22 Best universities for Clinical Psychology 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 Clinical Psychology. A graph of 388K citations received by 16.2K 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 Clinical Psychology

#1 in Africa

#248 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Clinical Psychology

#2 in Africa

#261 in the World

Founded: 1918

3. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Clinical Psychology

#3 in Africa

#437 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Clinical Psychology

#4 in Africa

#459 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Clinical Psychology

#6 in Africa

#592 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#7 in Africa

#600 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Clinical Psychology

#9 in Africa

#693 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#13 in Africa

#822 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Clinical Psychology

#14 in Africa

#824 in the World

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

10. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Clinical Psychology

#17 in Africa

#888 in the World

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

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Clinical Psychology

#23 in Africa

#1212 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Clinical Psychology

#39 in Africa

#1548 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Clinical Psychology

#47 in Africa

#1731 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Clinical Psychology

#56 in Africa

#1995 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Clinical Psychology

#58 in Africa

#2034 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#63 in Africa

#2090 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

17. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Clinical Psychology

#64 in Africa

#2100 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

18. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#78 in Africa

#2337 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Clinical Psychology

#83 in Africa

#2460 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Clinical Psychology

#107 in Africa

#2890 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Clinical Psychology

#113 in Africa

#2949 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

22. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Clinical Psychology

#138 in Africa

#3248 in the World

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

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

Psychology subfields in South Africa

Child Psychology23

Cognitive Science19

Education Majors24

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution12

Neuroscience24

Occupational Therapy8

Organizational / Business / IO Psychology14