24 Best universities for Communications and Public Relations 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 Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 360K citations received by 26.3K 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 South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#1 in Africa

#139 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Communications and Public Relations

#2 in Africa

#167 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#3 in Africa

#187 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#4 in Africa

#202 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Communications and Public Relations

#5 in Africa

#235 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#6 in Africa

#241 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Communications and Public Relations

#7 in Africa

#272 in the World

Founded: 1918

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Communications and Public Relations

#8 in Africa

#298 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
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. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Communications and Public Relations

#13 in Africa

#563 in the World

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

11. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Communications and Public Relations

#16 in Africa

#645 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

12. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Communications and Public Relations

#22 in Africa

#813 in the World

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

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#24 in Africa

#831 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Communications and Public Relations

#25 in Africa

#834 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#27 in Africa

#880 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Communications and Public Relations

#30 in Africa

#996 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Communications and Public Relations

#31 in Africa

#999 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Communications and Public Relations

#42 in Africa

#1164 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Communications and Public Relations

#52 in Africa

#1424 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Communications and Public Relations

#55 in Africa

#1524 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Communications and Public Relations

#56 in Africa

#1536 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Communications and Public Relations

#69 in Africa

#1832 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Communications and Public Relations

#136 in Africa

#2733 in the World

Founded: 1979

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Communications and Public Relations

#168 in Africa

#3124 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 Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.