24 Best universities for Chemical Engineering 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 Chemical Engineering. A graph of 791K citations received by 31.1K 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 Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Chemical Engineering

#3 in Africa

#541 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Chemical Engineering

#6 in Africa

#692 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Chemical Engineering

#8 in Africa

#722 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#11 in Africa

#778 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#12 in Africa

#802 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#13 in Africa

#821 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Chemical Engineering

#14 in Africa

#827 in the World

Founded: 1874

8. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Chemical Engineering

#17 in Africa

#1018 in the World

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

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Chemical Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1062 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#24 in Africa

#1183 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Chemical Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1342 in the World

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

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Chemical Engineering

#34 in Africa

#1400 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#46 in Africa

#1643 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Chemical Engineering

#57 in Africa

#1785 in the World

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

15. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Chemical Engineering

#65 in Africa

#1915 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

16. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Chemical Engineering

#69 in Africa

#2015 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

17. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Chemical Engineering

#76 in Africa

#2097 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

18. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Chemical Engineering

#81 in Africa

#2148 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Chemical Engineering

#101 in Africa

#2528 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Chemical Engineering

#119 in Africa

#2858 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Chemical Engineering

#157 in Africa

#3390 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Chemical Engineering

#167 in Africa

#3552 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#168 in Africa

#3555 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#220 in Africa

#4175 in the World

Founded: 1979

The best cities to study Chemical Engineering in South Africa based on the number of universities and their ranks are Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, Durban, and Pretoria.