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:
- 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 way for pupils and parents to access them promptly. The department emphasised that this court-endorsed method strikes a balance between transparency and privacy protection.
It is important to note that some online results may be unavailable initially due to technical issues – don’t panic, it’s normal. Remember to:
- Collect your statement of results from your school/exam centre;
- Ensure names and ID numbers are correct;
- Report corrections to the DBE before 20 February 2026; and
- Submit result queries within 30 days of release.
