League tables of South African universities
Encyclopedia
Rankings of universities in South Africa are largely based on international university ranking
s, because there have not as yet been published any specifically South African rankings.
The input variables used to group universities were:
The output variables were:
The Red cluster constitutes the top research-intensive universities, green the middle and blue scoring the lowest. The clusters in alphabetical order are:
Note: The University of South Africa
was excluded from the cluster groupings because of the effect of its huge student numbers and low success rates on the statistics.
ranked the top South African universities as follows:
Previous years' world rankings are as follows (before 2010 the ranking was known as the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings):
has ranked the top South African universities as follows:
Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.
ranked South African universities as follows:
Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.
College and university rankings
College and university rankings are lists of institutions in higher education, ordered by combinations of factors. In addition to entire institutions, specific programs, departments, and schools are ranked...
s, because there have not as yet been published any specifically South African rankings.
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, green the middle and blue scoring the lowest. The clusters in alphabetical order are:
| Red Cluster | Green Cluster | Blue Cluster |
|---|---|---|
| University of Cape Town University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of... |
University of the Free State University of the Free State The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:... |
Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:... |
| University of Pretoria University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa... |
University of KwaZulu-Natal University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of... |
Central University of Technology Central University of Technology Central University of Technology, Free State or Central University of Technology is a University of Technology in Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. It was established in 1981 as "Technikon Free State". As part of the South African government's restructuring of tertiary... |
| Rhodes University Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province... |
North-West University North-West University The North-West University is a newly merged institution from 1 January 2004 onwards with four campuses at Potchefstroom, Mafikeng, Vanderbijlpark and Mankwe. The Potchefstroom Campus is the largest, and the head office of the University is situated at this location... |
Durban University of Technology Durban University of Technology The Durban University of Technology is a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and was previously known as the Durban Institute of Technology. It has four campuses in Durban, and two in Pietermaritzburg... |
| University of Stellenbosch | University of Fort Hare University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black... |
Mangosuthu University of Technology |
| University of the Witwatersrand University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University... |
University of Limpopo University of Limpopo The University of Limpopo is a university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa... |
Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria.... |
| University of the Western Cape University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape is a public university located in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1960 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only... |
Vaal University of Technology Vaal University of Technology Vaal University of Technology is a tertiary institution in South Africa. It attracts students from all over the country. It is one of the largest residential Universities of Technology, with about 15,000 students, 300 programs, all primarily taught in English. The campus and facilities are... |
|
| University of Johannesburg University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Rand Afrikaans University . Prior to the merger, the Daveyton and Soweto campuses of the former Vista University had been incorporated into RAU... |
University of Venda University of Venda The University of Venda is a South African university, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province.-History:It was established in 1982 to serve the inhabitants of the Venda bantustan, However, the student body at Univen never consisted of Venda students only, student from all over the Northern... |
|
| Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a South African tertiary education institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School... |
Walter Sisulu University for Technology and Science Walter Sisulu University for Technology and Science Walter Sisulu University is a university of technology in Mthatha,Eastern Cape, South Africa, which came into existence on 1 July 2005 as a result of a merger between Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of Transkei.... |
|
| University of Zululand University of Zululand The University of Zululand has been designated to serve as the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the uThukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education aimed at eradicating inequity and... |
||
Note: The University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
was excluded from the cluster groupings because of the effect of its huge student numbers and low success rates on the statistics.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The 2011-2012 edition of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the top South African universities as follows:| SA Rank | World Rank | University |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 103 | University of Cape Town University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of... |
| 2 | 251-275 | University of Stellenbosch |
| 2 | 251-275 | University of Witwatersrand |
QS World University Rankings
The 2011 edition of the QS World University RankingsQS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
ranked the top South African universities as follows:
| SA rank | World rank | University | Art & Humanities | Engineering & IT | Life Sciences & Biomedicine | Natural Sciences | Social Sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 156 | University of Cape Town University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of... |
176 | 227 | 169 | 212 | 174 |
| 2 | 399 | University of the Witwatersrand University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University... |
306 | — | 281 | — | 335 |
| 3 | 401–450 | University of Stellenbosch | 334 | — | 301 | 331 | — |
| 4 | 501–550 | University of Pretoria University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa... |
345 | — | 391 | — | 398 |
| 5 | 601+ | University of KwaZulu-Natal University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of... |
— | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cape Town | 257 | 200 | 176 | 146 | 161 |
| 2 | University of the Witwatersrand | 322 | 282 | 319 | 321 | 360 |
| 3 | University of Stellenbosch | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | University of Pretoria | 509 | 469 | 501–600 | 401–500 | 451–500 |
| 5 | University of KwaZulu-Natal | 484 | 487 | 401–500 | 501–600 | 501–550 |
ARWU
The Academic Ranking of World UniversitiesAcademic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
has ranked the top South African universities as follows:
| SA rank | University | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cape Town | 201–300 | 201–302 | 201–302 | 203–304 | 201–300 | 203–300 | 202–301 | 251–300 |
| 2 | University of the Witwatersrand | 301–400 | 303–401 | 303–401 | 305–402 | 301–400 | 301–400 | 302–403 | 451–500 |
| 3 | University of KwaZulu-Natal | 401–500 | 402–501 | 402–503 | 403–510 | 401–500 | 401–500 | 404–502 | 451–500 |
| 4 | University of Pretoria | — | — | — | 403–510 | 401–500 | 401–500 | 404–502 | 401–450 |
Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.
