24 Best universities for Telecommunications 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 Telecommunications. A graph of 709K citations received by 28.5K 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 Telecommunications

#2 in Africa

#471 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Telecommunications

#3 in Africa

#475 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Telecommunications

#4 in Africa

#549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Telecommunications

#5 in Africa

#592 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Telecommunications

#7 in Africa

#630 in the World

Founded: 1918

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Telecommunications

#8 in Africa

#668 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Telecommunications

#22 in Africa

#1255 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

8. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Telecommunications

#23 in Africa

#1278 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Telecommunications

#37 in Africa

#1497 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Telecommunications

#47 in Africa

#1683 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Telecommunications

#50 in Africa

#1711 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Telecommunications

#71 in Africa

#2058 in the World

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

13. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Telecommunications

#79 in Africa

#2150 in the World

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

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Telecommunications

#84 in Africa

#2191 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Telecommunications

#90 in Africa

#2340 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

16. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Telecommunications

#111 in Africa

#2801 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Telecommunications

#112 in Africa

#2803 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Telecommunications

#122 in Africa

#2997 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Telecommunications

#127 in Africa

#3050 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Telecommunications

#136 in Africa

#3180 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Telecommunications

#179 in Africa

#3843 in the World

Founded: 2005

22. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Telecommunications

#182 in Africa

#3867 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Telecommunications

#203 in Africa

#4155 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Telecommunications

#216 in Africa

#4271 in the World

Founded: 1979

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