Commerce offers two undergraduate degrees:

• Bachelor of Business Science (BBusSc) – four years
• Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) – three years

When you apply to Commerce, you select ONE of the options below:

• Bachelor of Commerce/Business Science (Mainstream)
• Bachelor of Commerce/Business Science (ADP)
• Bachelor of Commerce/Business Science in Actuarial Science (Mainstream)
• Bachelor of Commerce/Business Science in Actuarial Science (ADP)

You do not choose a specific degree programme when you apply, except if you want to study Actuarial Science.

Actuarial Science: If you do not meet the conditional offer points for Actuarial Science, but you meet the criteria for the other Commerce degrees, we will automatically make you an offer for those degrees. If, in your final Matric and NBT results, you meet the minimum Actuarial Science entrance criteria, you will be eligible to register for an Actuarial Science degree.

All other Commerce undergraduate degrees: Your final choice of which degree or discipline to register for is made ONLY at the end of Orientation at the beginning of the first year, once you have received more information on each specialisation.

Watch: A guide to undergraduate studies in Commerce video

You may have some questions about the various disciplines that you can study in Commerce. For example, what does a person who studies accounting or finance do, what is an economist or an actuary, what is the difference between information systems and computer science, or what kind of job you may have if you study marketing or organisational psychology?

To find out more, watch this handy video, which gives a short explanation of each undergraduate discipline. 

Watch: Undergraduate Disciplines in Commerce 

Bachelor of Commerce

• Financial Accounting: General Accounting
• Financial Accounting: Chartered Accountant
• Actuarial Science
• Actuarial Science in Quantitative Finance
• Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
• Economics and Finance
• Economics and Statistics
• Economics with Law
• Information Systems
• Information Systems and Computer Science
• Information Systems and Finance
• Management Studies

Bachelor of Business Science

• Actuarial Science
• Actuarial Science in Quantitative Finance
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Economics with Law
• Finance, Investment and Banking
• Finance with Accounting
• Information Systems
• Marketing
• Organisational Psychology
• Statistics and Data Science

Entry requirements are the same for both degrees. Each degree offers a variety of specialisations to cater both for the interests of our students and employment needs. Both degrees are highly marketable.

The first year of the BBusSc and the BCom share several common courses in the subject areas of Accounting, Information Systems, Economics, Business Law, Mathematics, Statistics, Evidence-based Management and Business Ethics.

The BBusSc curriculum teaches the science of business within a field of specialisation. This includes subjects such as People Management, Business Ethics and Strategic Thinking. On the other hand, the BCom curriculum prepares students for a specific field of specialisation.

As more material is covered in a BBusSc, the degree takes four years to complete, while a BCom takes three.

The BCom and BBusSc degrees may also be taken by South African students affected by disparities in educational or life experiences through the Academic Development Programmes (ADP) offered by the Commerce Education Development Unit (EDU).

The ADP BBusSc can be taken over a four- or five-year period, and the ADP BCom over a three- or four-year period. In the EDU, students receive a range of additional support. You can find out more on the Commerce EDU website.

2025 Commerce Orientation dates

• 29 to 31 January 2025: Orientation for students who are from Cape Town.
• 5 to 7 February 2025: Orientation for students who are new to Cape Town.

Please visit the Orientation page to find out more about what happens at Orientation and why it is important.