CACH Applications for 2024 (Closing on 31 March 2024)

How can I check my CACH status?

Check if you have received any offers on the CACH website
(You will need to provide your CACH number/ ID number/ passport number to check if you have received any offers).

What is CACH?

The Central Applications Clearing House (CACH) has been assisting Matriculants with gaining entrance into higher education institutions, who have not yet been accepted, since 2013. Each year, CACH helps numerous candidates by giving them a second chance at beginning their education by assisting those who did not get a chance with their original application, but vastly improved with their final Grade 12 results.

Many institutions and SETA’s use CACH’s database for placement by finding prospective students who meet their requirements to begin their tertiary studies. CACH is a free service provided by the DHET for both applicants and public institutions, and continues to help thousands of individuals achieve their educational goals.

CACH is inviting students to apply for their study service programme for the 2024 academic year. CACH aims to provide this unique, free service to candidates who have not yet found placement at higher institutions after graduating school by matching their NSC exam results and study preferences with relevant institutions/ places.

Once you have a placement at an institution, you may be looking for a bursary to fund tertiary studies – find our bursaries open for application here.

How does CACH work?

CACH collects information of learners who have completed Grade 12, who are interested in studying at a tertiary institution and “signs them up” for consideration with an affiliated institution.

The institution can choose suitable candidates via CACH’s self-service database who are then sent an offer via SMS/ email which they can either accept or reject.

As soon as candidates have accepted the offer and have been selected by the institution, they will be contacted directly by the institution.

When do applications close?

31 March 2024 – please note that signups after this date will NOT be accepted.

If you are still unsure about what you want to study, you can also make use of CACH’s referral service for career advice and information through DHET’s Khetha Career Development Service.

What are the criteria to apply for CACH?

You must have completed Matric in 2000 or later
You must have a NSC/ SC certificate that CACH can successfully download from the Department of Basic Education (DBE)
You must be planning to study at a University, University of Technology, or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College

CACH Terms & Conditions

Sign-ups may only be done via the CACH website
Institutions have already started making offers, therefore, you are encouraged to submit your sign-up as soon as possible
Your sign-up will only be valid once you fill in all the mandatory information and you NSC/SC has been obtained from the DBE
Please ensure that you include the correct contact details, as it will be used to send communications
You are solely responsible for the information you provide during your sign-up as well as checking its status
Institutions have the final choice in selection, not CACH
Offer messages will be sent to you via sms/ directly from institutions
All offers have an expiration date, so be sure to respond to the offer as soon as possible
Once you have received an offer, your sign-up details are temporarily removed from the database until you have responded to it
You may ignore/ decline an offer, but once you have done this 3 times, your details will be removed from the database permanently
Institutions may withdraw their offer if you do not meet their conditions/ you have provided false information
CACH will try its utmost to reflect all information provided by both parties (candidate and institution) accurately, however, should there be any errors, CACH will not be liable for any loss, expense, or claim relating to the error

How to apply for CACH?

Applications must be done online at CACH Application
Click on “LEARNER SIGN-UP” in the green bar
Click on the wording “Sign-Up Online NOW”
Enter your ID number (if you are a South African citizen) or passport number (if you are a foreign student)
You will then be required to fill in your personal details, contact details
Agree to the Terms & Conditions (above) and submit your application
Your application has now been submitted!

If you are having difficulty signing up, watch this useful video

How do I contact CACH?

For any queries related to this study service programme, please contact CACH directly:
Tel: 0860 690 722
Operating hours:
Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays), from 08h00 to 16h00

This post was last updated in February 2024.

SA Bursaries wishes you the best of luck with your application! Please remember to SHARE this page with anyone you know who may be in need of bursary funding.