Rankings of universities in South Africa

Rankings of universities in South Africa are largely based on international university rankings, since there are no South African rankings as of yet.

These international university rankings indicate that South Africa's university system is the strongest on the continent: it is home to five of the six highest ranked African universities,^[1] including the two campuses consistently ranked as academically strongest in Africa, University of Cape Town^[2] and University of the Witwatersrand.

Highly cited international university rankings[]

In part because of the inherent difficulty of ranking complex educational institutions, there are an expanding number of competing international university ranking schemes, each with a different emphasis. Four of the most prominent are the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (most widely accepted), The Centre for World University rankings (CWUR),QS World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, sometimes referred to as the "Shanghai Rankings").

Times Higher Education World University Rankings[]

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2021 ranked the top South African universities as follows:^[3]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
1	155[4]	University of Cape Town
2	201-250[5]	University of the Witwatersrand
3	251–300[6]	Stellenbosch University
4	351-400[7]	University of Kwa-zulu Natal
5	401–500[8]	Durban University of Technology
6	501–600[9]	North-West University
7 (tie)	601–800[10]	University of Johannesburg
7 (tie)	601–800[11]	University of Pretoria
7 (tie)	601-800[12]	University of the Western Cape
10 (tie)	1000+[13]	University of South Africa
10 (tie)	1000+[14]	Tshwane University of Technology

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2020 ranked the top South African universities as follows:^[15]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
1	136[16]	University of Cape Town
2	194[17]	University of the Witwatersrand
3	251–300[18]	Stellenbosch University
4	401-500[19]	University of Kwa-zulu Natal
5	501–600[20]	North-West University
6	601-800[21]	University of Johannesburg
7	601–800[22]	University of Pretoria
8	601-800[23]	University of the Western Cape
9	801-1000[24]	Tshwane University of Technology
10	1000+[25]	University of South Africa

QS World University Rankings[]

The 2021-22 edition of the QS World University Rankings ranked the top South African universities as follows:

SA rank	World rank	University
1	226[26]	University of Cape Town
2	424[27]	University of the Witwatersrand
3	390[28]	University of Johannesburg
4	482	Stellenbosch University
5	601-650	University of Pretoria
=6	801-1000	Rhodes University
=6	801–1000	University of KwaZulu-Natal
=8	1001–2000	North-West University
=8	1001–2000	University of the Western Cape

Previous years' world rankings are as follows (before 2010 the ranking was known as the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings):

SA rank	University	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2015
1	University of Cape Town	257	200	176	146	161æ	141
2	University of the Witwatersrand	322	282	319	321	360	318
3	Stellenbosch University	—	—	—	—	—	390
4	University of Pretoria	509	469	501–600	401–500	451–500	471-480
5	University of KwaZulu-Natal	484	487	401–500	501–600	501–550	501-550

ARWU/Shanghai[]

The Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked the top South African universities as follows:

SA rank	University	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014[29]	2013[30]	2012[31]	2010[32]	2009[33]	2008[34]	2007[35]	2006[36]	2005[37]	2004[38]	2003[39]
1	University of Cape Town	201-300	201-300	301-400	201-300	201-300	201–300	201–300	201–300	201–300	201–302	201–302	203–304	201–300	203–300	202–301	251–300
2	University of the Witwatersrand	201-300	301-400	201-300	201-300	201-300	201–300	301–400	301–400	301–400	303–401	303–401	305–402	301–400	301–400	302–403	451–500
3	Stellenbosch University	401-500	401-500	401-500	401-500	401-500	401–500	401–500	401–500	401–500	402–501	402–503	403–510	401–500	401–500	404–502	451–500
4	University of KwaZulu-Natal	401-500	—	401-500	401-500	401-500	401–500	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	University of Pretoria	401-500	401-500	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	University of Johannesburg	—	—	401-500	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.

Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)[]

The CWUR ranked the top South African Universities as follows:^[40][41]

2018-19 SA Rank	University	2018-19	2015
1	University of Cape Town	223	248
2	University of the Witwatersrand	230	149
3	University of KwaZulu-Natal	402	401
4	University of Pretoria	438	678
5	Stellenbosch University	448	500
6	University of Johannesburg	790	-
7	North-West University	964	-

International Rankings for Additional Context[]

University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP)[]

URAP, which is a newer ranking scheme based solely on quantitative measures of academic productivity, includes data for a larger number of global universities, and thus gives an alternative view of the relative standing of more South African institutions. The 2020-2021 edition of URAP ranked the top South African Universities as follows:^[42]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
1	237	University of Cape Town
2	335	University of the Witwatersrand
3	362	University of KwaZulu-Natal
4	388	Stellenbosch University
5	458	University of Pretoria
6	603	University of Johannesburg
7	653	North-West University
8	883	University of the Western Cape
9	937	University of the Free State
10	1007	Rhodes University
11	1086	University of South Africa
12	1379	Tshwane University of Technology
13	1420	Durban University of Technology
14	1446	Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
15	2131	University of Limpopo
16	2132	Cape Peninsula University of Technology
17	2362	University of Fort Hare
18	2397	University of Venda
19	2591	Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
20	2764	University of Zululand
21	2911	Vaal University of Technology

Business-oriented rankings[]

Several international rankings schemes focus on the placement of graduates in business settings.

Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index[]

This is another THE ranking which aims to measure the real world success of a University's alumni by ranking Universities according to the number of their graduates that are currently CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies. The global number one for 2017 is by a considerable margin, Harvard University. The only African University that appears on the Global top 100 is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2017 South African rankings are as follows:^[43]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
2	54	University of the Witwatersrand

Tredence-Emerging Global Employability University Ranking[]

This is a global ranking of universities by the perceived quality of their graduates by top employers around the world. The only African university in the top 150 is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2013 ranking is as follows:^[44]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
1	139	University of the Witwatersrand

Bloomberg Billionaire Ranking[]

This ranks universities according to their popularity among US based billionaires. The only ranked South African university is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2014 ranking is as follows:^[45]

SA Rank	World Rank	University
1	8	University of the Witwatersrand

Additional context on South African higher educational institutions[]

2010 Centre for Higher Education Transformation report[]

A 2010 report by Centre for Higher Education Transformation identified 3 different university clusters in South Africa, grouped according to function. The input variables used to group universities were:

• Percentage of headcount enrolment in science, engineering and technology
• Masters and doctoral enrolments
• Student to staff ratios
• Permanent staff with doctoral degrees
• Private and government income
• Student fee income

The output variables were:

• Student success rates
• Graduation rates
• Weighted research output units per permanent staff member

The Red cluster constitutes the top research-intensive universities. The Blue cluster consists of institutions focused primarily on technical training, while the Green cluster includes institutions which show characteristics of both missions. The clusters are:^[46]

Red Cluster	Green Cluster	Blue Cluster
University of the Witwatersrand	University of the Free State	Vaal University of Technology
Stellenbosch University	University of KwaZulu-Natal	Central University of Technology
University of Cape Town	North-West University	Durban University of Technology
University of Pretoria	University of Fort Hare	Mangosuthu University of Technology
Rhodes University	University of Limpopo	Tshwane University of Technology
	University of the Western Cape	Cape Peninsula University of Technology
	University of Johannesburg	University of Venda
	Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University	Walter Sisulu University
	University of Zululand

References[]

https://web.archive.org/web/20160417014732/http://www.4icu.org/topAfrica/

See also[]

• Rankings of business schools in South Africa
• College and university rankings