24 Best universities for Philosophy 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 Philosophy. A graph of 2.02M citations received by 155K 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 Philosophy

#1 in Africa

#463 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Philosophy

#2 in Africa

#499 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Philosophy

#3 in Africa

#560 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Philosophy

#4 in Africa

#569 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Philosophy

#5 in Africa

#645 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

6. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Philosophy

#6 in Africa

#681 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Philosophy

#7 in Africa

#758 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Philosophy

#8 in Africa

#830 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Philosophy

#10 in Africa

#1031 in the World

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

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Philosophy

#16 in Africa

#1277 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Philosophy

#22 in Africa

#1499 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Philosophy

#47 in Africa

#2139 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Philosophy

#53 in Africa

#2228 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Philosophy

#59 in Africa

#2351 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Philosophy

#76 in Africa

#2684 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Philosophy

#80 in Africa

#2729 in the World

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

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Philosophy

#82 in Africa

#2746 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Philosophy

#92 in Africa

#2916 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Philosophy

#118 in Africa

#3393 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Philosophy

#121 in Africa

#3439 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Philosophy

#129 in Africa

#3597 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Philosophy

#152 in Africa

#3894 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Philosophy

#187 in Africa

#4541 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Philosophy

#206 in Africa

#4731 in the World

Founded: 1979

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