Available Courses List for Late University Admissions 2026 (Semester 2)

Key Takeaways: Your Mid-Year Menu

• The Rule of Thumb: If it is a Diploma, it is likely available. If it is a Degree, it is likely closed.
• Engineering: The widest availability (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial).
• Business: High availability for Management Assistant, HR, and Public Management.
• Science & IT: Low availability (often annual).
• Humanities: Very low availability (Teaching and Social Work are closed).
• Distance Learning: UNISA offers specific semester modules, but not all degrees are open.

You know where to apply (TUT, VUT, DUT, etc.). Now the question is: What exactly can you apply for?

Many students make the mistake of logging onto the application portal in May and frantically searching for “Social Work” or “Primary Education,” only to find nothing. This is because the Second Semester intake is not a free-for-all. It is a highly specific intake designed for modular courses—programs that are broken down into bite-sized 6-month chunks.

If you apply for the wrong course, you will be rejected instantly, not because your marks are bad, but because the course simply doesn’t exist in July.

To save you from wasting your application fee, we have compiled the definitive Course Catalog for Semester 2 (2026). This list covers the programs that historically open every July at South Africa’s Universities of Technology.

Faculty 1: Engineering & The Built Environment (High Availability)

This is the “Gold Mine” of the mid-year intake. Engineering faculties at Universities of Technology (UoTs) are designed to churn out technicians. Because failure rates in “Maths 1” and “Science 1” are high, these faculties run modules every semester to allow students to repeat. This creates space for new students to enter the system in July.

1. Diploma in Civil Engineering

• Availability: High (TUT, VUT, MUT, WSU).
• Focus: Construction, roads, water systems, and structural concrete.
• Why it opens: The industry demand for civil technicians is constant.
• Entry Requirements: typically requires English (4), Maths (4), and Physical Science (4). Note: Technical Maths and Technical Science are often accepted at UoTs.

2. Diploma in Electrical Engineering

• Availability: High (TUT, VUT, DUT, MUT, CUT).
• Specializations:
  • Heavy Current (Power): Working with Eskom grids, transformers, and factories.
  • Light Current (Electronics/Instrumentation): Working with circuit boards, telecommunications, and control systems.
• Why it opens: It is the backbone of the artisan economy.
• Admission Tip: Ensure you select the correct stream (Power vs. Electronics) on your application, as they often have separate codes.

3. Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

• Availability: High (TUT, VUT, MUT, CUT).
• Focus: Mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and automotive systems.
• Career Path: Diesel Mechanic, HVAC Specialist, Manufacturing Technician.
• Note: This is often the most competitive engineering course. An APS of 28+ is usually safe, though the minimum might state 24.

4. Diploma in Industrial Engineering

• Availability: Medium (TUT, VUT).
• Focus: Optimizing complex processes, systems, or organizations. It is the “Business side of Engineering.”
• Who is this for? Students who like Engineering but also enjoy logistics, supply chain, and efficiency planning.

5. Diploma in Building

• Availability: Medium (TUT, MUT).
• Focus: Construction management, quantity surveying, and site management.
• Difference from Civil Engineering: Civil focuses on the design of infrastructure (roads/dams). Building focuses on the management of vertical structures (houses/offices).

6. Diploma in Surveying / Geomatics

• Availability: Low/Medium (MUT, TUT).
• Focus: Measuring land for maps and construction boundaries.
• Why choose this: It is a scarce skill in South Africa.

Faculty 2: Management Sciences (High Availability)

If you are not a “Maths and Science” student, this is your safety net. The Management faculties almost always have a July intake because the subjects (like “Business Management 101”) are universal and easily repeated.

1. Diploma in Human Resource Management (HR)

• Availability: Very High (TUT, DUT, VUT, MUT, CUT).
• Focus: Hiring, labor laws, payroll, and employee training.
• Why it opens: High turnover of students means there are always open seats.
• Requirements: Maths or Maths Lit is usually required, but the score requirement is lower than Engineering (typically 3 or 4).

2. Diploma in Public Management / Public Affairs

• Availability: Very High (TUT, DUT, MUT, WSU).
• Focus: Government administration, policy, and public sector accounting.
• Career Path: Municipal manager, government clerk, policy analyst.
• Note: This is the single most popular course for the mid-year intake. It fills up fast.

3. Diploma in Marketing

• Availability: High (TUT, VUT, DUT, MUT).
• Focus: Advertising, consumer behavior, brand management, and sales.
• Who is this for? Creative students who also have a head for business.

4. Diploma in Management Assistant

• Availability: High (TUT, VUT, CUT).
• Focus: Office administration, advanced computer skills, and business communication.
• Career Path: Personal Assistant (PA), Office Manager, Executive Secretary.
• Why choose this: It has one of the highest employment rates because every company needs admin staff.

