24 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 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 Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 7.05M citations received by 384K 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 Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1 in Africa

#208 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#2 in Africa

#266 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#3 in Africa

#314 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#4 in Africa

#335 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#5 in Africa

#398 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#6 in Africa

#483 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#7 in Africa

#542 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#8 in Africa

#586 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#10 in Africa

#777 in the World

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

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#13 in Africa

#851 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#18 in Africa

#1085 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#29 in Africa

#1421 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#39 in Africa

#1642 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

14. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#49 in Africa

#1802 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#50 in Africa

#1814 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#76 in Africa

#2300 in the World

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

17. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#77 in Africa

#2304 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#85 in Africa

#2413 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#97 in Africa

#2657 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#118 in Africa

#3073 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#126 in Africa

#3190 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#136 in Africa

#3383 in the World

Founded: 1981

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#149 in Africa

#3591 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#239 in Africa

#4934 in the World

Founded: 1979

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