21 Best universities for Veterinary 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 Veterinary. A graph of 218K citations received by 9.88K academic papers made by 21 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 Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Veterinary

#1 in Africa

#16 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Veterinary

#6 in Africa

#128 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Veterinary

#21 in Africa

#213 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Veterinary

#23 in Africa

#255 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Veterinary

#33 in Africa

#333 in the World

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

6. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Veterinary

#35 in Africa

#393 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

7. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Veterinary

#36 in Africa

#396 in the World

Founded: 1874

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Veterinary

#43 in Africa

#479 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Veterinary

#47 in Africa

#608 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Veterinary

#63 in Africa

#749 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Veterinary

#67 in Africa

#762 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

12. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Veterinary

#83 in Africa

#908 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Veterinary

#99 in Africa

#1057 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Veterinary

#110 in Africa

#1175 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Veterinary

#111 in Africa

#1211 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

16. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Veterinary

#112 in Africa

#1212 in the World

Founded: 1981

17. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Veterinary

#131 in Africa

#1481 in the World

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

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Veterinary

#164 in Africa

#1847 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Veterinary

#175 in Africa

#1939 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

20. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Veterinary

#178 in Africa

#1953 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Veterinary

#199 in Africa

#2081 in the World

Founded: 2005

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