19 Best universities for Criminology and Criminal Justice 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 Criminology and Criminal Justice. A graph of 77.9K citations received by 7.78K academic papers made by 19 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 Criminology and Criminal Justice

#1 in Africa

#136 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#2 in Africa

#151 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#3 in Africa

#167 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#4 in Africa

#208 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#5 in Africa

#259 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#6 in Africa

#312 in the World

Founded: 1918

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#7 in Africa

#329 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#9 in Africa

#404 in the World

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

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#10 in Africa

#411 in the World

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

10. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#11 in Africa

#505 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#16 in Africa

#654 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#17 in Africa

#737 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#21 in Africa

#860 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#22 in Africa

#871 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#24 in Africa

#898 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#33 in Africa

#1071 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#42 in Africa

#1195 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#52 in Africa

#1309 in the World

Founded: 2005

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#59 in Africa

#1360 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

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