24 Best universities for Chemical Engineering 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 Chemical Engineering. A graph of 587K citations received by 27.8K 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

#581 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Chemical Engineering

#5 in Africa

#677 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Chemical Engineering

#7 in Africa

#725 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#10 in Africa

#798 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#11 in Africa

#800 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#13 in Africa

#857 in the World

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

7. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Chemical Engineering

#14 in Africa

#858 in the World

Founded: 1874

8. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Chemical Engineering

#17 in Africa

#1017 in the World

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

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Chemical Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1087 in the World

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

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#25 in Africa

#1209 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Chemical Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1353 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Chemical Engineering

#32 in Africa

#1357 in the World

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

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#48 in Africa

#1724 in the World

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

14. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Chemical Engineering

#55 in Africa

#1826 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

15. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Chemical Engineering

#65 in Africa

#1981 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

16. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Chemical Engineering

#66 in Africa

#2004 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

17. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Chemical Engineering

#68 in Africa

#2065 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

18. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Chemical Engineering

#74 in Africa

#2186 in the World

Founded: 1916

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Chemical Engineering

#101 in Africa

#2596 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Chemical Engineering

#117 in Africa

#2876 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Chemical Engineering

#150 in Africa

#3392 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Chemical Engineering

#164 in Africa

#3621 in the World

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

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Chemical Engineering

#178 in Africa

#3781 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Chemical Engineering

#216 in Africa

#4153 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.