Hello Grade 10 learners. It is great to see that you are interested into becoming a lawyer. The subjects you choose in Grade 10 will definitely determine if you will be accepted into South African Law schools, to study towards becoming a lawyer.
The list of subjects you can choose from Grade 10 onwards, which are needed for you to become a lawyer are:
- English Home Language or First Additional Language (which are compulsory for LLB courses in most SA universities)
- History
- Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy
- Business Studies
- Any official South African Language
That being said, it is important to note that the above subject combination is just a general recommendation based on most SA Law schools. Law schools subject requirements may differ from one another.
Let’s now look into each law school in South Africa, to see what subjects are required.
Grade 10 Subjects Needed to Become a Lawyer based on SA’s Top Law Schools
In order to give comprehensive overview of Grade 10 subjects required to study towards becoming a lawyer in South African top universities, we looked at the actual subject requirements for various Law courses in universities such as UCT, Wits, UP, UJ, and UKZN:
University of Cape Town (UCT) LLB/Law Subjects Requirements
At UCT, there are no specific subjects required to study any Law courses. However, there are specific scores, calculated based on Grade 12 final subject marks.
In order to qualify to study Law at UCT, you will need to meet the following requirements:
- 485 WPS or above for all South African students
- 470 FPS or above for South African students coming from disadvantaged background.
Below is how the WPS and FPS scores are calculated:
- English Home Language 75% = 75 pts
- isiXhosa First Additional Language 70% = 70 pts
- Mathematics 84% = 84 pts
- Physical Sciences 86% = 86 pts
- Geography 79% = 79 pts
- Accounting 69% = 69 pts
- Life Orientation 80% = 0 pts
Total = 463/600
FPS = 463
Also note that, only 10 international students will be accepted to study any Law courses at UCT.
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) LLB/Law Subjects Requirements
Wits university offers an LLB course, and only accept students who have passed the following subjects:
- English Home Language or First Additional Language: Level 6 (70-79%)
- Mathematics: Level 5 (60-69%)
- Mathematical Literacy: Level 6 (70-79%)
- Admission Point Score (APS): 46+
University of Pretoria (UP) LLB/Law Subjects Requirements
The University of Pretoria offers the following Law courses: Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts specialising in Law, and Bachelor of Commerce specialising in Law. For all these Law courses, UP requires:
- English Home Language or First Additional Language: Level 5 (60-69%), and
- A total APS of 32
There is no particular Grade 10 subject combination required to study Law at UP.
University of Johannesburg (UJ) LLB/Law Subjects Requirements
The University of Johannesburg, offers three Law courses which are: BA Law, BCom Law, and LLB 4 year degree. Each of these Law courses have different set of subject requirements and relevant APS scores.
BA Law 3 Year Degree Subjects Requirements:
- Minimum APS: 31 with Mathematics OR 32 with Mathematical Literacy
- English: Level 5 (60%+)
- Additional Language: Level 4 (50%+)
- Mathematics: Level 3 (40%+)
- Mathematical Literacy: Level 4 (50%+)
BCom Law 3 Year Degree Course Subjects Requirements:
- Minimum APS: 31 (with Mathematics only). Mathematical Literacy is not accepted
- English: Level 5 (60%+)
- Additional Language: Level 4 (50%+)
- Mathematics: Level 4 (50%+)
LLB 4 Year Degree Course Subjects Requirements:
- Minimum APS: 31 with Mathematics OR 32 with Mathematical Literacy
- English: Level 5 (60%+)
- Additional Language: Level 4 (50%+)
- Mathematics: Level 3 (40%+)
- Mathematical Literacy: Level 4 (50%+)
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) LLB/Law Subjects Requirements
The University of KwaZulu Natal offers a Bachelor of Laws degree, which learners can study full-time in 3 years, or online in 4 years. The following are the required subjects for the Bachelor of Laws degree:
- English Home Language (HL): Level 5 (60%+)
- OR English First Additional Language (FAL): Level 6 (70%+)
- Mathematics: Level 3 (40%+)
- OR Mathematical Literacy: Level 5 (60%+)
- Life Orientation: Level 4 (50%+)
APS Score Range: 48–32
Well, thats all.
We hope the above Law subject guide will really help Grade 10 learners in South Africa towards their journey of becoming a Lawyer.