If you are not happy with your matric results, you can upgrade them. To upgrade your matric results, you register on the Adult Matric programme. Once you have improved the subjects you want to upgrade, you apply to Umalusi to combine your two sets of matric results.
Umalusi will then issue you a single, final Matric Certificate, with only your best results showing on that new Matric Certificate.
You can even use the matric upgrade to upgrade your results if you failed matric. So you can upgrade from a fail to a pass in matric.
Watch the College Principal explain everything you need to know about a Matric Upgrade.
| Course | Course: Amended Senior Certificate |
| Programme Type | National Qualification |
| Award Type | Senior Certificate |
| Award Issued By | Umalusi |
| Accredited By | Umalusi |
| Course Duration | 12 to 24 months recommended |
| NQF Level | Level 4 |
| SAQA ID Number | 49647 |
| Entrance Criteria |
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You can choose how many subjects you want to upgrade. Please check that we offer the subjects you want to upgrade.
Matric Subject List
- English Home Language
- English 1st Additional Language
- Afrikaans Huistaal
- Afrikaans 1st Additional Language
- Other 1st Additional Language
- Mathematics
- Mathematics Literacy
- Life Science (Used to be Biology)
- Physical Science (Physics and Chemistry)
- Business, Commerce and Management Studies
- Accounting
- Business Studies
- Economics
- Human and Social Studies
- Geography
- History
How can I upgrade my Matric?
If you have written matric in the past, and you received your matric results, then you can upgrade those results.
You upgrade the results by writing the Adult Matric exams in May and June of each year, and the marks you get in that exam can replace the marks you got at school. Umalusi will combine your results from your two exams, and issue you with a Matric Certificate with only your best marks.
Is upgrading matric results a good idea?
Yes! Better matric results mean you open more study opportunities and more career opportunities for yourself.
How many times can you upgrade or rewrite Matric?
You can write the Adult Matric exams as many times as you want. There is no limit to the number of times you can sit for these exams.
What is the difference between a matric rewrite and a matric upgrade?
A matric rewrite is what you do if you are younger than 21 years of age. It means you are improving a maximum of two subjects. And your school marks/class marks form part of your final mark on your matric certificate.
A matric upgrade is when you use the adult matric exams to improve as many of your subjects as you want. You can even use it to get a complete new set of results, by studying six subjects in the Adult Matric programme.
Can I combine my matric results?
Yes. Once you have two sets of matric results you apply to Umalusi to combine those results. And you get issued with a single Matric Certificate with only your best marks on it.
Accreditation and Registration
The National Senior Certificate is the top school-leaving qualification in South Africa.
Matric certificates are also known as National Senior Certificates and hold the following accreditation and registration:
- SAQA ID Number: 49647
- NQF Level 4
Matric College is Accredited by the ICB (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) for the QCTO.
There is no accreditation or registration process for educational institutions offering Adult Matric. So it is not possible to be registered or accredited to offer Adult Matric.
There are seven simple steps from Registration with Matric College to Writing your adult matric, upgrade exams with the Department of Basic Education.
- Register over the phone with one of our adult matric course experts
- Get your first package of study material from our courier, 5 to 7 working days after registration
- Join our WhatsApp study groups,
- Attempt your first assignment, submit to your lecturer to mark and give you feedback
- Keep studying, talking to your tutors and classmates and submitting assignments
- Use our old exam papers to help you prepare better for the exams
- We help you register for the exams once exam registrations open, which is usually in November
- Attend our online exam preparation classes just before the exams
- Write your first exams in May and June
- Pass your exam, and get your upgraded Matric subject results from Umalusi
- Apply to Umalusi to combine your old and your new matric results
- Get your combined matric certificate from Umalusi, showing only your best results
You will get everything you need to pass your course from the College. This includes:
- All textbooks – printed hard copy books, delivered by courier
- All the study notes – developed especially for distance learning students
- Old exam papers and model answers – to help you prepare for the exams
- WhatsApp study groups with fellow students and your lecturers
- Tutorial support from 8 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon
- Marking of your assignments with good useful feedback on the areas that you are struggling with
- Regular check-ins from the College to keep you motivated and keep you studying
- Help with creating your own study schedule (study calendar)
- Help with Registering for the Exams, once exam registrations open in November
- Enough time to successfully complete your studies – once you have paid your full course fee, you can keep on studying for another year without any extra charges
Study every day - use a study calendar
Start by creating a place and a plan for your studies. Use a calendar to plan what hours you will study each day. If you don’t know how to create a study plan, please ask your tutor, and we will help you.
Do your Assignments
Do each assignment you get. By doing your assignments and getting feedback from your tutor, you will be learning in the best way possible.
Ask lots of questions!
When you get feedback from your tutor on your assignments, and you are unsure about the work, please ask lots of questions. You can call your tutor, chat on WhatsApp, chat in the online study groups, and even ask for the tutor to call you back.
When you ask questions, especially in groups, you are helping yourself and you are also helping the other group members understand the work better.
Participate in Discussions with Tutors and fellow students
When you see there is a discussion, please participate. If someone asks a question and you think you have the answer, then give the answer! Don’t wait for the tutor. This is how you get the most out of your learning.
