The first formal examination was conducted in South Africa under the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1858.
The National Senior Certificate can be completed through either the Department of Education or the Independent Examination Board.
Students who fulfill certain requirements (an achievement rating of 4 (50%–59%) or better in four (4) designated subjects) in their Senior Certificate results receive a Matriculation Endorsement/Bachelor's Pass on their certificates; this endorsement is the minimum requirement for admission to a bachelor's degree at any South African university, set by the Department of Basic Education.
Students applying to a South African university with foreign school qualifications can obtain a "Matriculation Exemption" to show that they meet the same standards.
This multiple meaning can lead to confusion; for example, the statement that a person "passed matric" or "has their matric" may mean either that they received a Senior Certificate (i.e., they finished high school) or specifically that they received a Senior Certificate with Matriculation Endorsement (i.e., they are eligible to enter university).
Before the 1990s, the standard Matric Certificate with Endorsement was worded as "Examination result – Passed with full exemption".
Language compensation attempts to adjust for the difficulties faced by students whose mother tongue is neither English nor Afrikaans.
It is described by several sources: This kind of compensation provides a significant impact at the upper end of the scale, affecting those applying for admission to university.
[7] To study for a bachelor's degree at a South African university requires that the applicant has at least an NSC endorsed by Umalusi, with a pass of 30% in the chosen university's language of learning and teaching, as well as a level 4 or higher in the following list of designated, 19-credit subjects:[8]