The on-time admissions window for Grade R, 1 or 8 in 2026 closed on Tuesday 15 April and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) received applications for 164 565 learners. This is an increase of 12 577 compared to the on-time applications received for these grades for 2025, and the highest number of on-time applications received to date. The WCED thanks their parents for taking the responsible action of applying during the on-time window.
Next steps: Schools will now consider all of the applications received during the on-time window, and apply their admissions policies to select successful applicants. Schools will start to make offers of acceptance to parents from Friday 30 May, and parents will need to confirm their acceptance by Tuesday 17 June. The most important thing that parents can do now before the outcomes are available is to ensure that they update the department if their contact details change. David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Education, said every year they face challenges with parents who are uncontactable when an offer is available for their child. Parents are urged to assist by providing accurate details. Parents can contact the WCED call centre on 0861 819 919 (press 1 for admissions) to make the necessary changes to their contact details.
Late applications for Grade R, 1 and 8:
“We have seen a substantial decrease in the number of current Grade 7 learners whose parents have not submitted applications from over 25 000 to 8 900. We encourage the remaining parents to submit applications as soon as possible. For those parents who did not apply on time, the online admissions system will remain open for late Grade R, 1 and 8 applications until Friday 16 May. After this date, late applications will need to be submitted via education district offices. Late applications will only be considered by schools after the applications received during the on-time window have been considered. We appeal to parents to submit their late applications immediately, as waiting until later can result in delays in placement and will make it harder to plan.”
The online window for transfer applications for Grades 2 to 7 and 9 to 12 will open on Monday 4 August and close on Monday 18 August.
Transfer applications for learners who have reached their highest grade in their school, or whose parents have relocated, will be prioritised. The online admissions system is available at www.westerncape.gov.za/education/service/learner-admissions