Webometrics
The January 2011 edition of the Webometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesWebometrics Ranking of World Universities
The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of World Universities, is ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications...
ranked South African universities as follows:
| SA rank | World rank | University | Size | Visibility | Rich files | Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 317 | University of Cape Town University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of... |
339 | 329 | 320 | 463 |
| 2 | 474 | University of Pretoria University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa... |
387 | 719 | 779 | 56 |
| 3 | 517 | Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape.... |
701 | 808 | 467 | 116 |
| 4 | 640 | University of the Witwatersrand University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University... |
1,552 | 819 | 606 | 181 |
| 5 | 700 | Rhodes University Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province... |
1,379 | 579 | 1,292 | 464 |
| 6 | 1,051 | University of KwaZulu-Natal University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of... |
898 | 1,770 | 1,002 | 982 |
| 7 | 1,078 | University of the Western Cape University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape is a public university located in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1960 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only... |
1,497 | 1,915 | 1,025 | 739 |
| 8 | 1,115 | University of South Africa University of South Africa The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:... |
1,604 | 2,975 | 2,173 | 147 |
| 9 | 1,277 | University of Johannesburg University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Rand Afrikaans University . Prior to the merger, the Daveyton and Soweto campuses of the former Vista University had been incorporated into RAU... |
3,085 | 2,4365 | 1,523 | 490 |
| 10 | 2,141 | University of the Free State University of the Free State The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:... |
5,760 | 5,164 | 2,528 | 679 |
| 11 | 2,232 | North-West University North-West University The North-West University is a newly merged institution from 1 January 2004 onwards with four campuses at Potchefstroom, Mafikeng, Vanderbijlpark and Mankwe. The Potchefstroom Campus is the largest, and the head office of the University is situated at this location... |
5,272 | 3,483 | 4,432 | 515 |
| 12 | 2,444 | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a South African tertiary education institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School... |
2,093 | 5,456 | 2,607 | 2,414 |
| 13 | 2,710 | Durban University of Technology Durban University of Technology The Durban University of Technology is a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and was previously known as the Durban Institute of Technology. It has four campuses in Durban, and two in Pietermaritzburg... |
4,100 | 8,344 | 4,633 | 831 |
| 14 | 2,894 | Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:... |
6,524 | 7,189 | 4,362 | 790 |
| 15 | 3,289 | Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria.... |
5,559 | 5,703 | 3,523 | 2,372 |
| 16 | 3,869 | University of Zululand University of Zululand The University of Zululand has been designated to serve as the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the uThukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education aimed at eradicating inequity and... |
7,057 | 9,714 | 5,055 | 1,426 |
| 17 | 6,216 | Vaal University of Technology Vaal University of Technology Vaal University of Technology is a tertiary institution in South Africa. It attracts students from all over the country. It is one of the largest residential Universities of Technology, with about 15,000 students, 300 programs, all primarily taught in English. The campus and facilities are... |
4,291 | 10,696 | 4,703 | 6,898 |
| 18 | 7,136 | University of Fort Hare University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black... |
6,811 | 7,599 | 8,219 | 5,624 |
| 19 | 7,815 | Central University of Technology Central University of Technology Central University of Technology, Free State or Central University of Technology is a University of Technology in Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. It was established in 1981 as "Technikon Free State". As part of the South African government's restructuring of tertiary... |
8,039 | 10,401 | 7,243 | 5,624 |
Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.
See also
- Rankings of business schools in South Africa
- College and university rankingsCollege and university rankingsCollege and university rankings are lists of institutions in higher education, ordered by combinations of factors. In addition to entire institutions, specific programs, departments, and schools are ranked...