Applying for nursing at UNISA is different from applying for most other undergraduate qualifications, because UNISA’s core nursing degree is designed for people who are already registered nurses, not for school leavers starting a nursing career from zero. This article explains exactly what UNISA offers in nursing, who actually qualifies to apply, the step-by-step application process, and what to do if a person does not yet meet the entry requirements for the nursing degree.
What UNISA Actually Offers in Nursing
UNISA’s flagship nursing qualification is the Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science, often referred to by its qualification code and commonly discussed as a nursing degree for working nurses rather than a beginner’s route into the profession. This is a Level 6 NQF qualification focused on health services management, nursing education, and community health, rather than basic clinical nurse training. Alongside this degree, UNISA also offers postgraduate nursing study, including a Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing, a Master of Arts in Nursing Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science, all of which are aimed at nurses who already hold professional registration and want to advance further into specialised, academic, or leadership roles within the profession.
What UNISA does not offer is a first-entry, hands-on clinical nursing qualification that trains someone with no nursing background to become a registered nurse from the very beginning. This is an important distinction, because nursing as a profession requires supervised clinical practice hours in a real healthcare setting, something that cannot be delivered through a purely distance and online learning model. UNISA structures its nursing degree around theory, management, and academic development for people who are completing their practical clinical training and registration elsewhere, typically through a nursing college or a contact institution with accredited clinical placement arrangements.
Who Actually Qualifies to Apply for the UNISA Nursing Degree
Because of how the qualification is structured, the entry requirements are stricter and more specific than for a general undergraduate degree. To apply for the Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science, an applicant generally needs:
- A National Senior Certificate with a degree endorsement, achieving at least 50% in the language of teaching and learning used for the qualification, or an equivalent older Senior Certificate with matriculation exemption or an approved exemption from the relevant matriculation authority.
- Current registration with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) as a professional nurse, or an equivalent recognised registering body, since this qualification builds on an existing nursing qualification and clinical registration rather than starting from no nursing background at all.
An applicant who does not already hold SANC registration as a professional nurse does not meet the entry requirement for this specific degree, regardless of how strong their matric results are. This is the single most common misunderstanding people have about applying for nursing at UNISA: matric results alone are not sufficient, because the qualification assumes the applicant is already a working, registered nurse.
Whether New Applications Are Currently Being Accepted
This is a critical point that changes from year to year and must be confirmed directly before applying: UNISA has, in recent academic cycles, restricted the Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science to students who are already registered and continuing in the qualification, rather than admitting entirely new applicants. This means that even a qualified, SANC-registered professional nurse who meets every academic requirement may find that new admissions into this specific qualification are closed for a given intake year, while returning students already enrolled continue their studies as normal.
Because this status shifts between academic years depending on capacity and planning decisions made by the relevant college, anyone interested in applying should check the specific qualification’s current admission status directly on UNISA’s official qualification page before assuming a space is available, rather than relying on a previous year’s information.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply for Nursing at UNISA
For an applicant who meets the entry requirements and confirms that new applications are being accepted for that academic year, the process follows UNISA’s standard online undergraduate application procedure:
- Confirm eligibility first. Check that the specific nursing qualification is open to new applicants for the relevant academic year, and confirm current SANC registration status, since this is a prerequisite rather than something assessed only after applying.
- Create or log in to a myUnisa account. Applications are submitted through UNISA’s official online application portal, which requires setting up an account if the applicant has not studied through UNISA before.
- Select the correct qualification and code. Nursing qualifications at UNISA are identified by a specific qualification code, and selecting the wrong or outdated code can delay or invalidate an application.
- Complete the application form with accurate personal and academic details. This includes identity or passport details, matric or equivalent results, and professional registration information.
- Upload the required supporting documents. These typically include a certified copy of the applicant’s identity document, certified academic records, and proof of current SANC registration as a professional nurse.
