24 Best universities for Astrophysics and Astronomy 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 Astrophysics and Astronomy. A graph of 622K citations received by 29.9K 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 Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1 in Africa

#186 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#2 in Africa

#436 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#3 in Africa

#474 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#5 in Africa

#589 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#6 in Africa

#600 in the World

Founded: 1918

6. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#8 in Africa

#621 in the World

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

7. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#10 in Africa

#777 in the World

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

8. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#13 in Africa

#948 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

9. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#14 in Africa

#1017 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#15 in Africa

#1024 in the World

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

11. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#17 in Africa

#1044 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

12. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#37 in Africa

#1611 in the World

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

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#41 in Africa

#1718 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#49 in Africa

#1839 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#63 in Africa

#2129 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#77 in Africa

#2291 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#108 in Africa

#3024 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

18. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#110 in Africa

#3078 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

19. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#116 in Africa

#3170 in the World

Founded: 1916

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#135 in Africa

#3470 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#159 in Africa

#3846 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#162 in Africa

#3880 in the World

Founded: 1979

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#173 in Africa

#4026 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#214 in Africa

#4526 in the World

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

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

Physics subfields in South Africa

Acoustical Engineering22

Applied/Engineering Physics7

Astrobiology9

Atomic and Molecular physics14

Biophysics9

Condensed Matter Physics17

Optical Engineering24

Quantum and Particle physics24

Theoretical Physics16