GED
Finish school in a year, starting any month you like
Four exams instead of seven subjects, no school reports needed to begin, and no waiting for January. For a learner of 16 or older who has run out of road at school, this is the shortest honest route to a school-leaving qualification.
From R3 725a month, with the programme licence and all four exams included
R44 700 to finish, usually inside a year
- 130
- Credits at NQF4
- 4
- Subjects
- 16
- Minimum age
What you should know
Everything the GED programme includes.
The GED is a school-leaving certificate carrying 130 credits at NQF Level 4.
SAQA has evaluated the GED and found the National Senior Certificate to be its closest comparable qualification, so it is accepted as matric-level by employers and by colleges.
Four subjects make up the whole certificate, and each exam is written the moment the student is ready for it.
Students must be 16 or older to start, and 17 to write the exams. An identity document is required to sit the exam.
No prior achievements are necessary. We do not need a record of previous grades passed.
Exams are written at a wide network of accredited centres around the country.
Subscription runs for one year. If a student has not finished, a new subscription is paid and no work is lost.
Online tutoring and testing, plus direct support from Nova Support Center. We liaise with GED Academy to help students perform at their best.
We provide internet connections for full-time students. Students should have their own laptop to work on.
Subjects
Four subjects make up the full GED credential.
- English
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
- Science
Read this before you enrol
What this certificate does not do
You will read a great deal of vague marketing about this qualification. Here is the plain version, and you should hear it from us before you pay anyone — including us.
It does not carry matric exemption
Universities South Africa stopped issuing Foreign Conditional Exemption to South African holders of the GED from 2020. That means the certificate will not, on its own, get a student into a public South African university to read for a bachelor’s degree.
That is the whole catch
It is not a small-print detail, and it is not a dead end either. There are four working routes past it, set out below, and thousands of South Africans have already used them. But you deserve to know it now rather than in two years’ time.
It is not the South African curriculum
A student who may return to a mainstream school will not slot back into their grade. And a learner under 16 cannot start, so enrolling early usually means paying for months of waiting.
Where you go from here
Four routes to a degree, and which one to take.
These are the real options open to a South African holder of the GED who wants a bachelor’s degree. They are ordered from fastest to slowest, and we will tell you honestly which one we would put your student on.
Straight into a degree at Boston City Campus
No extra year · apply as soon as the results are in
Boston City Campus reviewed its admission process specifically for this qualification. Graduates can apply directly for a Boston degree without first completing a Higher Certificate and without waiting months for exemption from Universities South Africa, provided the required scores are achieved. Boston submits the Matriculation Board endorsement on the student’s behalf as part of its own application process.
Boston is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training and its degrees are accredited on the National Qualifications Framework, so this is a real degree, not a workaround. Programmes cover business management, accounting, law-related studies, human resources, information technology, education, and logistics and supply chain management. Most are available by online distance learning.
Best for a student who knows roughly what they want to study and is happy with a private institution.
A Higher Certificate first, then any university
One extra year · roughly R15 000 to R35 000 · opens the public universities
Complete a Higher Certificate at Level 5 of the National Qualifications Framework worth at least 120 credits, and you can then apply to Universities South Africa for complete exemption. Complete exemption lets you apply to any South African university for a degree, provided you also meet that university’s and that faculty’s own entrance requirements.
A Higher Certificate takes one year full-time and is offered by a wide range of private and public institutions. Fees vary considerably by institution and field; budget in the region of R15 000 to R35 000 for the year, plus the Matriculation Board endorsement fee, which is paid separately.
Best for a student set on a public university, a professional degree, or a field Boston does not offer.
Mature age exemption from 23
No extra study · available once you turn 23
A learner who is 23 or older may apply to Universities South Africa for conditional exemption on the basis of mature age. This is a separate route with its own requirements and it does not depend on the GED at all — but for an adult learner already close to 23, it is often the simplest door into a public university.
Best for adult learners returning to study later, who are not in a hurry.
Study internationally, from home
No exemption needed · start as soon as you are accepted
The exemption problem is a South African one. Internationally the GED is the standard school-leaving equivalency, recognised in over 85 countries and accepted by thousands of universities, including nearly all universities in the United States.
Several well-regarded institutions teach entirely online with open admission — the University of the People, the Open University in the United Kingdom, Arizona State University, Southern New Hampshire University and Western Governors University among them — so a student can hold an international degree without leaving Lydenburg. Weigh up currency, though: tuition charged in dollars or pounds can move sharply against the rand over three years.
Best for a student who wants a degree without a bridging year and is comfortable studying online.
Also worth a look
Not sure which programme fits?
Tell us the age, the last grade completed and what has been getting in the way. We will point you at the right route, and say so plainly if we are not the right fit.