24 Best universities for Microbiology 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 Microbiology. A graph of 676K citations received by 22.8K academic papers made by 24 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.

1. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#2 in Africa

#184 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Microbiology

#3 in Africa

#203 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Microbiology

#4 in Africa

#225 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Microbiology

#5 in Africa

#244 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#6 in Africa

#264 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Microbiology

#21 in Africa

#696 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

7. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Microbiology

#27 in Africa

#761 in the World

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

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Microbiology

#33 in Africa

#815 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#44 in Africa

#1095 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

10. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Microbiology

#48 in Africa

#1125 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Microbiology

#50 in Africa

#1158 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Microbiology

#56 in Africa

#1213 in the World

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

13. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Microbiology

#77 in Africa

#1453 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

14. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#78 in Africa

#1454 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#80 in Africa

#1470 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

16. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Microbiology

#99 in Africa

#1753 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

17. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#106 in Africa

#1855 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

18. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Microbiology

#120 in Africa

#2009 in the World

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

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Microbiology

#134 in Africa

#2198 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Microbiology

#147 in Africa

#2429 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Microbiology

#152 in Africa

#2531 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Microbiology

#154 in Africa

#2558 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Microbiology

#170 in Africa

#2708 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#209 in Africa

#3202 in the World

Founded: 1979

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

Biology subfields in South Africa