Every path is treated with the same dignity.
Vela names the career first, then shows every honest way to reach it. No route is a lesser route.
Built for the learner. Backed by everyone around them.
Decisions this big are never made alone. If you're standing behind a learner, start here.
For parents
Is this real? What does it cost? The questions families ask first, answered in plain language.
For parents & familiesFor teachers
One link gives your whole class private plans. No spreadsheets, no extra admin for you.
For teachers & schoolsSponsor or partner
Fund full access for learners who need it most. The numbers behind the gap live here.
For sponsors & CSIThree messages between you and a plan.
No forms. No PDF to download. No hour-long career test. Just a conversation.
Say hi
Message Vela on WhatsApp. No download, no signup, no email address.
Your marks, or your dream
Know where you want to go? Vela maps every route there. Still deciding? A short chat about what you enjoy finds destinations that fit. Same plan either way.
Get your plan
Routes ranked strong, good or stretch. Funding matched to you. Deadlines in order. Yours to keep and return to.
We start with where it leads.
It's easy to choose what to study and never ask where it goes. Too many South Africans finish a qualification the working world has no place for. So Vela begins with the work itself — the job, the pay, whether it's in demand — and then shows you every honest route that actually gets you there.
Electrician
Earn from R5 500/m while training · qualified: R18 000 – R45 000/m
Via apprenticeship · Red Seal · no APS gate
Accountant
Mid-level R18 000 – R38 000/m · CA route up to R120 000/m
Via BCom or diploma · university, TVET or distance
Nurse
Qualified R20 000 – R42 000/m · high public demand
Via degree or diploma · SANC registration flagged upfront
Chef
Junior R8 000 – R15 000/m · kitchen-to-management ladder
Via culinary school · NQF 4 · hospitality funding matched
Season 1 coverage · every route after matric, from official sources
A smart AI guide for applying — right in your WhatsApp.
Applying is full of small, stressful questions, and they never arrive all at once. Your Vela Companion is an AI guide that lives in your chat, ready whenever you are. Ask it anything about fees, residence, application dates, documents or funding — it answers from real, sourced information, and tells you honestly when it isn't sure instead of guessing. It stays with you the whole way through applying, so you're never left wondering on your own.
Honest by design: when Vela isn't certain, it says so and points you to the official source — it never makes a number up. You'll meet your Companion free while you build your plan, and keep it for good on the full plan — message it anytime, for as long as you're applying.
Start free. Pay once, only for the tools to navigate your map.
Seeing where you stand costs nothing, ever. Pay only if you want the plan, reminders and coaching that walk you through applying. No subscriptions, no airtime traps.
Already applied to university and chasing bursaries? For R49 we coach you through a strong motivation letter and CV — with tips matched to each bursary you apply for, then a real person reviews your draft before you send it. We help you write it, in your own words — we never write it for you.
Where you stand
- Your APS and what it means
- Every route open to you — degree, diploma, apprenticeship or paid training — sorted by how well you fit
- The full institution list, with fees and entry requirements
- Bursaries matched to you, with closing dates
- If you're a near miss: which subject, by how much
- NSFAS check + any professional registration flags (HPCSA, SAICA, ECSA…)
Your full plan
- Everything in free, plus:
- All routes to your goal: direct, bridging, TVET articulation, extended, alternate
- Near-miss closing strategy — the exact marks and how to get there
- A dated action plan in deadline order
- Reminders before every application and bursary deadline
The full plan includes everything in the free tier. Professional registration requirements (HPCSA, SAICA, ECSA and others) are flagged upfront on both tiers, including free.
Beta pricing. These are our prices for the public beta. They may change once the beta ends — but if you start during the beta, the price you join at stays yours. The free tier is always free.
Sponsored by your school or an NGO? Then the full plan is free for you. Ask your teacher if your school is part of the programme.
"Is this real?" A fair question. Here are straight answers.
Where does the information come from?
Only from official sources — university and college pages, employer and SETA programmes, NSFAS and bursary providers. Some opportunities aren't open all year; where we know the usual window we'll still show them and offer to remind you when they open. Because dates, fees and entry requirements can change after we check them, always confirm the details with the institution or provider before you apply. If we can't find an official source, we leave it out.
If I match a bursary, will I get it?
No — and we'll never pretend otherwise. Matching a bursary means you're eligible to apply, not that you'll receive it. Funders get many applicants and make their own decisions, on factors we can't see. So apply to several, apply early, and treat every match as a door worth knocking on — not a promise.
What will this cost my family?
The core guidance is free, always. The full plan is R49 once-off, less than a taxi to a university open day. No subscriptions, no hidden charges.
Is my child's information safe?
Vela is POPIA-compliant. Marks and personal details are used only to build the plan, never sold, and never shown to sponsors or schools in identifiable form.
Can we look at the plan together?
Yes. Plans are written in plain language with real costs, funding options and salary ranges, made to be talked through at the kitchen table.
| Programme | UCT — BCom (General) |
| APS required | 36 |
| Maths requirement | 60% (level 5) |
| Tuition estimate | R62 000 – R68 000/yr (2026) |
| NSFAS eligible | Yes, if qualifying |
| Source | UCT 2026 Undergraduate Prospectus |
| Last verified | March 2026 |
| Before you apply | Confirm dates & fees with UCT — they can change |
Matric results don't come with a manual. Vela does.
Send one message and start straight away. Vela is in early public beta: free to try, the data verified before it's shown, improving every week. If something's missing, we'd rather tell you than guess. Start during the beta and the price you join at stays yours, even after prices change.
Send "hi" to Vela on WhatsAppPrefer email? Get in touch by email — handy for parents, teachers and sponsors.