Help for Grade 12s applying to colleges, varsities

Matriculants who have not yet secured admission to institutions of higher learning have a second chance to gain entrance into those institutions, thanks to the Central Application Clearing House (CACH).

The department of higher education & training (DHET) said the CACH service for 2024 is open from 26 January until 31 March 2024.

This is a free service provided by the department to both the applicants and institutions.

“Learners who have completed Grade 12 from 2000 onwards will be eligible to signup,” the department said.

Since its inception in 2013, the CACH has been providing invaluable service to assist students whose original application may have been unsuccessful but has subsequently improved with their final Grade 12 results.

The department said the CACH service collects information  about Grade 12  learners who are seeking placement at a university, university of technology, or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college at the beginning of the year.

“The CACH service allows candidates to signup for consideration by any institution that has indicated its intention to participate in the CACH. Institutions and the sector education and training authorities (SETAs) use the CACH database for placement,” the department said.

Where places exist and prospective students meet the requirements, institutions will contact them directly once they have accepted the offer on the CACH system.

Public universities, Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) colleges, SETAs and private colleges will access the CACH database via the website (self-service portal) to search for individuals who meet the criteria of the spaces still available.

The system will send SMSes or emails to those who would have been offered places for them to accept or reject the offer. Once the offer has been accepted, institutions will directly contact those who accept the offer.

“For students who remain unclear about which career to follow, the CACH provides referral services to career advice and information through DHET’s Khetha Career Development Service,” the department explained.

How to signup?

When signing-up, you will need the following:

• A copy of your National Senior Certificate (NSC), Senior Certificate (SC) or Statement of Results;
• You are required to enter your ID or passport number or examination number, name, surname and date of birth exactly as they appear on your NSC statement of results or your NSC/SC certificate so that the department can retrieve your final Grade 12 results directly from the department of basic education;
• Cellphone number; and
• Email address for communications at different stages of the signup process.

If you do not have a valid email address, you will be given an option to create a Gmail address for communication.

For more information, you can call 0860 690 722 between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

– This article was first published in GCIS’s Vuk’uzenzele