19 Best universities for Library and Information science in South Africa

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 163K citations received by 13.3K academic papers made by 19 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

#324 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

#343 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Library and Information science

#3 in Africa

#372 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#4 in Africa

#451 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Library and Information science

#5 in Africa

#484 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#6 in Africa

#532 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Library and Information science

#7 in Africa

#634 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Library and Information science

#8 in Africa

#682 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

#1005 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

#1031 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

#1151 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

#1186 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Library and Information science

#31 in Africa

#1513 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Library and Information science

#38 in Africa

#1752 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Library and Information science

#43 in Africa

#1938 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Library and Information science

#48 in Africa

#2046 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Library and Information science

#49 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

#56 in Africa

#2172 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Library and Information science

#97 in Africa

#2894 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

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.

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