5. Diploma in Tourism Management

• Availability: Medium (TUT, DUT, VUT).
• Focus: Travel operations, event management, and hospitality.
• Note: Ecotourism is a separate specialized diploma (often at TUT) and might not be open mid-year. General Tourism usually is.

6. Diploma in Retail Business Management

• Availability: Medium (DUT, CPUT).
• Focus: Store management, supply chain, and merchandising.
• Career Path: Store Manager (Checkers/Woolworths/PnP).

Faculty 3: Information & Communication Technology (ICT)

This is a “Maybe” category. While ICT courses are modular, they are insanely popular, and the January intake often fills the labs to capacity. However, TUT and VUT often squeeze in a July intake.

1. Diploma in ICT: Applications Development

• Availability: Medium (TUT, VUT).
• Focus: Coding, software creation, and app building.
• Requirement: Pure Maths is often preferred, though some UoTs accept Technical Maths.

2. Diploma in ICT: Support Services

• Availability: Medium (TUT, VUT).
• Focus: Hardware repair, network setup, and IT helpdesk.
• Career Path: IT Technician, Network Administrator.

Faculty 4: Applied Sciences (Low Availability)

Science courses often run on a year-long cycle because laboratory work is hard to schedule twice a year. However, there are exceptions.

1. Diploma in Analytical Chemistry

• Availability: Low (VUT sometimes, TUT sometimes).
• Focus: Working in laboratories testing chemicals, water quality, or pharmaceuticals.
• Requirement: Physical Science and Maths are non-negotiable.

2. Diploma in Agriculture / Agricultural Management

• Availability: Low/Medium (MUT, CUT, TUT).
• Focus: Crop production and farm management.
• Note: Animal Production is often strictly annual due to breeding cycles. Crop production sometimes allows mid-year entry.

The “Distance Learning” Option (UNISA & NWU)

If you cannot find a space at a contact university, Distance Learning is your backup.

UNISA (University of South Africa)

UNISA opens applications for Semester 2 usually in April/May.

• What is available? Almost all Undergraduate Modules.
• The Catch: You don’t apply for a “Course” in the same way; you apply for a qualification.
• Open Qualifications:
  • Higher Certificate in Economic & Management Sciences. (Great bridging course).
  • Higher Certificate in Law.
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA): Various streams.
  • Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): Various streams.
• Closed: Social Work and Teaching degrees are often closed mid-year for new applicants because the practicals are school-based (Jan-Dec).

North-West University (NWU) Distance

NWU has a robust “Unit for Open Distance Learning” (UODL).

• Focus: Education and Theology.
• Intake: They often have a mid-year intake for Advanced Certificates in Teaching (ACT) or NPDE upgrades for existing teachers. General undergraduate degrees are less common mid-year.

What is DEFINITELY CLOSED? (Do Not Apply)

To save you time, here is a list of courses that never (or almost never) have a July intake for first-year students:

1. Bachelor of Education (Teaching): The school curriculum runs Jan-Dec. You cannot start learning to teach in July.
2. Bachelor of Medicine (MBChB) / Nursing: Clinical placements are fixed annually.
3. Bachelor of Laws (LLB): Law faculties at traditional universities (UCT, Wits, UKZN) do not offer mid-year entry. (Exception: UNISA).
4. Bachelor of Social Work: Fieldwork placements run annually.
5. Bachelor of Pharmacy: Strictly annual.
6. Architecture: Studio work is year-long.
7. Journalism: Often year-long portfolios.

The “Higher Certificate” Strategy

If you check the list above and your APS score is too low for the Diplomas (e.g., you have an APS of 18 or 19), you should look for Higher Certificates.

These are 1-year courses that bridge you into the Diploma next year. They often have mid-year intakes because colleges use them to fill quotas.

• Higher Certificate in Resource & Operations Management (TUT).
• Higher Certificate in Accountancy (Various).
• Higher Certificate in Office Administration (Various).

Why take this route?

If you start a Higher Certificate in July 2026, you finish in June 2027. You can then start your Diploma in July 2027. You are still moving forward.

Summary Checklist for Applicants

Before you log in to apply in May 2026, check this list:

1. Is it a UoT? (TUT, VUT, DUT, MUT, CUT, WSU). If yes, proceed.
2. Is it a Diploma? If yes, proceed.
3. Is it Engineering or Management? If yes, you have a 90% chance it is open.
4. Do I have the specific subjects? (e.g., Physical Science for Engineering).
5. Is my APS calculable? Ensure you exclude Life Orientation if the university requires it. Click here to calculate your Aps Score.

The mid-year intake is smaller, quieter, and faster than the January rush. But the qualification you get at the end is exactly the same. Pick your course from this list, prepare your documents, and be ready to claim your seat in May.

Disclaimer: Course availability is dynamic and depends on the number of dropouts from the first semester. Always verify specific course availability on the university’s official application portal when it opens.