24 Best universities for 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 Psychology. A graph of 2.96M citations received by 156K 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 Psychology

#1 in Africa

#248 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Psychology

#2 in Africa

#352 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Psychology

#3 in Africa

#384 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#5 in Africa

#438 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#6 in Africa

#483 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#8 in Africa

#617 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Psychology

#10 in Africa

#685 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Psychology

#11 in Africa

#715 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Psychology

#18 in Africa

#974 in the World

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

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Psychology

#19 in Africa

#977 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Psychology

#32 in Africa

#1395 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Psychology

#40 in Africa

#1549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Psychology

#43 in Africa

#1626 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Psychology

#54 in Africa

#1863 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#61 in Africa

#2019 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Psychology

#70 in Africa

#2186 in the World

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

17. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#73 in Africa

#2236 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Psychology

#84 in Africa

#2501 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Psychology

#91 in Africa

#2699 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Psychology

#97 in Africa

#2779 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#99 in Africa

#2794 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

22. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Psychology

#105 in Africa

#2877 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

23. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Psychology

#115 in Africa

#3061 in the World

Founded: 1981

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#242 in Africa

#5125 in the World

Founded: 1979

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

Psychology subfields in South Africa

Child Psychology23

Clinical Psychology22

Cognitive Science19

Education Majors24

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution12

Neuroscience24

Occupational Therapy8

Organizational / Business / IO Psychology15