24 Best universities for Astrophysics and Astronomy 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 Astrophysics and Astronomy. A graph of 1.05M citations received by 36.1K 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

#183 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#2 in Africa

#428 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#3 in Africa

#482 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#5 in Africa

#588 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#6 in Africa

#598 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#7 in Africa

#608 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

7. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#9 in Africa

#739 in the World

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

8. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#13 in Africa

#941 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

9. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#14 in Africa

#952 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

10. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#15 in Africa

#960 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

11. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#16 in Africa

#991 in the World

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

12. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#39 in Africa

#1623 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#46 in Africa

#1766 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#52 in Africa

#1899 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#72 in Africa

#2153 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#86 in Africa

#2376 in the World

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

17. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#111 in Africa

#2970 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#113 in Africa

#2977 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#117 in Africa

#3018 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#141 in Africa

#3421 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#172 in Africa

#3906 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

22. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#177 in Africa

#3995 in the World

Founded: 1979

23. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#179 in Africa

#4011 in the World

Founded: 1981

24. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#215 in Africa

#4449 in the World

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 Stellenbosch.

Physics subfields in South Africa

Acoustical Engineering23

Applied/Engineering Physics9

Astrobiology10

Atomic and Molecular physics15

Biophysics9

Condensed Matter Physics18

Optical Engineering24

Quantum and Particle physics24

Theoretical Physics16