South Africa: Matric 2025 Results - All You Need to Know About Release Dates, Access and Next Steps

8 January 2026
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Takudzwa Pongweni

Nearly 900,000 Grade 12s who wrote the 2025 NSC exams are on the edge of their seats. Minister Siviwe Gwarube will announce the results on 12 January 2026, with individual access from 13 January. Whether you pass, need a re-mark or hope to explore alternatives, here's everything you need to know.

The scripts are marked and the tension is high for the matric Class of 2025. The release of last year's National Senior Certificate (NSC) results is just days away. With nearly 900,000 candidates awaiting the outcomes, we've got your back with this helpful guide covering key dates, access methods, pass requirements, re-mark options, rewrite details and back-up paths.

When will the results be released?

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube will announce the overall results on the evening of 12 January 2026. Individual results become available from the morning of 13 January 2026 via:

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  • Your school or exam centre (strongly recommended); or
  • SMS, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) or the Department of Basic Education (DBE) website from 6am.

The DBE confirmed on Wednesday, 7 January that the NSC exam results will be released to accredited newspapers for publication on 13 January 2026. They will appear in a pseudonymised format, showing only examination numbers and marks, without names, surnames or ID numbers, as has been standard in recent years.

This approach aligns with a court order issued on 18 January 2022, which the department says legally obliges it to protect pupils' personal information. Publishing NSC results in newspapers remains a vital, accessible...

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