24 Best universities for Communications and Public Relations in South Africa

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 226K citations received by 23.2K 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 Communications and Public Relations

#1 in Africa

#155 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#2 in Africa

#167 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1873

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#3 in Africa

#205 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#4 in Africa

#225 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#5 in Africa

#230 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#6 in Africa

#260 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Communications and Public Relations

#7 in Africa

#267 in the World

Founded: 1918

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Communications and Public Relations

#8 in Africa

#364 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Enrollment: 26,439
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Communications and Public Relations

#11 in Africa

#521 in the World

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

10. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Communications and Public Relations

#13 in Africa

#594 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

11. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Communications and Public Relations

#14 in Africa

#625 in the World

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

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Communications and Public Relations

#18 in Africa

#817 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Communications and Public Relations

#22 in Africa

#889 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#24 in Africa

#920 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Enrollment: 10,213
Founded: 2002

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#26 in Africa

#951 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Communications and Public Relations

#29 in Africa

#1032 in the World

Founded: 1916

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Communications and Public Relations

#36 in Africa

#1133 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Communications and Public Relations

#42 in Africa

#1304 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Communications and Public Relations

#51 in Africa

#1555 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Communications and Public Relations

#54 in Africa

#1623 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Communications and Public Relations

#56 in Africa

#1649 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Communications and Public Relations

#71 in Africa

#2009 in the World

Enrollment: 27,039
Male:Female: 43:57
Founded: 2005

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#132 in Africa

#2767 in the World

Founded: 1979

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#151 in Africa

#2905 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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