22 Best Surgeons Medical schools 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 Surgery. A graph of 940K citations received by 47K 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

#1 in Africa

#217 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Surgery

#3 in Africa

#310 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Surgery

#6 in Africa

#397 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Surgery

#8 in Africa

#453 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#9 in Africa

#547 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Surgery

#32 in Africa

#1053 in the World

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

7. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Surgery

#35 in Africa

#1141 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

8. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Surgery

#39 in Africa

#1184 in the World

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

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Surgery

#44 in Africa

#1305 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Surgery

#46 in Africa

#1326 in the World

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

11. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#57 in Africa

#1466 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

12. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Surgery

#67 in Africa

#1714 in the World

Founded: 1916

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#80 in Africa

#1941 in the World

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

14. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Surgery

#94 in Africa

#2263 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

15. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Surgery

#95 in Africa

#2277 in the World

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

16. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Surgery

#101 in Africa

#2318 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

17. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Surgery

#107 in Africa

#2542 in the World

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

18. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Surgery

#118 in Africa

#2750 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Surgery

#125 in Africa

#2842 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Surgery

#134 in Africa

#2927 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Surgery

#163 in Africa

#3317 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Surgery

#205 in Africa

#4049 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.