24 Best universities for Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineering. A graph of 456K citations received by 36.2K 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 Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Mechanical Engineering

#1 in Africa

#428 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Mechanical Engineering

#2 in Africa

#450 in the World

Founded: 1918

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Mechanical Engineering

#3 in Africa

#472 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Mechanical Engineering

#5 in Africa

#512 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Mechanical Engineering

#8 in Africa

#705 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Mechanical Engineering

#9 in Africa

#719 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Mechanical Engineering

#16 in Africa

#947 in the World

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

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Mechanical Engineering

#21 in Africa

#1232 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Mechanical Engineering

#25 in Africa

#1336 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Mechanical Engineering

#36 in Africa

#1675 in the World

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

11. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Mechanical Engineering

#42 in Africa

#1734 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Mechanical Engineering

#46 in Africa

#1758 in the World

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

13. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Mechanical Engineering

#49 in Africa

#1789 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

14. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Mechanical Engineering

#72 in Africa

#2145 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Mechanical Engineering

#80 in Africa

#2400 in the World

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

16. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Mechanical Engineering

#85 in Africa

#2511 in the World

Founded: 1981

17. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Mechanical Engineering

#102 in Africa

#2846 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

18. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Mechanical Engineering

#106 in Africa

#2942 in the World

Founded: 1916

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Mechanical Engineering

#125 in Africa

#3302 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Mechanical Engineering

#133 in Africa

#3438 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Mechanical Engineering

#136 in Africa

#3533 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Mechanical Engineering

#180 in Africa

#4379 in the World

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

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Mechanical Engineering

#198 in Africa

#4559 in the World

Founded: 1979

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Mechanical Engineering

#215 in Africa

#4781 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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