15 Best universities for Computational Linguistics 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 Computational Linguistics. A graph of 62.6K citations received by 5.32K academic papers made by 15 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 Computational Linguistics

#3 in Africa

#402 in the World

Founded: 1918

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Computational Linguistics

#6 in Africa

#536 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Computational Linguistics

#7 in Africa

#654 in the World

Founded: 1874

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Computational Linguistics

#9 in Africa

#733 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Computational Linguistics

#12 in Africa

#855 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

6. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Computational Linguistics

#14 in Africa

#923 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Computational Linguistics

#15 in Africa

#929 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Computational Linguistics

#16 in Africa

#938 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Computational Linguistics

#32 in Africa

#1349 in the World

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

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Computational Linguistics

#45 in Africa

#1692 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Computational Linguistics

#49 in Africa

#1741 in the World

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

12. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Computational Linguistics

#62 in Africa

#1976 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Computational Linguistics

#70 in Africa

#2117 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Computational Linguistics

#82 in Africa

#2442 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Computational Linguistics

#87 in Africa

#2584 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

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

Computer Science subfields in South Africa