20 Best universities for Library and Information 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 Library and Information science. A graph of 181K citations received by 13.4K academic papers made by 20 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 Library and Information science

#1 in Africa

#320 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Library and Information science

#2 in Africa

#344 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Library and Information science

#3 in Africa

#370 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#4 in Africa

#456 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Library and Information science

#5 in Africa

#473 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#6 in Africa

#522 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Library and Information science

#7 in Africa

#640 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Library and Information science

#8 in Africa

#648 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Library and Information science

#13 in Africa

#1003 in the World

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

10. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Library and Information science

#14 in Africa

#1006 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

11. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Library and Information science

#17 in Africa

#1138 in the World

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

12. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Library and Information science

#18 in Africa

#1174 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Library and Information science

#31 in Africa

#1506 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#36 in Africa

#1729 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Library and Information science

#41 in Africa

#1916 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Library and Information science

#48 in Africa

#2003 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Library and Information science

#51 in Africa

#2113 in the World

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

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Library and Information science

#64 in Africa

#2272 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Library and Information science

#99 in Africa

#2914 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Library and Information science

#101 in Africa

#2930 in the World

Founded: 2005

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

Computer Science subfields in South Africa