22 Best Theology / Divinity / Religious studies schools 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 Theology / Divinity / Religious studies. A graph of 309K citations received by 37.3K academic papers made by 22 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 Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#1 in Africa

#77 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#2 in Africa

#125 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#3 in Africa

#128 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#4 in Africa

#134 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

5. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#5 in Africa

#239 in the World

Founded: 1874

6. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#6 in Africa

#245 in the World

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

7. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#7 in Africa

#256 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#8 in Africa

#281 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#9 in Africa

#306 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#10 in Africa

#583 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#13 in Africa

#816 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#18 in Africa

#1048 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#22 in Africa

#1300 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#35 in Africa

#1598 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#43 in Africa

#1825 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

16. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#44 in Africa

#1832 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#46 in Africa

#1943 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#55 in Africa

#2091 in the World

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

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#61 in Africa

#2186 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#66 in Africa

#2303 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#97 in Africa

#2831 in the World

Founded: 2005

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Theology / Divinity / Religious studies

#107 in Africa

#3132 in the World

Founded: 1981

The best cities to study Theology / Divinity / Religious studies in South Africa based on the number of universities and their ranks are Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Stellenbosch, and Cape Town.