22 Best universities for Structural 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 Structural Engineering. A graph of 251K citations received by 13.5K academic papers made by 22 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 Structural Engineering

#2 in Africa

#473 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Structural Engineering

#4 in Africa

#502 in the World

Founded: 1918

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Structural Engineering

#5 in Africa

#540 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Structural Engineering

#9 in Africa

#627 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Structural Engineering

#12 in Africa

#861 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Structural Engineering

#14 in Africa

#919 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Structural Engineering

#37 in Africa

#1586 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Structural Engineering

#41 in Africa

#1627 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Structural Engineering

#54 in Africa

#1831 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Structural Engineering

#59 in Africa

#1891 in the World

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

11. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Structural Engineering

#61 in Africa

#1929 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

12. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Structural Engineering

#70 in Africa

#2103 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

13. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Structural Engineering

#75 in Africa

#2293 in the World

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

14. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Structural Engineering

#77 in Africa

#2312 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Structural Engineering

#85 in Africa

#2423 in the World

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

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Structural Engineering

#109 in Africa

#2806 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Structural Engineering

#126 in Africa

#3089 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

18. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Structural Engineering

#136 in Africa

#3324 in the World

Founded: 1981

19. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Structural Engineering

#149 in Africa

#3544 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

20. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Structural Engineering

#151 in Africa

#3580 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Structural Engineering

#179 in Africa

#3932 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Structural Engineering

#195 in Africa

#4058 in the World

Founded: 2005

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