22 Best universities for Clinical Psychology 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 Clinical Psychology. A graph of 353K citations received by 15.5K 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

#250 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Clinical Psychology

#2 in Africa

#262 in the World

Founded: 1918

3. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Clinical Psychology

#3 in Africa

#438 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Clinical Psychology

#4 in Africa

#457 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Clinical Psychology

#6 in Africa

#591 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#7 in Africa

#610 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Clinical Psychology

#9 in Africa

#721 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#13 in Africa

#818 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Clinical Psychology

#14 in Africa

#821 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

#890 in the World

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

11. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Clinical Psychology

#23 in Africa

#1203 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

#45 in Africa

#1705 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Clinical Psychology

#54 in Africa

#1964 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Clinical Psychology

#58 in Africa

#2007 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Clinical Psychology

#63 in Africa

#2068 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

17. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#64 in Africa

#2091 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

18. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Clinical Psychology

#78 in Africa

#2376 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Clinical Psychology

#83 in Africa

#2436 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Clinical Psychology

#108 in Africa

#2919 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Clinical Psychology

#115 in Africa

#2966 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

22. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Clinical Psychology

#138 in Africa

#3222 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 Psychology15