National Senior Certificate
1Min
South Africa
Jan 12, 2026
The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) has recorded an overall pass rate of 98.31% in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, reflecting a marginal decrease from the 98.47% achieved by the Class of 2024.
The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) has recorded an overall pass rate of 98.31% in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, reflecting a marginal decrease from the 98.47% achieved by the Class of 2024.
This year, 89.12% of candidates qualified for admission to degree studies, while 7.83% met the requirements for diploma programmes. A further 1.34% attained entry to Higher Certificate study, and 0.02% obtained an endorsed NSC.
More than 17,000 candidates sat for the IEB-set matric examinations in 2025. The results are scheduled to be released to schools and learners at 13:00 on Monday.
Commenting on the slight dip in performance, IEB Chief Executive Officer Confidence Dikgole said the change should be viewed in context. He explained that the IEB continues to experience significant growth in candidate numbers, noting that minor fluctuations in results are a normal occurrence within an expanding assessment system. Dikgole emphasised that, statistically, the decrease is minimal and not indicative of a broader decline in performance.
