24 Best universities for Microbiology in South Africa

Updated: March 15, 2026

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 729K citations received by 23.9K 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

#181 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Microbiology

#3 in Africa

#201 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Microbiology

#4 in Africa

#222 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Microbiology

#5 in Africa

#237 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#6 in Africa

#260 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Microbiology

#21 in Africa

#687 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

7. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Microbiology

#28 in Africa

#771 in the World

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

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Microbiology

#32 in Africa

#800 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Microbiology

#46 in Africa

#1090 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#48 in Africa

#1118 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Microbiology

#51 in Africa

#1178 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Microbiology

#58 in Africa

#1224 in the World

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

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#75 in Africa

#1402 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#79 in Africa

#1465 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Microbiology

#81 in Africa

#1470 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

16. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Microbiology

#100 in Africa

#1760 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

17. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Microbiology

#103 in Africa

#1805 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

18. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Microbiology

#124 in Africa

#2023 in the World

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

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Microbiology

#135 in Africa

#2208 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Microbiology

#148 in Africa

#2406 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Microbiology

#154 in Africa

#2513 in the World

Founded: 2005

22. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Microbiology

#156 in Africa

#2547 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

23. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Microbiology

#174 in Africa

#2739 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Microbiology

#209 in Africa

#3184 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