24 Best universities for Metallurgical Engineering 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 Metallurgical Engineering. A graph of 1.24M citations received by 50.8K 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 the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Metallurgical Engineering

#3 in Africa

#434 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Metallurgical Engineering

#4 in Africa

#498 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Metallurgical Engineering

#7 in Africa

#575 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Metallurgical Engineering

#8 in Africa

#603 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Metallurgical Engineering

#11 in Africa

#739 in the World

Founded: 1918

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Metallurgical Engineering

#13 in Africa

#777 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Metallurgical Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1019 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Metallurgical Engineering

#20 in Africa

#1031 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Metallurgical Engineering

#21 in Africa

#1073 in the World

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

10. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Metallurgical Engineering

#27 in Africa

#1122 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Metallurgical Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1234 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Metallurgical Engineering

#54 in Africa

#1726 in the World

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

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Metallurgical Engineering

#57 in Africa

#1764 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Metallurgical Engineering

#78 in Africa

#2050 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Metallurgical Engineering

#82 in Africa

#2125 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

16. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Metallurgical Engineering

#89 in Africa

#2269 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Metallurgical Engineering

#91 in Africa

#2297 in the World

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

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Metallurgical Engineering

#106 in Africa

#2589 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Metallurgical Engineering

#111 in Africa

#2603 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Metallurgical Engineering

#113 in Africa

#2635 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Metallurgical Engineering

#130 in Africa

#2806 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Metallurgical Engineering

#188 in Africa

#3715 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Metallurgical Engineering

#203 in Africa

#3873 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Metallurgical Engineering

#231 in Africa

#4270 in the World

Founded: 1979

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