The CAO handles applications for KwaZulu-Natal universities only. For anywhere else in SA, you apply directly to each university.

The CAO is not a national system. One CAO application and one fee cover up to six programmes across KZN member institutions. Want to study in another province, or with UNISA? You apply directly, each with its own portal, fee, and deadline. Here is exactly which path you take.

The mix-up to clear up first. Many students think the CAO is a single national application office. It is not. It only covers KwaZulu-Natal. Knowing this stops you wasting a fee, or worse, missing a deadline at a university the CAO never sent your application to.

Do you use the CAO or apply directly?

Studying in KwaZulu-Natal

Use the CAO

UKZN, DUT, MUT, UNIZULU and the KZN partner colleges all apply through the CAO. One application, up to six choices, one fee. You do not apply on each university's own site.

Studying anywhere else in SA

Apply directly

UCT, Wits, UP, Stellenbosch, UJ, NWU and every university outside KZN takes applications on its own portal - each with a separate fee and deadline. The CAO does not cover them.

Studying by distance

Use the UNISA portal

UNISA runs its own application portal with its own deadlines, separate from the CAO - even though it serves students across the country. Apply to UNISA directly.

Mixing it up is common: you can apply through the CAO for a KZN university and apply directly to a university in another province at the same time. The CAO only ever covers your KZN choices.

What the CAO covers - and what it does not

What the CAO covers

KwaZulu-Natal's four public universities: UKZN, DUT, MUT and UNIZULU.
Around 20 KZN private colleges and partner institutions that take applications through the CAO.
Up to six programme choices on one application, ranked in order of preference.
One application fee for all six choices, not one fee per university.
A single document upload and one status page to track every choice.

What the CAO does NOT cover

Universities outside KwaZulu-Natal - UCT, Wits, UP, Stellenbosch, UJ, NWU, and every other province. You apply to each one directly.
UNISA (distance learning), which uses its own application portal, separate from the CAO.
TVET colleges, which apply through their own college or the DHET system.
NSFAS or bursary funding - the CAO is for your study place, not your funding.
Your final admission decision - the CAO passes your application to the institution, which decides.

Which institutions use the CAO

The four KZN public universities, plus around 11 KZN private colleges and partner institutions.

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)Public university Durban University of Technology (DUT)University of technology Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT)University of technology University of Zululand (UNIZULU)Public university

On top of these public universities, around 11 KwaZulu-Natal private colleges and partner institutions also take applications through the CAO. Browse them all on the universities page, where each profile links to the right application route.

How the CAO process works

One profile, up to six choices, one fee. Here is the order it happens in - watch the late-fee and "No Late Applications" caveats in step four.

Create your CAO profile

Register once on cao.ac.za with your South African ID number, a working email, and a cell number you control. You use this same profile to apply and to track your status later.

Choose up to six programmes

Search the CAO programme list and pick up to six choices across the KZN member and partner institutions. Rank them in order of preference - your first choice is considered first. AskSmarty helps you find programmes you actually qualify for before you choose.

Upload your documents

Upload certified copies of your ID, your latest results (Grade 11 final or Grade 12 results), and anything a specific programme asks for. Incomplete applications are not processed, so check each choice for extra requirements.

Pay one application fee

Pay the single CAO application fee - around R250 on time - which covers all six choices. Late applications (from about 1 November) cost roughly double, around R470. Some programmes (medicine, certain health sciences, education) are marked "No Late Applications" and close earlier with no late window.

Submit your application

Submit once everything is complete and paid. Your application is only live once payment clears - an unpaid or incomplete application sits in limbo and is not sent to the institutions.

Track your status

Log back in to your CAO profile to check progress, respond to any requests for documents, and see offers. Watch the deadlines - each programme has its own closing date, and the late-fee and "No Late Applications" rules above still apply.

Fees and deadlines change each cycle. The on-time fee sits around R250 and late applications (from about 1 November) around R470, but always confirm the current amounts, dates, and any "No Late Applications" programmes on cao.ac.za before you pay.

Applying to a university outside KZN

There is no CAO for the rest of the country. Each university runs its own application portal, sets its own fee, and closes on its own date. To apply outside KwaZulu-Natal you:

Go to that university's official application site (we link the correct one on every programme page).
Create a separate profile and complete a separate application for each university.
Pay each university's own application fee, where it charges one.
Track each application on each university's own portal - there is no shared status page.

If you are applying both in and out of KZN, run the CAO application for your KZN choices and a direct application for each out-of-province university in parallel. See how to apply, anywhere in SA for the full path.

CAO questions

The CAO (Central Applications Office) is a shared application service for KwaZulu-Natal. Instead of applying separately to each KZN institution, you make one CAO application, choose up to six programmes, pay one fee, and the CAO forwards your application to the institutions you chose. It handles the admin; the institutions still make the admission decisions.

No. This is the most common mix-up. The CAO is for KwaZulu-Natal only. It is not a national body and it does not handle applications for universities in any other province. If you want to study outside KZN, the CAO cannot help you apply - you go directly to that university.

The four KZN public universities apply through the CAO: the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), and the University of Zululand (UNIZULU). Around 20 KZN private colleges and partner institutions also take applications through the CAO.

Up to six. One CAO application lets you choose up to six programmes across the member and partner institutions, ranked in order of preference, and a single fee covers all six. You do not pay six separate fees.

The standard on-time CAO fee is around R250 and covers all six choices. Late applications, from about 1 November, cost roughly double - around R470. Some high-demand programmes such as medicine, certain health sciences, and education are marked "No Late Applications" and have no late window, so apply on time. Always confirm the current fee on cao.ac.za.

Through the CAO. UKZN is a KZN public university and a CAO member, so you do not apply on a separate UKZN portal - you make a CAO application and list UKZN among your up-to-six choices. The same is true for DUT, MUT, and UNIZULU.

Directly to each one, on its own application portal. Universities such as UCT, Wits, UP, Stellenbosch, UJ, and NWU each run their own system, each with its own fee and its own closing date. There is no shared office for them - you apply to each separately. AskSmarty links the correct official portal on every programme page.

No. UNISA (the distance-learning university) has its own application portal, completely separate from the CAO, with its own deadlines. Even though it serves students nationwide, you apply to UNISA directly, not through the CAO.

For many programmes, yes, but it costs more. Late applications open around 1 November and the fee roughly doubles to about R470. However, some programmes - medicine, certain health sciences, and education among them - are marked "No Late Applications" and do not accept late entries at all, so check each choice and apply on time where you can.

Work out your next step

How to apply, anywhere in SA Browse universities See deadlines

AskSmarty is an independent national guide - not the CAO, and not affiliated with the CAO, UNISA, or any university or college. This page explains how the CAO works against direct application; it is not official CAO communication. Fees, deadlines, and the list of "No Late Applications" programmes change each cycle - always confirm the current details on cao.ac.za before you apply or pay. We never take payment.