22 Best Surgeons Medical schools in South Africa

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Surgery. A graph of 1.25M citations received by 51.5K 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 Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Surgery

#2 in Africa

#219 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Surgery

#4 in Africa

#310 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Surgery

#7 in Africa

#399 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Surgery

#8 in Africa

#451 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#12 in Africa

#563 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Surgery

#31 in Africa

#1055 in the World

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

7. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Surgery

#38 in Africa

#1138 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

8. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Surgery

#44 in Africa

#1209 in the World

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

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Surgery

#50 in Africa

#1331 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Surgery

#51 in Africa

#1357 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

11. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#64 in Africa

#1569 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

12. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Surgery

#69 in Africa

#1677 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#83 in Africa

#1881 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Surgery

#95 in Africa

#2119 in the World

Founded: 2005

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Surgery

#105 in Africa

#2304 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

16. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Surgery

#120 in Africa

#2588 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

17. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Surgery

#123 in Africa

#2604 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

18. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Surgery

#136 in Africa

#2750 in the World

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

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Surgery

#141 in Africa

#2826 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#150 in Africa

#2956 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Surgery

#159 in Africa

#3050 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Surgery

#204 in Africa

#3847 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

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