Do this if you haven’t secured a place in tertiary

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Matrics looking for a chance to start the next phase of their lives can make use of a government service to be able to go to tertiary.

The Central Application Clearing House (CACH) helps matrics who are looking to go to university but never received any offers from tertiary institutions. Here’s what you can do to land a spot at one of the tertiaries in the country.

THE CENTRAL APPLICATION CLEARING HOUSE (CACH) SYSTEM

The main aim of the CACH system is to give matrics a chance to get a place in a university or college to further their studies. “This gives them the opportunity to be considered for available spaces at other institutions, both public and private,” said the Department of Higher Education and Training in a statement issued on 21 January 2025.

Signing up for the CACH service started on 20 January 2025. This was to allow universities to complete their selection process.

“Applicants who have applied through the Central Application System (CAS) and did not receive offers from all the programme choices they applied for will have their information automatically loaded onto the CACH system. Applicants who did not apply through the CAS system can sign up on the CACH website,” said the statement.

The following matrics qualify to sign up:

Those who were unable to secure a place at Post-School Education and Training (PSET) institutions
Those who did not apply during the previous year’s application cycle
Those who now qualify based on their Grade 12 results

HOW THE PROCESS WORKS

The statement further explained how the whole process works and how institutions make selections after matrics sign up. Public and private institutions will gain access to the CACH system from 27 January 2025.

“Universities and colleges with available spaces will access the CACH system from 27 January 2025 to match qualifying students with open spaces and extend offers.

“Private institutions will also begin matching qualifying students from 27 January 2025 and may compete with public institutions for prospective students. Applicants should be aware that they may receive offers from private institutions as well.

“Please note that CACH does not select students and does not guarantee space; it is the responsibility of institutions to make offers and the final selection.”

MATRICS MUST RESPOND TO OFFERS ON TIME

The department also explained that there’s a timeline that matrics are given to accept or reject offers from institutions. Responding to them on time is crucial.

“Prospective students will have two (2) days to accept or reject any offer made to them. A maximum of three (3) offers will be extended to each student. If no decision is made after these offers, the student will be removed from the CACH database and will not be allowed to re-sign up for the service.

“We encourage all prospective students to respond to any offers made to them. It is entirely acceptable to reject an offer if it does not meet their needs or preferences.”