Exploring the Challenges of University Admissions for South African Matriculants

South African universities in recent years have had an influx of matriculant applications for entry into first year of a degree qualification and less than half of these applicants are accommodated.

The question beckons, what is the outcome of matriculants that do not access university post the completion of high school?

Critics have indicated that South African society overvalues a university degree and that there are other options available to learn and pursue skills and attributes that enable our youth to become employable.

Are we fully informed of the educational options available post the completion of school? Many people are not aware of the type of skills development opportunities that are available at private colleges and Training and Vocational Colleges.

Many young adults are making career choices without being fully informed and appropriate knowledge of all avenues of tertiary education in South Africa.

The other major concern is that colleges such as Damelin College, City Varsity, Lyceum Colleges and ICESA being deregistered from The Department of Higher Education, which has resulted in society questioning the worth and credibility of private higher educational institutions and the employability of their students after graduation.

In addition, many of these colleges employ individuals that are far more equipped for industry rather than in the paradigm of teaching and learning and in some instances students are compromised because these employees are not skilled educators but skilled practitioners instead.

Understanding teaching and learning paradigms and relating content to students requires skills, expert knowledge in theory and not just in practice, good communication skills as well as an overall capacity to engage with students.

In addition, young adults need to be fully aware of the difference of an “online only teaching and learning approach” versus an approach which is hybrid or in person only. The key indicators of the type of skills one attains and their applicability after completion of any qualification.

The lack of clarity of the above factors and deregistration of private colleges from the department of Higher Education has influenced the high number of university applications received from matriculants in recent years.

So much so that universities cannot accommodate all these applicants and often the course of career is altered because these applicants are being accepted for the third or fourth preference of field of study.

This is life changing for many and the impact of this is only realised when graduates remain unemployed for long periods of time after completing their degree.

The key to employability also lies in the formal economy's capacity to absorb graduates in various capacities of employment such as learnership positions or even internships.

The unemployment rates of graduates nationally have brought to the fore continual debates about the value of university qualifications, their relevance and applicability in South Africa.

Graduate unemployment rate reduced to just over 10% in 2025, but these statistics do not include how long these graduates remained unemployed for and whether they are absorbed by the formal economy or informal economy.

Internationally, graduate employment has been surging above 70%, despite the fact that their economies have not had major growth indicators but have remained relatively stable over the last 5 years.

In Europe for instance, male graduate employment ratio is actually marginally higher than female, which also indicates the preference of global economies employing the male graduate in comparison to female graduate.

This has been a global trend as companies prefer employees that have minimal family responsibilities within patriarchal societies. In India at present, graduate female unemployment has reached a peak because of patriarchal value systems in place.

Many women are forced to give up full time employment post marriage and child bearing because of child rearing and household management expectations and responsibilities.

Within the context of South Africa, the need for female graduates to be employed has taken precedence, as often the female graduate has been burdened with becoming the sole bread winner within their nuclear and extended families.

Single female parent households have become common in recent years. The need for skill and attribute development is pivotal and one demonstrates their expertise through the attainment of a formal qualification.

Without a formal qualification, it is rather difficult to indicate what skill or area of expertise one possesses, which contributes to minimizing your opportunity of being employed formally.

There are those around us that have build careers through experience solely in the past which often mislead people into believing that a qualification is not needed; however, this was acceptable in the past when people of colour during the Apartheid era was not afforded the opportunity to attend many tertiary educational institutions.

Today we have every type of skill development course available to us and there is no structural barrier other than entry marks and college and university capacity to accept students.

An employer will opt to employ an individual with some qualification rather than none. One’s skill and knowledge expertise also forms part of one's identity and becomes one’s livelihood.

*The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.*

DAILY NEWS