | 7 points |
| 70-79% | 6 points |
| 60-69% | 5 points |
| 50-59% | 4 points |
| 40-49% | 3 points |
| 30-39% | 2 points |
| 0-29% | 1 point |
All Universities APS Calculators
How To Calculate North-West University (NWU) APS Score
Thinking about joining the North-West University (NWU) family? Awesome choice!
One of the first things you’ll need to understand is how to calculate your APS score.
Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds! Your APS (Admission Point Score) is basically a number that NWU uses to see if you qualify for your dream program.
The higher it is, the better!
This guide is here to break down the NWU APS calculation into super easy, step-by-step chunks.
We’ll make sure you understand everything and feel confident in figuring out your score.
Step 1: Round Up Your Subjects (Your Top 6 Performers!)
First things first, NWU will look at your best 6 subjects from your National Senior Certificate (NSC) to calculate your APS.
Now, before you include everything, there’s one important subject that doesn’t count towards your APS:
- Life Orientation – Leave it out! Yes, Life Orientation is important for life skills, but NWU (and most universities) do not use Life Orientation when calculating your APS. So, when we talk about your “best 6 subjects,” we mean your best 6 excluding Life Orientation.
- The Usual Suspects (Included Subjects): Typically, your top 6 will come from subjects like:
- Home Language
- First Additional Language
- Mathematics OR Mathematical Literacy (depending on the program requirements!)
- Physical Sciences
- Life Sciences
- Accounting
- Business Studies
- Geography
- History
- And other subjects you took!
Example Time! Let’s imagine you have these subjects and percentages (these are just examples, yours will be unique to you!):
- Home Language: 85%
- First Additional Language: 72%
- Mathematics: 91%
- Physical Sciences: 68%
- Accounting: 55%
- Business Studies: 79%
- Life Orientation: 88% (Remember, we IGNORE this for APS!)
- Geography: 62%
In this example, your top 6 excluding Life Orientation would naturally be the first six subjects listed as they have the highest percentages.
Step 2: Find Your Percentage Marks (The Numbers that Matter!)
Okay, for each of your top 6 subjects (remember, not including Life Orientation), you need to find your percentage mark.
This is the number out of 100% you achieved in each subject.
You’ll find these on your NSC statement of results, or your school report.
Looking back at our example, we already have the percentage marks:
- Home Language: 85%
- First Additional Language: 72%
- Mathematics: 91%
- Physical Sciences: 68%
- Accounting: 55%
- Business Studies: 79%
Step 3: The Crucial NWU APS Points Scale (This is Key!)
Now, we get to the magic conversion part! NWU uses a specific table to turn your percentage marks into APS points.
It’s super important to use the correct NWU scale to get the right APS score. Here it is, as you kindly provided:
| Percentage Range | Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 90-100% | 8 points |
| 80-89% | 7 points |
| 70-79% | 6 points |
| 60-69% | 5 points |
| 50-59% | 4 points |
| 40-49% | 3 points |
| 30-39% | 2 points |
| 0-29% | 1 point |
Important! Notice that NWU’s scale starts at 90-100% getting you 8 points – this is their specific scale, so stick to it!
Step 4: Convert Your Percentages to NWU APS Points (Let’s Do the Math!)
Time to use the NWU APS scale and convert each of your top 6 subject percentages into APS points.
Let’s do it for our example student:
- Home Language (85%): 7 APS Points (Because 85% falls into the 80-89% range)
- First Additional Language (72%): 6 APS Points (72% falls into the 70-79% range)
- Mathematics (91%): 8 APS Points (91% falls into the 90-100% range – Top marks!)
- Physical Sciences (68%): 5 APS Points (68% falls into the 60-69% range)
- Accounting (55%): 4 APS Points (55% falls into the 50-59% range)
- Business Studies (79%): 6 APS Points (79% falls into the 70-79% range)
Step 5: Calculate Your Total NWU APS Score (The Grand Total!)
Almost there! To get your final NWU APS score, simply add up the APS points you calculated for each of your top 6 subjects:
7 (Home Language) + 6 (First Additional Language) + 8 (Mathematics) + 5 (Physical Sciences) + 4 (Accounting) + 6 (Business Studies) = 36 APS Points
Ta-da! 🎉 In our example, this student has an NWU APS score of 36!
Step 6: Know the APS for Your Dream Program (The Target to Aim For!)
Calculating your APS is fantastic, but it’s even more important to know the minimum APS score required for the specific program you want to study at NWU.
Think of this as the target you need to reach (or hopefully exceed!).
Where do you find the minimum APS for each program?
- NWU Website (Your Best Friend!): The official NWU website is the go-to place. Find the faculty or school that offers your program, then look for “admission requirements,” “entry requirements,” or program details. They will list the minimum APS needed.
- NWU Prospectus or Program Guides: NWU usually publishes prospectuses or program brochures that you can download from their website. These are packed with program info, including APS requirements.
- NWU Admissions Office (When in Doubt, Ask!): If you’re struggling to find the info online, don’t hesitate to contact the NWU Admissions Office directly! They are there to guide you and answer your questions.
Example Check:
Let’s say you’re interested in a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Accounting at NWU (again, this is just an example – always check the real requirements!).
You check the NWU website and find the minimum APS for BCom Accounting is 27 APS.
Since our example student has an APS of 36, they comfortably meet the minimum APS requirement for this program!
You’re now equipped to calculate your NWU APS score like a pro! Go get those amazing marks, figure out your APS, and take the next step toward joining the NWU community! Best of luck with your applications – you’ve got this!