19 Best universities for Creative Writing in South Africa

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 53.5K citations received by 8.07K academic papers made by 19 universities in South Africa was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Creative Writing

#1 in Africa

#128 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Creative Writing

#2 in Africa

#142 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Creative Writing

#3 in Africa

#147 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Creative Writing

#4 in Africa

#165 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Creative Writing

#5 in Africa

#182 in the World

Founded: 1918

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Creative Writing

#6 in Africa

#215 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Creative Writing

#7 in Africa

#249 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Creative Writing

#8 in Africa

#322 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Creative Writing

#9 in Africa

#376 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1904

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Creative Writing

#10 in Africa

#387 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 24,754
Founded: 1959

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Creative Writing

#11 in Africa

#457 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Creative Writing

#12 in Africa

#668 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Creative Writing

#16 in Africa

#857 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Enrollment: 35,047
Founded: 2005

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Creative Writing

#20 in Africa

#1019 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Creative Writing

#22 in Africa

#1106 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Creative Writing

#31 in Africa

#1318 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Creative Writing

#34 in Africa

#1363 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Creative Writing

#35 in Africa

#1378 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Creative Writing

#41 in Africa

#1470 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

The best cities to study Creative Writing in South Africa based on the number of universities and their ranks are Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Stellenbosch.

Art & Design subfields in South Africa