24 Best universities for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in South Africa

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Artificial Intelligence (AI). A graph of 647K citations received by 53.7K 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 Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#2 in Africa

#518 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#3 in Africa

#572 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#4 in Africa

#593 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#6 in Africa

#667 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#7 in Africa

#682 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#12 in Africa

#903 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#17 in Africa

#1029 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1873

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#23 in Africa

#1270 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Enrollment: 26,439
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#34 in Africa

#1522 in the World

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

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#41 in Africa

#1788 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#48 in Africa

#1936 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#54 in Africa

#2027 in the World

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

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#70 in Africa

#2365 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#81 in Africa

#2549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Enrollment: 10,213
Founded: 2002

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#87 in Africa

#2774 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

16. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#109 in Africa

#3428 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

17. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#115 in Africa

#3471 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

18. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#117 in Africa

#3499 in the World

Founded: 1981

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#121 in Africa

#3615 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#123 in Africa

#3662 in the World

Founded: 1916

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#149 in Africa

#4112 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#181 in Africa

#4627 in the World

Enrollment: 27,039
Male:Female: 43:57
Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#189 in Africa

#4718 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Artificial Intelligence (AI)

#198 in Africa

#4808 in the World

Founded: 1979

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