24 Best Public Health 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 Public Health. A graph of 2.53M citations received by 85.5K 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 Public Health

#1 in Africa

#100 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Public Health

#2 in Africa

#139 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Public Health

#3 in Africa

#183 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Public Health

#4 in Africa

#194 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Public Health

#5 in Africa

#244 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Public Health

#16 in Africa

#550 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

7. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Public Health

#19 in Africa

#580 in the World

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

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Public Health

#20 in Africa

#597 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Public Health

#21 in Africa

#633 in the World

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

10. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Public Health

#26 in Africa

#680 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Public Health

#33 in Africa

#764 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Public Health

#43 in Africa

#934 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Public Health

#53 in Africa

#1078 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Public Health

#62 in Africa

#1204 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Public Health

#67 in Africa

#1249 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

16. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Public Health

#78 in Africa

#1369 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

17. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Public Health

#87 in Africa

#1490 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

18. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Public Health

#92 in Africa

#1519 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

19. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Public Health

#112 in Africa

#1807 in the World

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

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Public Health

#116 in Africa

#1884 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Public Health

#121 in Africa

#2000 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

22. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Public Health

#167 in Africa

#2693 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

23. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Public Health

#190 in Africa

#3012 in the World

Founded: 1981

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Public Health

#250 in Africa

#4013 in the World

Founded: 1979

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