Job adverts state minimum requirements as NQF levels. If you cannot say what level your qualification sits at, you cannot tell whether you qualify — and neither can the person screening your application.
What the NQF is
The National Qualifications Framework is South Africa's system for classifying qualifications by level of learning. It runs from level 1 to level 10 and is managed by SAQA, the South African Qualifications Authority.
Its purpose is comparison. A panel reading fifty applications with fifty differently named qualifications needs one scale to work from.
The levels
| NQF Level | Qualification |
|---|---|
| 1 | Grade 9 / ABET Level 4 |
| 2 | Grade 10 / National Certificate |
| 3 | Grade 11 / National Certificate |
| 4 | Matric / National Senior Certificate |
| 5 | Higher Certificate |
| 6 | Diploma / Advanced Certificate |
| 7 | Bachelor's Degree / Advanced Diploma |
| 8 | Honours / Postgraduate Diploma / BTech |
| 9 | Master's Degree |
| 10 | Doctorate |
The ones people get wrong
Matric is level 4, not level 1
Level 1 is Grade 9. A completed National Senior Certificate is NQF 4. This trips up a lot of applicants who assume the school-leaving certificate must be the bottom of the scale.
A Diploma is level 6, a Degree is level 7
They are not equivalent. An advert asking for NQF 7 is asking for a degree or an advanced diploma. A three year diploma does not meet it.
BTech sits at level 8
Under the older framework a BTech followed a National Diploma. It is classified at NQF 8, alongside Honours and Postgraduate Diplomas.
"Degree or equivalent" is doing real work
Where an advert says NQF 7 or equivalent, an Advanced Diploma qualifies. Where it says degree only, it may not. Read the wording rather than assuming.
Check your qualification certificate — many state the NQF level directly.
Otherwise search the SAQA National Learners' Records Database, which lists registered qualifications and their levels.
Foreign qualifications need SAQA evaluation before a South African employer can place them on the framework. Public sector posts generally require this.
Why it matters on your application
For government posts, panels score against the advert's stated minimum. If the advert says NQF 6 and your CV says "National Diploma in Human Resources" without stating the level, the panel has to work it out. Some will. Some will not, and you lose the mark.
Write it explicitly:
National Diploma in Human Resource Management (NQF 6)
Tshwane University of Technology, 2019
Two extra characters, no ambiguity.
Partial qualifications
An incomplete degree is not NQF 7. You can list it honestly — "BCom Accounting, 2 of 3 years completed" — but do not claim the level of a qualification you have not been awarded.
Verification happens. Misstating a qualification is grounds for withdrawal of an offer or dismissal after appointment.
Short courses and certificates
Most short courses are not registered on the NQF and carry no level. That does not make them worthless — list them under a separate heading such as Training or Professional Development. Just do not present them as NQF-registered qualifications.
Professional registrations like Pr.Eng, CA(SA) or CIA are also separate from the NQF. They belong in their own section, and for many posts they carry more weight than the framework level.
Is your CV stating your NQF levels correctly?
Score your CV free. It checks NQF presentation, formatting and how well your experience matches what employers screen for.
Score My CV FreeGeneral information, not career or employment advice. Confirm your qualification's level with SAQA or the awarding institution where it matters.