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How to become a Physiotherapist

Helps people recover movement after injury, surgery or illness.

What does a Physiotherapist actually do?

More about this career

Helps people recover movement and manage pain after injury, surgery, stroke or chronic illness, through hands-on treatment and exercise programmes. Physios work in hospitals, private practice, sports teams and rehabilitation centres, and registration with the HPCSA is required to practise.

Where this degree can take you

  • Sports Physiotherapist
  • Neurological Rehabilitation Specialist
  • Paediatric Physiotherapist
  • Biokineticist

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 5 of 5 degrees
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 5 of 5 degrees
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 2 of 5 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

5 degrees at 5 universities. More are added as we verify them.

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

BSc Physiotherapy

Medicine & Health Sciences · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 60 %

  • Mathematics: 60%
  • Physical 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 55 students are selected.

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

University of Cape Town

Selection programme

BSc Physiotherapy

Health Sciences · 4 years

UCT Faculty Points Score 360 out of 600

  • Mathematics: 60%
  • Physical Sciences: 65% OR Life Sciences: 65%
  • English: 65% if it is your Home Language, 65% if it is your First Additional Language
  • Next 3 subjects: 60%
  • NBT – NBTs are compulsory and must be at Intermediate level or above.

The 360 shown is the APS sub-minimum (out of 600). Selection: Band A FPS 730, Band B WPS 797, Band C 580 / 610 / 680 for redress categories 1 / 2 / 3-4. About 70 places.

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

University of KwaZulu-Natal

From an older document

Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Health Sciences · 4 years

UKZN APS 30 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

The published APS range is 48-30. This comes from the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure, the most recent official source we could find. UKZN had not published a 2027 table when we checked, so treat these as 2026 figures pending a 2027 update. Applications go through the CAO.

Source: View the official page (studyatukzn.ukzn.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of Pretoria

Selection programme

BPhysT (Physiotherapy)

Health Sciences

UP APS 30 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

University of the Witwatersrand

No cut-off publishedFrom an older document

Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Health Sciences · 4 years

No points cut-off published for this one – see the note below.

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Job shadowing – Job shadowing is required.

Wits Health Sciences uses a Composite Index (75% school average across 5 subjects, 25% NBT), not APS, and does not publish the cut-off scores. This figure comes from the Wits schools-liaison Grade 12 guide, which is headed for 2026 entry. We have not yet found a 2027 course-finder page confirming it, so treat it as the most recent official figure rather than a confirmed 2027 one.

Source: View the official page (wits.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?