MATRIC candidates who have passed but not yet applied for admission to university still have a chance at some institutions of higher education.

Several institutions are willing to let students apply and register late.

After last year's late applications at the University of Johannesburg's Kingsway campus attracted 30000 prospective students, the university has decided to conduct registrations at a stadium.

At the time registrar Marie Muller said the university (UJ) had received 63400 applications for 2011 first-year undergraduate studies . She said UJ could only accept 48000 this year and this included all undergraduate and post-graduate students.

For 2012 the university is not taking chances. Spokesman Herman Esterhuizen said UJ had decided to receive late applications for 2012 at the stadium on the Bunting Road campus.

"There will be rigorous access control to ensure a safe arrival and departure and the minimum disruption to residents in the area," he said.

Late applications based on merit will take place from January 9 until 13. All late applicants will have to pay a R350 fee. Students allowed to register have to pay the first minimum payment on the date of registration.

Stellenbosch University spokesman Martin Viljoen said only programmes that had not reached their full student capacity would take late registrations. Candidates who wanted to apply to study in 2012 had to contact the relevant faculty administrator.

But not all universities accept late registrations. University of Cape Town spokeswoman Mologadi Makwela said registrations closed on September 30. The university had received about 34600 applications.

The University of Pretoria's Sanku Tsunke said applications closed on September 30 and they received more than 40000 applications for 13000 places.

University of North West spokesman Louis Jacobs said: "We are still going to decide whether to take late registrations or not. So far the Mafikeng and Potchesfstroom campuses are full as far as preliminary admissions are concerned."

It is compulsory for all first-year entrants to write the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). These are multiple choice questions in English or Afrikaans. The Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy domains (AQL) costs R90 and is written by all applicants.

The Mathematics test costs R165 and is written by applicants to courses for which mathematics is a requirement.