24 Best universities for Optical 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 Optical Engineering. A graph of 1.53M citations received by 54.2K 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 Optical Engineering

#2 in Africa

#519 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Optical Engineering

#4 in Africa

#532 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Optical Engineering

#5 in Africa

#560 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#6 in Africa

#662 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#8 in Africa

#722 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Optical Engineering

#12 in Africa

#869 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Optical Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1080 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

#1125 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Optical Engineering

#25 in Africa

#1268 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Optical Engineering

#27 in Africa

#1348 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1480 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Optical Engineering

#36 in Africa

#1558 in the World

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

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Optical Engineering

#53 in Africa

#1940 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#76 in Africa

#2338 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Optical Engineering

#98 in Africa

#2656 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Optical Engineering

#100 in Africa

#2696 in the World

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

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Optical Engineering

#108 in Africa

#2901 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Optical Engineering

#109 in Africa

#2905 in the World

Founded: 1981

19. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Optical Engineering

#111 in Africa

#2919 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Optical Engineering

#112 in Africa

#2956 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Optical Engineering

#142 in Africa

#3479 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

22. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Optical Engineering

#159 in Africa

#3728 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

23. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Optical Engineering

#164 in Africa

#3788 in the World

Founded: 2005

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Optical Engineering

#226 in Africa

#4721 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.