Population · Chart
Matric 2025: the Western Cape had the second-highest share of bachelor passes
52% Free State · Highest
Free State led at 52.0%, the Western Cape followed at 49.2%, and Northern Cape was lowest at 36.2%.
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Method and sources
Each bar is a province's bachelor pass rate in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (matric) examinations, as reported in the article. A bachelor pass is an NSC pass that qualifies for direct university entry. The rate is a share of all candidates who wrote, not of those who passed.
Free State 52.0%, Western Cape 49.2%, Gauteng 48.5%, KwaZulu-Natal 45.8%, North West 43.5%, Mpumalanga 41.2%, Limpopo 38.7%, Eastern Cape 37.5%, Northern Cape 36.2%. The article gives a South African average of about 45.0%.
The article notes that Free State's lead is partly driven by smaller candidate numbers and a different mix of schools.
The results were released in January 2026. The article gives the examination year only, so the period is the 2025 calendar year.
Sources: Department of Basic Education and Western Cape Education Department, NSC 2025 results announcement (https://www.westerncape.gov.za/education/)
Figures as published in our article on Cape Town's best schools (last updated 30 April 2026): DBE and WCED National Senior Certificate 2025 examination results, released January 2026.
Chart updated · 14 Sep 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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