List of 26 best universities in South Africa

Updated:

EduRank

Top 26 universities in South Africa ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. The rankings are determined by analyzing 9.02M citations received by 567K academic publications made by 26 universities from South Africa, the popularity of 779 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

7. University of South Africa

#10 in Africa
#898 in the World
Enrollment
420,000
Male:Female
36:64
Founded
1873

8. North-West University

#12 in Africa
#966 in the World
Acceptance Rate
83%
Enrollment
26,439
Male:Female
42:58
Founded
2004

9. Rhodes University

#14 in Africa
#1062 in the World
Enrollment
8,200
Founded
1904

10. University of the Western Cape

#17 in Africa
#1138 in the World
Acceptance Rate
60%
Enrollment
24,754
Founded
1959

11. University of the Free State

#18 in Africa
#1150 in the World
Acceptance Rate
25%
Enrollment
37,000
Founded
1904

14. Durban University of Technology

#41 in Africa
#2289 in the World
Acceptance Rate
75%
Enrollment
10,213
Founded
2002

17. University of Limpopo

#64 in Africa
#3006 in the World
Acceptance Rate
45%
Founded
1959

19. University of Venda

#101 in Africa
#3760 in the World
Acceptance Rate
72%
Founded
1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

#143 in Africa
#4623 in the World
Enrollment
27,039
Male:Female
43:57
Founded
2005

25. University of Mpumalanga

#443 in Africa
#9463 in the World
Enrollment
2,500
Founded
2014

26. Sol Plaatje University

#456 in Africa
#9625 in the World
Acceptance Rate
80%
Enrollment
3,000
Founded
2013

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

Average cost of living for students in South Africa is $408 + $57-407 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).