24 Best universities for Psychology 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 Psychology. A graph of 2.01M citations received by 137K 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

#251 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Psychology

#2 in Africa

#353 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Psychology

#3 in Africa

#392 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#5 in Africa

#457 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#6 in Africa

#497 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#8 in Africa

#658 in the World

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

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Psychology

#10 in Africa

#731 in the World

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

8. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Psychology

#12 in Africa

#789 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

9. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Psychology

#17 in Africa

#1007 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

#1024 in the World

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

11. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Psychology

#29 in Africa

#1366 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

12. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Psychology

#40 in Africa

#1590 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Psychology

#42 in Africa

#1643 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Psychology

#52 in Africa

#1920 in the World

Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#59 in Africa

#2052 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Psychology

#68 in Africa

#2322 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

17. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#72 in Africa

#2472 in the World

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

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Psychology

#79 in Africa

#2602 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Psychology

#84 in Africa

#2690 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

20. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Psychology

#90 in Africa

#2799 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Psychology

#94 in Africa

#2883 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Psychology

#108 in Africa

#3173 in the World

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

23. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Psychology

#114 in Africa

#3331 in the World

Founded: 1981

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Psychology

#261 in Africa

#5552 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 Psychology21

Cognitive Science18

Education Majors24

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution12

Neuroscience24

Occupational Therapy7

Organizational / Business / IO Psychology14