22 Best universities for Advertising 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 Advertising. A graph of 115K citations received by 8.8K 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 Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Advertising

#1 in Africa

#260 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Advertising

#2 in Africa

#298 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Advertising

#3 in Africa

#322 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Advertising

#4 in Africa

#429 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

5. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Advertising

#5 in Africa

#437 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Advertising

#6 in Africa

#468 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Advertising

#7 in Africa

#526 in the World

Founded: 1918

8. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Advertising

#8 in Africa

#628 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Advertising

#11 in Africa

#959 in the World

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

10. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Advertising

#12 in Africa

#1016 in the World

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

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Advertising

#15 in Africa

#1050 in the World

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

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Advertising

#20 in Africa

#1254 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Advertising

#21 in Africa

#1330 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Advertising

#28 in Africa

#1505 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Advertising

#30 in Africa

#1567 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

16. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Advertising

#35 in Africa

#1660 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Advertising

#37 in Africa

#1683 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Advertising

#78 in Africa

#2555 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Advertising

#79 in Africa

#2567 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Advertising

#87 in Africa

#2632 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Advertising

#95 in Africa

#2708 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Advertising

#101 in Africa

#2846 in the World

Founded: 1981

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

Business subfields in South Africa