24 Best universities for Anthropology 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 Anthropology. A graph of 654K citations received by 46.1K 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 the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Anthropology

#1 in Africa

#142 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Anthropology

#2 in Africa

#150 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Anthropology

#3 in Africa

#176 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Anthropology

#4 in Africa

#178 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Anthropology

#5 in Africa

#201 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Anthropology

#6 in Africa

#235 in the World

Founded: 1918

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Anthropology

#7 in Africa

#274 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Anthropology

#8 in Africa

#325 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Anthropology

#11 in Africa

#439 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Anthropology

#13 in Africa

#578 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Anthropology

#18 in Africa

#720 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Anthropology

#21 in Africa

#846 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Anthropology

#25 in Africa

#915 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Anthropology

#33 in Africa

#1056 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Anthropology

#35 in Africa

#1143 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Anthropology

#37 in Africa

#1201 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Anthropology

#38 in Africa

#1218 in the World

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

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Anthropology

#42 in Africa

#1259 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Anthropology

#50 in Africa

#1398 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Anthropology

#63 in Africa

#1673 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Anthropology

#71 in Africa

#1808 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

22. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Anthropology

#72 in Africa

#1812 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

23. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Anthropology

#94 in Africa

#2214 in the World

Founded: 1981

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Anthropology

#193 in Africa

#3788 in the World

Founded: 1979

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