24 Best universities for Optical 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 Optical Engineering. A graph of 1.02M citations received by 48.3K 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 Optical Engineering

#2 in Africa

#509 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Optical Engineering

#3 in Africa

#521 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Optical Engineering

#5 in Africa

#595 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#6 in Africa

#671 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#8 in Africa

#706 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Optical Engineering

#12 in Africa

#925 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Optical Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1078 in the World

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

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#21 in Africa

#1136 in the World

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

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Optical Engineering

#24 in Africa

#1286 in the World

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

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Optical Engineering

#26 in Africa

#1302 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#29 in Africa

#1457 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Optical Engineering

#36 in Africa

#1571 in the World

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

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Optical Engineering

#51 in Africa

#1920 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#71 in Africa

#2332 in the World

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

15. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Optical Engineering

#87 in Africa

#2577 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Optical Engineering

#94 in Africa

#2735 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Optical Engineering

#97 in Africa

#2776 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Optical Engineering

#104 in Africa

#2924 in the World

Founded: 1916

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Optical Engineering

#108 in Africa

#2968 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Optical Engineering

#111 in Africa

#3022 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#119 in Africa

#3179 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Optical Engineering

#146 in Africa

#3704 in the World

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

23. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Optical Engineering

#153 in Africa

#3825 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#221 in Africa

#4753 in the World

Founded: 1979

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