Use the help provided to prepare for the exams
We will give you old exam papers and model answers. And we will also have exam preparation sessions. Use the old exam papers to create mock exams for yourself. Old exam papers are probably the single best way to learn your work.
We will also help you set up a study timetable that fits into your busy schedule.
What to do if things go wrong?
When you need extra help, when something goes wrong, when you need some motivation, when you are not happy with the college, please use the Red Alert form. This form goes directly to the CEO of the College. And we will make sure to promptly contact you and figure out how we can help you.
Your exam fees are not included in the course fees. This means that when you register for the exams, there will be a fee payable to the Exam Centre which you pick to write your exams.
What do I need to Register for the Adult Matric programme?
Here are the entry requirements:
- You must have your Grade 9 (Standard 7) school report, or a school report showing you passed a grade higher than Grade 9, OR
- A grade 9 equivalent, accredited programme, for example the ABET programme – the programme must be at NQF level 1, and it must include two official languages, OR
- An incomplete matric result.
- You need to be 21 years old when you write the first exams next year in May
- Can I do Adult Matric if I am 19 years old? Yes you can – get the details here.
- You must be able to read and write in English. The course materials are presented in English, so you need to be able to read and understand English.
Yes, you can study the course in Afrikaans. And you can write your exams in Afrikaans as well.
How long does it take?
When you do matric at school it is a three year programme. At the end of matric your exams cover all your work from grade 10, grade 11 and grade 12.
Doing Adult Matric can go faster than three years. But you are still studying six full matric subjects. Fast students will do the programme in one year. Many students are spreading the course over two years.
If you want to do the course over two years, then you do three subjects in year one, and the other three subjects in year two.
To get the current course fees, and find out the different payment options, please contact one of our course experts.
How do I register to upgrade my matric?
You can fill in a form, and then we will call you back. Or you can phone or WhatsApp one of our course experts.
How does distance learning studies work at Matric College?
The course is offered via distance learning. That means:
- You register over the phone
- We send your your study materials via courier
- You get all the study materials you will need to pass your course from us
- When you start with your first subject, you study and then you do your first assignment
- You send your assignment to your tutor at the college
- We mark your assignments and give you detailed feedback
- You chat with your tutor and your classmates in our WhatsApp groups
- You can also chat in our online study groups on TogetherWePass, which is better because you can easily see all your past chats and work
- When we get closer to the exam you can attend online exam preparation sessions
- You also work through old exam papers which we provide, to better prepare you for the exams
- When exam registrations open, we help you register yourself on the Department of Education online exam registration portal for your exams
Although the college will assist you in registering for the exams, we are not allowed to do the registration on your behalf.
How do you register for the adult matric exams?
We will send you a link to the Department of Basic Education portal where you can register for the exams. Note that this portal usually only opens in November each year. And exam registrations close around the end of January every year. We will encourage you to register for the exams AS SOON as the exam registration opens. Because if you register later, then you will struggle to get a seat in an exam centre near you.
You can also register in person at the Department of Basic Education provincial offices, head office, district offices or circuit offices.
What is the difference between the Adult Matric Certificate, and a School Matric Certificate?
No difference in the Matric Certificate
There is no difference between the Matric Certificate you get from Umalusi when you pass matric at school, and the Matric Certificate you get from Umalusi if you pass matric as an Adult Matric learner.
In fact, if you put the two matric certificates next to each other, you will not be able to see which one was achieved by an adult matric learner.
Different in how you study and how your marks are calculated
When you study matric at school, then you get a school mark for the work you did at school. So assignments, essays and school exams are used to create a “class mark” for you.
Then you write your final exam, and from that you get your final exam mark.
The marks used on your matric certificate, is created by using BOTH your class mark and your final exam marks. So your results on your matric certificate can get dragged down if you have a bad class mark.
If you do the adult matric programme, you do not get a class mark. So your final results on your matric certificate are the results you achieved in your exam. And only those results count.
When you choose your subjects, first you have to think about what you need from your Matric Certificate.
If you want to go to university, then you must choose university entrance subjects. You also have to understand the university entrance requirements for the university and the specific degree you want to study. Each course and each university will have its own (different) entrance criteria.
If you need a matric certificate to improve your CV, or to study post-matric certificates or diplomas, then often there are no specific requirements in terms of subjects. So then you can make it easy on yourself, and choose subjects that will be easy for you.
The best way to decide on your subjects is to chat to one of our Adult Matric Course Experts.
For the list of subjects you can choose from, and also the rules around subject choices, read this article.
Can I upgrade my matric results at Unisa?
No, you cannot upgrade your matric at Unisa. Unisa is a distance learning university and they offer post-matric programmes. For example, they offer degrees and post-matric diplomas.
Can I upgrade my matric at a TVET College?
No, most TVET colleges offer their own programmes. Some of those programmes you can study without first passing matric. And their National Certificate and National Diploma courses require that you pass matric before you apply.
Jan Badenhorst, CEO of Matric College, discusses everything you need to know about a matric upgrade
Other Matric Certificate Courses and Matric Equivalent Certificates (NQF 4 Level)
Author: Jan Badenhorst, CEO, Matric College
Last Updated: Jesme Africa