24 Best universities for Nutrition and Food Science 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 Nutrition and Food Science. A graph of 510K citations received by 19.2K 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 Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Nutrition and Food Science

#1 in Africa

#108 in the World

Founded: 1918

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#7 in Africa

#299 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#9 in Africa

#316 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nutrition and Food Science

#19 in Africa

#627 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nutrition and Food Science

#20 in Africa

#651 in the World

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

6. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Nutrition and Food Science

#22 in Africa

#666 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

7. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Nutrition and Food Science

#24 in Africa

#692 in the World

Founded: 1874

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#29 in Africa

#751 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Nutrition and Food Science

#38 in Africa

#842 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nutrition and Food Science

#39 in Africa

#857 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

11. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Nutrition and Food Science

#61 in Africa

#1168 in the World

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

12. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#65 in Africa

#1199 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#74 in Africa

#1275 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Nutrition and Food Science

#82 in Africa

#1449 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

15. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Nutrition and Food Science

#96 in Africa

#1641 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Nutrition and Food Science

#100 in Africa

#1738 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Nutrition and Food Science

#108 in Africa

#1812 in the World

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

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Nutrition and Food Science

#137 in Africa

#2179 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nutrition and Food Science

#153 in Africa

#2466 in the World

Founded: 1981

20. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Nutrition and Food Science

#185 in Africa

#2959 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Nutrition and Food Science

#188 in Africa

#2987 in the World

Founded: 2005

22. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Nutrition and Food Science

#189 in Africa

#2996 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#192 in Africa

#3048 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#206 in Africa

#3243 in the World

Founded: 1979

The best cities to study Nutrition and Food Science in South Africa based on the number of universities and their ranks are Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Durban, and Johannesburg.