University Acceptance & Recognition
So, you may be wondering how you will get your children into a South African University with this American Curriculum. Yes, you are taking a risk when you pursue an international qualification. Families that are using Cambridge are taking the same risk and putting out the same extra effort. It is harder for universities to know how to weight your qualification and they may not see the superiority of the education your child has received until they see his work. Our parents take that responsibility seriously and keep a portfolio of each child’s high school work. They register with HomeLife Academy. They help their students study hard for the SAT and the NBT. They communicate with the university and field of choice to see that they keep up with the entrance requirements. So far, we have seen success with entrance into Monash, WITS, UJ, UNISA and American Universities. Our students have excelled in university and in the workplace because they know how to think and how to communicate well.
Of course, we don’t have a guaranteed entrance into every university and every field of study. But we can be confident that our chances are very good. Proverbs says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings. He will not stand before mean men.”
The Process
This is the process that has worked for us:
- You register with homelifeacademy.com for grades 9-12. They do accept international students. The parent must have a matric certificate to be considered the registering teacher. You submit grades twice a year. When you meet their requirements, they give you an official high school transcript and a diploma.
- You take the S.A.T. exam locally (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat). This is a three-hour standardized test that covers math, reading and logic (with an optional writing test). Kahn Academy provides free online test preparation or you can order an SAT Prep book. After you have completed Algebra 1, you can take this test as many times as you like to improve your score and make sure you get the minimum needed for acceptance into the American university you are applying to.
- As soon as your student has completed grade 11 and taken the SAT exam, you apply to an American University. The American education system is not a test-based system but more of a portfolio system. American Universities are looking for a certain GPA or grade point average which comes from the letter grades you recorded on their HomeLife Academy transcripts in grades 9 – 11. The SAT score validates those grades. Then they are also looking for extracurricular activities on the transcripts that a student is a well-rounded person. This system gives a lot more freedom to parents and students to choose the content of their high school studies.
- You submit your HomeLife Academy Diploma and American University acceptance letter to the South African Universities Board in Pretoria to apply for a foreign conditional exemption based on your American qualification: mb.usaf.ac.za/united-states-of-america/
- This conditional exemption will then become complete when you are accepted by the South African University.
- If you have a South African I.D. book, you pay local school fees not international school fees.
- Be encouraged by the success of our HomeLife Academy Graduates in Gauteng:
The Graduates
- Caleb earned a BTech at UJ as a Paramedic.
- Joseph earned an electrical engineering degree from WITS.
- Tarryn is in her fourth year studying Physiotherapy at WITS.
- Nathan scored in the top 5% on the SAT. He is in his third year of Engineering at WITS.
- Evan scored in the top 5% on the SAT. He is in his third year of BCom Law at WITS.
- Titus got a full-ride scholarship to attend The Master’s University in CA and is studying Business.
- Shalyn is studying Psychology at WITS.
Many of the above students are in the top 10% of their classes. Tarryn, Nathan, and Evan are all members of the Golden Key International Honours Society.