- Submit the application within UNISA’s official application window. Nursing, alongside a small number of other high-demand qualifications, has historically closed earlier than the general undergraduate deadline due to limited available space, so early submission matters more here than for less oversubscribed qualifications.
- Pay the non-refundable application fee once a student number is issued. This fee is standard across UNISA’s undergraduate applications and must be paid before the application can be fully processed, regardless of whether admission is eventually offered.
- Track the application status through myUnisa. Outcomes are communicated through the applicant’s official UNISA correspondence channels, and applicants should monitor their application status rather than assuming silence means either success or rejection.
What to Do If You Do Not Yet Have SANC Registration
A person who wants to become a nurse but has not yet completed basic nursing training and SANC registration needs a different starting point than UNISA’s Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science. The realistic path generally looks like this:
- Complete a SANC-accredited basic nursing qualification through a nursing college or a university offering a comprehensive nursing programme with clinical placement components, since this is where the foundational clinical training and initial professional registration happen.
- Register with SANC as a professional nurse once the basic qualification is complete, since this registration is what later opens the door to UNISA’s advancement-focused nursing degree.
- Gain the relevant work experience as a practising nurse, since many advancement or specialisation routes, including postgraduate nursing study, also expect current professional experience alongside the academic qualification.
- Apply to UNISA’s Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science, or a relevant postgraduate nursing qualification, once SANC registration is active and the qualification is open to new applicants for that academic year.
Comparing UNISA’s Nursing-Related Study Options
| Qualification | Level | Who It Is For | SANC Registration Required Before Applying? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science | NQF Level 6 (Degree) | Already-practising professional nurses seeking to formalise their qualification into a full degree | Yes |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing | Postgraduate | Registered nurses specialising in a particular clinical or academic field | Yes |
| Master of Arts in Nursing Science | Postgraduate | Nurses with an appropriate honours degree, postgraduate diploma, or equivalent basic nursing qualification, seeking advanced academic and research specialisation | Yes |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science | Postgraduate (Doctoral) | Experienced nursing professionals pursuing doctoral-level research in nursing science | Yes |
| Basic clinical nurse training (general nursing college / contact institution route) | Entry-level | People with no prior nursing qualification who want to start a nursing career from the beginning | No — this is the starting point, not a UNISA offering |
Why Nursing Applications Often Close Early
Nursing, along with a small number of other high-demand fields, tends to reach its available capacity faster than many other UNISA qualifications. This happens because the number of places in these programmes is often tied to accreditation and quality-assurance limits set by professional bodies like SANC, rather than being open-ended the way some general academic qualifications can be. Because of this, an applicant interested in nursing should apply as early as possible within the official application window, rather than waiting closer to the general closing date that applies to less restricted qualifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone with only a matric certificate apply for nursing at UNISA and become a registered nurse?
No. UNISA’s Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Science requires the applicant to already be registered with SANC as a professional nurse. A person without prior nursing training and registration needs to complete a SANC-accredited basic nursing qualification elsewhere first.
Is the UNISA nursing degree currently accepting new applicants?
This changes between academic years and must be confirmed directly on the specific qualification’s official page before applying, since UNISA has in some recent cycles restricted this qualification to continuing students only.
Does UNISA offer any nursing qualification suitable for a complete beginner?
Not for basic clinical nurse training. UNISA’s nursing offerings are structured for people who are already registered nurses looking to advance academically, not for someone starting a nursing career with no prior qualification or registration.
What documents are needed to apply for nursing at UNISA?
Typically a certified copy of an identity document, certified academic records showing the required matric or equivalent qualification, and proof of current SANC registration as a professional nurse.
Is there a way to check whether a specific UNISA nursing qualification has already reached capacity for the year?
The most reliable method is to check the qualification’s current status directly on UNISA’s official qualification page or contact the relevant college’s admissions office, since general application deadlines do not always reflect when high-demand qualifications like nursing actually close.