24 Best universities for 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 Engineering. A graph of 5.9M citations received by 257K 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

#462 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Engineering

#3 in Africa

#517 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Engineering

#4 in Africa

#537 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#5 in Africa

#542 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#7 in Africa

#579 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Engineering

#10 in Africa

#668 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Engineering

#16 in Africa

#1004 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#19 in Africa

#1094 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Engineering

#25 in Africa

#1221 in the World

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

10. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#31 in Africa

#1366 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Engineering

#32 in Africa

#1426 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Engineering

#41 in Africa

#1573 in the World

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

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#59 in Africa

#1882 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Engineering

#62 in Africa

#1942 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Engineering

#69 in Africa

#2071 in the World

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

16. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Engineering

#86 in Africa

#2266 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Engineering

#110 in Africa

#2729 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Engineering

#115 in Africa

#2810 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Engineering

#116 in Africa

#2820 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Engineering

#124 in Africa

#2943 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Engineering

#137 in Africa

#3108 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Engineering

#184 in Africa

#3971 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Engineering

#201 in Africa

#4171 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Engineering

#216 in Africa

#4438 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.