24 Best universities for Education Majors 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 Education Majors. A graph of 435K citations received by 36K 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 Education Majors

#1 in Africa

#120 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Education Majors

#2 in Africa

#211 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Education Majors

#3 in Africa

#222 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Education Majors

#4 in Africa

#227 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Education Majors

#5 in Africa

#242 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Education Majors

#6 in Africa

#279 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Education Majors

#7 in Africa

#299 in the World

Founded: 1918

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Education Majors

#8 in Africa

#344 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Education Majors

#9 in Africa

#421 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Education Majors

#10 in Africa

#424 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Education Majors

#12 in Africa

#660 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Education Majors

#15 in Africa

#768 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Education Majors

#16 in Africa

#800 in the World

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

14. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Education Majors

#22 in Africa

#1086 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Education Majors

#23 in Africa

#1110 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Education Majors

#25 in Africa

#1164 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

17. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Education Majors

#34 in Africa

#1305 in the World

Founded: 1981

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Education Majors

#38 in Africa

#1354 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Education Majors

#39 in Africa

#1363 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Education Majors

#40 in Africa

#1399 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Education Majors

#47 in Africa

#1501 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

22. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Education Majors

#59 in Africa

#1817 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Education Majors

#129 in Africa

#3223 in the World

Founded: 1979

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Education Majors

#137 in Africa

#3286 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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