In today’s digital age, the ability to effectively use technology is becoming increasingly essential for academic and professional success. However, many students entering university may not have had the opportunity to develop the required digital literacy during their school years. This creates a gap between their skills and knowledge and what is expected of them at the university level. The aim of this study was to investigate the digital literacy of computing students entering university in South Africa. A quantitative approach was followed, and the population was students registered for two first-year computing courses. A questionnaire was developed for students to self-evaluate their digital literacy, and 1307 responses were received. The results were statistically analysed, and a significant finding was that 40.1% of these computing students were not confident that their digital literacy would meet university expectations. Analysing factors such as gender, ethnic background and school computer access provided significant and interesting results. The paper concludes that a gap in students’ digital literacy was confirmed, and an urgent intervention is recommended.