Owen Sithole College of Agriculture in Kwazulu Natal province

Owen Sitole College of Agriculture (OSCA), formerly known as Cwaka Agricultural College was established in 1968. The former name of the college, Cwaka, was derived from the Cwaka stream, which means a calm stream.

Admission Process

1. Applications for admission to the College must be made on the prescribed application forms. The application form must be completed in detail and signed by the learner or parent or guardian and submitted to the College by the prescribed date.
2. Each application for admission must be accompanied by documentation as stipulated in the Regulations for Admission of the College.
3. Admission to the College of students with special learning needs (disabilities) is investigated in each specific case and tested against this policy and ability to meet the requirements and outcomes of the practical training program.
4. Entrance to the Diploma in Agriculture

The qualifications offered by the college are currently accredited under the auspices of the Council on Higher Education (CHE), with quality assurance being undertaken by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), a permanent sub-committee of the CHE. The qualifications are recognized on a national scale.

1. Entrance Requirement

The College uses five systems for determining eligibility:

1. Applicants who completed matric prior to 2009,
2. Applicants who completed matric from 2009,
3. Applicants who have completed NQF4 NCV Agricultural Production,
4. Applicants who are eligible in terms of the College RPL policy,
5. Applicants who have completed their schooling outside the Republic of South Africa.
6. 1)Applicants who completed matric prior to 2009

The applicant must have at least 22 points calculated using the table below and are subjected to the following limitation;

• The minimum acceptable symbol for any subject at Higher grade (HG) is E; applicants with any subject with a symbol lower than E will not be considered. The minimum acceptable symbol for any subject at Standard grade (SG) is D; applicants with any subject with a symbol lower than D will not be considered.

Calculating matric points prior 2009

SUBJECT	GRADE	SYMBOL
A	B	C	D	E	F
English, Maths, Physical Science	HG	18	16	14	12	8	4
Biology, Geography, Accountancy, Agricultural Science, Home Economics	14	12	10	8	6	4
All other subjects	6	5	4	3	2	1
English, Maths, Physical Science	SG	14	12	9	6	3	0
Biology, Geography, Accountancy, Agric. Science, Home Economics	10	8	6	4	2	0
All other subjects	4	3	2	1	0	0

5.2)Applicants who completed matric from 2009

The applicant must have a National Senior Certificate (NSC) or equivalent qualification with an average achievement rating of level 3 (40% or better), with least 24 points on the Admission Points Score system plus the following specific requirements at using the table below, subject to the following limitations:

• At least 2 subjects at level 5 (60% – 69%), preferably Physical Science.
• English at least a level 4 (50% – 59%)
• Mathematics (Core Maths) at least a level 3 (40% – 49%) OR Maths Literacy at at least a level 5 (60% to69%)
• Life Orientation at least a level 4 [1]
• Not more than one subject at level 1.

[1] For applicants with a post-2009 NSC, a minimum achievement rating of level 3 (40%) in Life Orientation (LO) is required for the National Senior Certificate. In order to signal the importance of this subject, this standard specifies, for admission to all qualifications, a minimum performance of level 4 (50%).[Does not apply to students with a NSC prior to 2009; such applications will be handled at the discretion of the Principal; lack of an LO farm.

Calculation matric points from 2009

NSCRating	NSCPercentage	Points Rating for APS	Adjusted Percentages for APS
		8	90% to 100%
7	80% to100%	7	80% to 89%
6	70% to 79%	6	70% to 79%
5	60% to 69%	5	60% to 69%
4	50% to 59%	4	50% to 59%
3	40% to 49%	3	40% to 49%
2	30% to 39%	2	30% to 39%
1	0% to 29%	1	0% to 29%

5.3)Applicants who have completed NQF4 NVC Agricultural Production

The applicant must have a passed the qualification with at least a 50% aggregate,at least a 50% pass in the highest NQF level foundation English in the program, and no module/unit standard with a mark of less than40%.

1. 4)Applicant who apply using RPL

Applicant applying with RPL will be eligible if they have attained the to the status of either the post-2009 NSC or the NQF4 NCV as set out in 3.1.1.2 and 3.1.1.3 by way of the prevailing RPL policy of the College.

1. 5)Applicants who completed their schooling outside the Republic of South Africa

The applicants must have attained the to the status of either the post-2009 NSC or the NQF4NCV asset out in 3.1.1.2 and 3.1.1.3 by way of an official assessment by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)[2] and which assessment must accompany the application form.

[2] Postnet Suite 248, Private Bag X06, Waterkloof, Pretoria, 0145; Website: saqa.co.za