WCED receives record 'on-time applications' for 2026 school year

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it received a record number of applications received for 2026 academic year.

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A total of 164 565 learners applied for Grade R, 1 or 8 in 2026.  The department’s on-time admissions window closed on Tuesday. The WCED said this is an increase of 12 577 compared to the on-time applications received for these grades for 2025, and the highest number of on-time applications received to date.

‘’We sincerely thank their parents for taking the responsible action of applying during the on-time window. We cannot overstate the importance of applying on time and how this assists us to plan better for additional school places in the coming school year, so we appreciate the parents who have supported us by doing so,’’ said David Maynier, Education MEC.

He says schools will now consider all of the applications received during the on-time window, and apply their admissions policies to select successful applicants. Schools will start to make offers of acceptance to parents from 30 May 2025, and parents will need to confirm their acceptance by 17 June 2025.

‘’The most important thing that parents can do now before the outcomes are available is to ensure that they update the department if their contact details change. Every year, we face challenges with parents who are uncontactable when an offer is available for their child, so we urge parents to assist us by providing accurate details. Parents can contact the WCED call centre on 0861 819 919 (press 1 for admissions) to make the necessary changes to their contact details,’’ said Maynier

With regards to late applications, and the WCED said it has seen a substantial decrease in the number of current Grade 7 learners whose parents have not submitted applications from over 25 000 to 8 900.

‘’We encourage the remaining parents to submit applications as soon as possible. For those parents who did not apply on time, the online admissions system will remain open for late Grade R, 1 and 8 applications until 16 May 2025. After this date, late applications will need to be submitted via education district offices. Late applications will only be considered by schools after the applications received during the on-time window have been considered,’’ said Maynier.

‘’We appeal to parents to submit their late applications immediately, as waiting until later in the year can result in delays in placement and will make it much harder for us to plan for additional school places,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, Maynier announced that the online window for transfer applications for Grades 2 to 7 and 9 to 12 will open on 4 August 2025 and close on 18 August 2025.

‘’Transfer applications for learners who have reached their highest grade in their school, or whose parents have relocated, will be prioritized,’’ said David Maynier, Western Cape Education MEC.

 

Done by: Mitchum George