What should I study after matric

Still have no idea what to study? Let’s figure it out together.

A YUNI Guide for South African Matrics

The Short Answer

There's no single subject that's "right" for everyone after matric, but there is a right *process*. Start by understanding your strengths, interests and personality (an aptitude test helps here). Then explore three or four careers that fit that profile, check which qualifications they need, and compare institutions on cost, location and accreditation before you apply. Your APS gets you into a course. It doesn't decide your future. If you're still unsure, choose a broad, flexible qualification (like a BCom, BSc or diploma) over a narrow one, and give yourself permission to adjust course later - most people do.

Introduction

So... what are you studying next year?
If that question lives rent-free in your head every family dinner, you're not alone. One minute you're writing matric finals. The next, everyone expects you to know exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life.
Parents have opinions. Teachers have opinions. Even your friends suddenly seem to have a five-year plan mapped out.
Meanwhile, you're lowkey panicking, thinking: "I don't even know what I want to study."

That's exactly where this guide starts.

We're not going to hand you a quiz result and call it a day. We're going to walk through this properly - how to actually figure out what suits you, what South Africa's higher education system looks like right now, which careers are growing, and how to avoid the mistakes that leave so many students stuck in the wrong course.

What should I study after matric image
What should I study after matric image
What should I study after matric image

Why Choosing What to Study Feels So Hard

It's not just you. Choosing what to study after matric is genuinely one of the harder decisions you'll make, and there are real reasons it feels heavy.

Everyone Has an Opinion

Your dad thinks you should do something "stable." Your aunt keeps mentioning that her friend's kid is a doctor. Your Life Orientation teacher printed out a list of "top careers" in 2019 and never updated it.
Everyone means well. But none of them are you.

REAL TALK đŸ’¬

You are allowed to take the advice and still do your own thing. You’re the one clocking in every day, not them.

Social Media Doesn't Help

TikTok makes it look like everyone your age is either already running a business, studying medicine at an Ivy League school, or somehow both. What you don't see is the edit. The failed first attempts. The gap year nobody posts about. The people who changed direction twice before finding something that worked.
Comparing your messy, in-progress life to someone’s highlight reel is the ick. Log off before you doomscroll your way into a panic decision.

Why It's Okay Not to Have It Figured Out

Here's something almost nobody tells matrics: the average person changes careers multiple times in their working life. Not just jobs. Entire careers. Choosing what to study is not the same as choosing what you'll do forever. It's choosing your *next step*, based on the best information you have right now.

DID YOU KNOW? đŸ‘€

Many successful South African professionals didn't study what they currently do for a living. Career paths bend. Yours will too, and that’s genuinely so real - not a failure.

Start With Yourself Before Choosing a Course

Before you look at a single prospectus, look at yourself. This is the step most students skip, and it's the one that matters most.

Your Strengths

Not just your favourite subjects — the things you're actually good at. Are you the friend who explains the maths problem at 11pm the night before the test? Do you write essays the night before and still pull a good mark? Are you the one who fixes the WiFi at family gatherings and suddenly everyone respects you?

That’s not just a fun fact. That’s data. Strengths often hide in plain sight because they feel easy to you. Easy for you is not easy for everyone. That gap is useful information.

Your Interests

What do you read about, watch videos on, or lose track of time doing, even when nobody's making you? Interest is fuel. A course that lines up with something you're genuinely curious about is easier to push through on the hard days.

Your Personality

Are you energised by people, or drained by them? Main-character-in-the-room energy, or your best thinking happens solo with headphones in? Do you like structure, or does it make you feel boxed in? Do you want a job with variety every day, or one where you can go deep on one thing?

This is where a proper personality assessment earns its place. The YUNI Tests combine aptitude and personality insights so you're not guessing - you're working from a clearer picture of how you actually think and work.

Your APS Isn't Your Future

Your Admission Point Score (APS) is a number calculated from your matric results. It determines which courses you can apply for at which institutions. It matters for getting in the door.

It says nothing about whether you'll be good at the course, whether you'll enjoy it, or how far you'll go in your career. It’s a number, not your personality.

QUICK TIP

If your APS doesn't meet the requirement for your first-choice course, don't panic. Bridging courses, higher certificates, and alternative entry routes exist specifically for this. A lower APS is a detour, not a dead end.

Degree vs Diploma vs Higher Certificate

South Africa's higher education system offers three main qualification types. Confusing them is one of the most common (and expensive) mistakes matrics make.

These qualification types are registered on the National Qualifications Framework maintained by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

Bachelor's Degree

A three-to-four-year academic qualification with a strong theoretical foundation. Required for professions like medicine, engineering, law, accounting and teaching. Typically needs a higher APS and a Bachelor's pass in matric.

Diploma

Usually three years, with a stronger practical and workplace-based focus than a degree. Often includes in-service training or work-integrated learning. A good fit if you learn better by doing than by sitting through theory-heavy lectures.

Higher Certificate

A one-year qualification, often used as an entry point into a field, or as a stepping stone toward a diploma or degree if your APS didn't initially qualify you for one.

Qualification

Duration

Best For

Study Further?

Bachelor's Degree

3-4 years

Academic, research-based or regulated professions (law, medicine, engineering)

Yes
Honours, Master's, PhD

Diploma

3 years (often with practical training)

Hands-on, career-focused fields

Yes, can often bridge into a degree

Higher Certificate

1 year

Entry point, career changers, or as a stepping stone

Yes, can lead into a diploma or degree

Frequently Asked Questions

Choose a broad, flexible qualification like a BCom, BSc or BA that keeps multiple career doors open, and take an aptitude test to narrow down your natural strengths before you commit to a specialised course.

Start with self-knowledge (strengths, interests, personality), shortlist careers that match, research the qualifications each one needs, compare institutions, and then apply - ideally to more than one option.

No. Your APS determines which courses you currently qualify for, not which career is right for you. A low APS can be improved through bridging courses or a higher certificate pathway.

An aptitude test measures what you're naturally good at - your reasoning, problem-solving and skill strengths. A personality test measures how you work - whether you prefer structure or flexibility, people or independent focus. Used together, they give a fuller picture than either alone.

Once you know what actually suits you, the next question is what's out there. That's exactly what we cover next - which careers are genuinely in demand in South Africa right now, the mistakes to avoid, and a practical way to decide.

Continue reading: What careers are actually in demand in South Africa? (Plus how to decide)

Click here