24 Best universities for Physical chemistry 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 Physical chemistry. A graph of 766K citations received by 29.7K 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 the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Physical chemistry

#5 in Africa

#565 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

2. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Physical chemistry

#6 in Africa

#615 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Physical chemistry

#7 in Africa

#641 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Physical chemistry

#9 in Africa

#757 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Physical chemistry

#10 in Africa

#760 in the World

Founded: 1874

6. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Physical chemistry

#12 in Africa

#792 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

7. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Physical chemistry

#16 in Africa

#893 in the World

Founded: 1918

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Physical chemistry

#21 in Africa

#1047 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Physical chemistry

#27 in Africa

#1192 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Physical chemistry

#28 in Africa

#1193 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Physical chemistry

#32 in Africa

#1280 in the World

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

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Physical chemistry

#39 in Africa

#1403 in the World

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

13. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Physical chemistry

#49 in Africa

#1631 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

14. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Physical chemistry

#73 in Africa

#1927 in the World

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

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Physical chemistry

#76 in Africa

#1952 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

16. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Physical chemistry

#84 in Africa

#2125 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Physical chemistry

#95 in Africa

#2305 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Physical chemistry

#111 in Africa

#2546 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Physical chemistry

#112 in Africa

#2555 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Physical chemistry

#141 in Africa

#3003 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Physical chemistry

#153 in Africa

#3225 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Physical chemistry

#184 in Africa

#3624 in the World

Founded: 1979

23. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Physical chemistry

#207 in Africa

#3937 in the World

Founded: 2005

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Physical chemistry

#220 in Africa

#4109 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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