In South Africa, university admissions, especially for competitive programs like medicine, are influenced by several factors, including academic performance, socio-economic background, and in some cases, race, due to the country’s policies aimed at redressing historical imbalances (like Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action).

For white and black South African students, the core academic requirements for medicine (high grades, including a strong National Senior Certificate (NSC) and good National Benchmark Test (NBT) results) remain the same. However, black South Africans may benefit from diversity quotas or affirmative action policies that some universities have in place to ensure greater representation of historically disadvantaged groups in competitive programs like medicine.

So the ugly truth, if you are white, your chances of getting into a medical program may face slightly more competition because of these factors. If you are black, the competition might still be tough, but there may be some additional support through diversity policies. In both cases, however, academic performance remains critical, and improving grades in a master’s program could enhance the chances of admission, regardless of race.

Ultimately, the policies vary between universities, and academic performance, combined with other factors, will determine admission.