24 Best universities for Nursing 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 Nursing. A graph of 848K citations received by 44.4K 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 Nursing

#1 in Africa

#130 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nursing

#2 in Africa

#161 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Nursing

#3 in Africa

#209 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Nursing

#4 in Africa

#240 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nursing

#6 in Africa

#348 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Nursing

#13 in Africa

#500 in the World

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

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Nursing

#14 in Africa

#541 in the World

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

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nursing

#17 in Africa

#641 in the World

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

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Nursing

#23 in Africa

#741 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nursing

#26 in Africa

#754 in the World

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

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Nursing

#33 in Africa

#842 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Nursing

#38 in Africa

#976 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Nursing

#50 in Africa

#1176 in the World

Founded: 1916

14. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nursing

#51 in Africa

#1184 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Nursing

#53 in Africa

#1217 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

16. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Nursing

#58 in Africa

#1306 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Nursing

#64 in Africa

#1512 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nursing

#76 in Africa

#1613 in the World

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

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Nursing

#88 in Africa

#1900 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Nursing

#97 in Africa

#2032 in the World

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

21. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Nursing

#103 in Africa

#2152 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Nursing

#123 in Africa

#2515 in the World

Founded: 1981

23. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Nursing

#137 in Africa

#2801 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Nursing

#217 in Africa

#3846 in the World

Founded: 1979

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