22 Best universities for Accounting 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 Accounting. A graph of 140K citations received by 10.4K academic papers made by 22 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 Accounting

#1 in Africa

#209 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Accounting

#2 in Africa

#265 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Accounting

#3 in Africa

#296 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Accounting

#4 in Africa

#314 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Accounting

#6 in Africa

#370 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Accounting

#7 in Africa

#402 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Accounting

#9 in Africa

#447 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Accounting

#11 in Africa

#537 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Accounting

#31 in Africa

#1077 in the World

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

10. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Accounting

#34 in Africa

#1137 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Accounting

#41 in Africa

#1192 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

12. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Accounting

#55 in Africa

#1499 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

13. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Accounting

#56 in Africa

#1513 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Accounting

#61 in Africa

#1554 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Accounting

#62 in Africa

#1570 in the World

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

16. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Accounting

#75 in Africa

#1794 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

17. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Accounting

#97 in Africa

#2102 in the World

Founded: 1981

18. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Accounting

#106 in Africa

#2205 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

19. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Accounting

#108 in Africa

#2216 in the World

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

20. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Accounting

#130 in Africa

#2541 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Accounting

#138 in Africa

#2612 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Accounting

#151 in Africa

#2761 in the World

Founded: 2005

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

Business subfields in South Africa