24 Best universities for Linguistics 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 Linguistics. A graph of 650K citations received by 66.6K 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

#343 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Linguistics

#2 in Africa

#381 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#3 in Africa

#415 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Linguistics

#4 in Africa

#431 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#5 in Africa

#484 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#7 in Africa

#581 in the World

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

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Linguistics

#8 in Africa

#695 in the World

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

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Linguistics

#9 in Africa

#728 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Linguistics

#15 in Africa

#930 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Linguistics

#16 in Africa

#965 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Linguistics

#17 in Africa

#1051 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Linguistics

#44 in Africa

#1825 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Linguistics

#45 in Africa

#1846 in the World

Founded: 1916

14. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#46 in Africa

#1850 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

15. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Linguistics

#63 in Africa

#2167 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Linguistics

#73 in Africa

#2395 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Linguistics

#75 in Africa

#2436 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#79 in Africa

#2496 in the World

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

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Linguistics

#106 in Africa

#2996 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Linguistics

#118 in Africa

#3232 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Linguistics

#122 in Africa

#3290 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Linguistics

#140 in Africa

#3675 in the World

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

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Linguistics

#161 in Africa

#3983 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Linguistics

#205 in Africa

#4846 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.