24 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 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 Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 4.3M citations received by 317K 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

#206 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#2 in Africa

#258 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#3 in Africa

#326 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#4 in Africa

#337 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

#505 in the World

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

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#7 in Africa

#600 in the World

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

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#8 in Africa

#618 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#10 in Africa

#814 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

#876 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#16 in Africa

#1018 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#28 in Africa

#1418 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#38 in Africa

#1730 in the World

Founded: 1916

14. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in Africa

#1885 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

15. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#48 in Africa

#1910 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#78 in Africa

#2432 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#80 in Africa

#2452 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#88 in Africa

#2574 in the World

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

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#96 in Africa

#2803 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#123 in Africa

#3251 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#132 in Africa

#3512 in the World

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

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#136 in Africa

#3550 in the World

Founded: 1981

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#146 in Africa

#3687 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#257 in Africa

#5413 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.