24 Best universities for 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 Engineering. A graph of 5.41M citations received by 249K 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 Engineering

#2 in Africa

#457 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Engineering

#3 in Africa

#515 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Engineering

#4 in Africa

#539 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#5 in Africa

#546 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#7 in Africa

#580 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Engineering

#10 in Africa

#701 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Engineering

#16 in Africa

#1015 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#20 in Africa

#1121 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Engineering

#25 in Africa

#1218 in the World

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

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1383 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Engineering

#32 in Africa

#1404 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Engineering

#39 in Africa

#1579 in the World

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

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#60 in Africa

#1918 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Engineering

#61 in Africa

#1933 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Engineering

#70 in Africa

#2085 in the World

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

16. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Engineering

#87 in Africa

#2276 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Engineering

#110 in Africa

#2735 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Engineering

#114 in Africa

#2809 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Engineering

#116 in Africa

#2845 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Engineering

#125 in Africa

#2985 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Engineering

#137 in Africa

#3145 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Engineering

#189 in Africa

#4070 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#201 in Africa

#4210 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#215 in Africa

#4465 in the World

Founded: 1979

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