Careers › Health

How to become a Dietitian

Uses nutrition to treat illness and keep people healthy.

Apply early

Selection programmes like this often close months before the standard application deadline, and marks alone don’t guarantee a place. See the Dates page for the exact closing dates.

What does a Dietitian actually do?

More about this career

Uses nutrition science to treat illness (diabetes, kidney disease, eating disorders) and support general health, working in hospitals, private practice, sports teams or food industry roles. Distinct from a general “nutritionist” title, which isn’t a regulated profession in South Africa the way dietetics is.

Where this degree can take you

  • Sports Dietitian
  • Clinical Dietitian
  • Public Health Nutritionist
  • Food Industry Nutrition Consultant

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics
  • Life Sciences
  • Physical Sciences

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the degrees we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 3 of 3 degrees
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 3 of 3 degrees
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 2 of 3 degrees

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each degree links to the page it came from.

Degrees that lead here

3 degrees at 3 universities. More are added as we verify them.

Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

Partly verified

BSc Dietetics

School of Health Care Sciences

SMU APS 25

  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 3 (40% or more)
  • Two more subjects – Two further subjects at level 3 or better.

Closes 31 July 2026 for undergraduate programmes (applications open 1 April 2026) - notably earlier than most universities in this batch.

Source: View the official page (smu.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

BSc Dietetics

Medicine & Health Sciences · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 60 %

  • Mathematics: 50%
  • Physical Sciences: 50%
  • Life Sciences: 50%

Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher. About 35 students are selected.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Pretoria

Selection programme

BSc Dietetics

Health Sciences

UP APS 28 points

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

A selection programme. Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every degree above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?