Career guide

Medical Laboratory Technician

Investigative

Runs the tests doctors rely on - blood, tissue and fluid samples - in a pathology laboratory. Precise, methodical, largely behind the scenes.

This career needs Core Mathematics.
Mathematical Literacy is not accepted for it at South African universities. This choice is made in Grade 9, for Grade 10 — and it is very difficult to reverse later. If this career is on your list, take Core Mathematics.

School subjects

Mathematics (NOT Mathematical Literacy), Physical Sciences and Life Sciences.

How you qualify

A National Diploma or Bachelor in Biomedical Technology / Medical Laboratory Sciences (NQF 6-7), which includes supervised laboratory training; some enter through a two-year employer-run Student Medical Laboratory Technician programme in Clinical Pathology or Histology. You must be assessed by the Society for Medical Laboratory Technologists of South Africa and register with the HPCSA before you may work. Entry requirements differ by institution - confirm directly with the institution.

Where to study

Universities of Technology; NHLS and private pathology laboratories for training; HPCSA registration compulsory

Before you decide. Entry requirements change every year and differ between institutions. We do not publish admission point scores here, because a number that is right for one university in one year is wrong for another. Confirm the requirements directly with the institution before your subject selection form is signed. In KwaZulu-Natal, applications go through the Central Applications Office (cao.ac.za).

Last verified: 2026-08

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