24 Best universities for Nutrition and Food Science 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 Nutrition and Food Science. A graph of 554K citations received by 19.8K 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 Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Nutrition and Food Science

#1 in Africa

#113 in the World

Founded: 1918

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#7 in Africa

#301 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#8 in Africa

#318 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nutrition and Food Science

#19 in Africa

#646 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Nutrition and Food Science

#21 in Africa

#668 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

6. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nutrition and Food Science

#22 in Africa

#676 in the World

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

7. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Nutrition and Food Science

#24 in Africa

#705 in the World

Founded: 1874

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#30 in Africa

#739 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nutrition and Food Science

#32 in Africa

#796 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Nutrition and Food Science

#36 in Africa

#820 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

11. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Nutrition and Food Science

#61 in Africa

#1166 in the World

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

12. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#63 in Africa

#1201 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#69 in Africa

#1232 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Nutrition and Food Science

#86 in Africa

#1482 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

15. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Nutrition and Food Science

#91 in Africa

#1573 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Nutrition and Food Science

#100 in Africa

#1734 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Nutrition and Food Science

#112 in Africa

#1825 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

#2173 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nutrition and Food Science

#149 in Africa

#2395 in the World

Founded: 1981

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Nutrition and Food Science

#186 in Africa

#2946 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Nutrition and Food Science

#188 in Africa

#2976 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

22. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nutrition and Food Science

#190 in Africa

#3002 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

23. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Nutrition and Food Science

#191 in Africa

#3007 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nutrition and Food Science

#207 in Africa

#3233 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.