24 Best universities for Linguistics 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 Linguistics. A graph of 1.18M citations received by 78K 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 Linguistics

#1 in Africa

#322 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Linguistics

#2 in Africa

#377 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#3 in Africa

#397 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Linguistics

#4 in Africa

#417 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#5 in Africa

#492 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#7 in Africa

#539 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Linguistics

#8 in Africa

#631 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Linguistics

#9 in Africa

#650 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Linguistics

#13 in Africa

#822 in the World

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

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Linguistics

#15 in Africa

#895 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Linguistics

#20 in Africa

#1109 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Linguistics

#48 in Africa

#1820 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#52 in Africa

#1832 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Linguistics

#53 in Africa

#1842 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Linguistics

#68 in Africa

#2160 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

16. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Linguistics

#70 in Africa

#2213 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Linguistics

#72 in Africa

#2304 in the World

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

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#77 in Africa

#2391 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Linguistics

#107 in Africa

#2920 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Linguistics

#119 in Africa

#3167 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Linguistics

#120 in Africa

#3168 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Linguistics

#134 in Africa

#3360 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#168 in Africa

#3860 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#224 in Africa

#4737 in the World

Founded: 1979

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