Rhodes University: Rankings

Rhodes University logo
EduRank.org best universities badge

Rhodes University ranked 9th in South Africa, 1000th in the global 2023 rating, and scored in the TOP 50% across 70 research topics. Rhodes University ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 10,594 academic publications and 223,910 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 51 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#1000 of 14,131 In the World
#12 of 1,104 In Africa
#9 of 26 In South Africa
#53 of 1,012 For Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation
#169 of 1,082 For Genealogy
#173 of 1,036 For Oceanography
#1015 of 7,446 For Alumni Impact
#1357 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top50% For 67 other topics

Jump to topical rankings below

Acceptance rate and other statistics

Environmental Science rankings

Rhodes University ranked 6th for Environmental Science in South Africa and 381st in the World with 3,241 publications made and 88,566 citations received. Main research topics: Ecology, Geography and Cartography, Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation, Geology, Environmental Management.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#6 of 23 In South Africa
#6 of 243 In Africa
#381 of 4,023 In the World

Rhodes University
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1991 25 14
1992 21 14
1993 15 31
1994 18 25
1995 10 10
1996 41 94
1997 46 78
1998 49 99
1999 44 71
2000 43 100
2001 42 88
2002 35 75
2003 58 120
2004 63 150
2005 56 154
2006 84 228
2007 102 260
2008 118 385
2009 104 237
2010 137 401
2011 156 377
2012 145 444
2013 149 511
2014 173 387
2015 164 542
2016 164 419
2017 175 290
2018 154 335
2019 166 516
2020 171 260
2021 189 105

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Environmental Science.

Environmental Science subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 2 2 53
Oceanography 2 2 173
Forestry 7 13 209
Ecology 5 5 217
Geography and Cartography 6 6 247
Hydrology and Water resources management 3 3 253
Petrology and Geochemistry 6 6 275
Paleontology 7 9 422
Geology 6 7 496
Environmental Management 8 12 515
Meteorology and Atmospheric Science 6 6 539
Agricultural Science 9 35 557
Urban and Regional planning 9 15 580
Earth science and Geophysics 6 10 642
Mining Engineering 14 52 892
Environmental Chemistry 11 28 976

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings

Rhodes University ranked 11th for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in South Africa and 592nd in the World with 2,731 publications made and 34,859 citations received. Main research topics: Sociology, Political Science, Demography, History, Education Majors.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#11 of 24 In South Africa
#13 of 264 In Africa
#592 of 5,073 In the World

Rhodes University
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Publications & Citations

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1991 23 3
1992 11 1
1993 9 2
1994 15 4
1995 9 3
1996 20 17
1997 17 10
1998 25 36
1999 27 21
2000 43 32
2001 22 35
2002 40 61
2003 27 25
2004 37 45
2005 37 49
2006 49 63
2007 61 91
2008 82 153
2009 81 129
2010 103 216
2011 111 121
2012 157 157
2013 162 313
2014 163 175
2015 173 212
2016 196 219
2017 193 424
2018 161 156
2019 156 164
2020 162 146
2021 172 68

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Genealogy 5 5 169
Forensic Science 4 4 206
History 7 7 228
Gender Studies 10 10 251
Media Studies 6 6 279
Anthropology 9 9 287
Classics and Ancient History 8 9 334
Education Majors 11 12 337
Political Economy 9 10 385
Publishing 7 7 395
Human Rights Law 11 17 397
Sociology 11 11 408
Military science 8 9 433
Journalism and Digital Media 8 8 435
International Relations and Diplomacy 9 11 438
Broadcast Journalism 7 9 446
Aesthetics 10 11 448
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies 12 12 451
Linguistics 8 10 465
Art History 9 9 488
Political Science 11 14 515
Law 11 11 533
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 10 10 552
International Law 11 18 553
Urban and Regional planning 9 15 580
Archaeology 9 13 586
Radio and Television broadcasting 9 20 614
Public Policy / Administration 11 18 635
Library and Information science 10 16 636
Communications and Public Relations 12 16 666
Philosophy 11 13 699
Special Education 12 18 728
Criminology and Criminal Justice 12 17 736
Demography 10 24 743

Biology rankings

Rhodes University ranked 7th for Biology in South Africa and 924th in the World with 2,406 publications made and 57,803 citations received. Main research topics: Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation, Zoology, Botany, Biochemistry, Agricultural Science.

Biology ranking Location
#7 of 24 In South Africa
#16 of 264 In Africa
#924 of 4,496 In the World

Rhodes University
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1991 13 7
1992 11 7
1993 15 13
1994 23 26
1995 10 10
1996 31 58
1997 37 59
1998 35 58
1999 34 40
2000 31 73
2001 31 80
2002 33 62
2003 39 69
2004 48 124
2005 45 154
2006 70 137
2007 85 156
2008 92 173
2009 100 161
2010 89 264
2011 109 257
2012 93 239
2013 95 205
2014 123 251
2015 115 290
2016 116 267
2017 111 204
2018 111 208
2019 121 269
2020 129 188
2021 126 51

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Biology.

Biology subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 2 2 53
Zoology 5 5 207
Forestry 7 13 209
Animal Science 5 11 282
Entomology 6 6 301
Paleontology 7 9 422
Botany 7 11 530
Astrobiology 3 5 538
Agricultural Science 9 35 557
Evolutionary Biology 6 6 563
Toxicology 8 29 574
Biotechnology 16 37 784
Horticulture 10 66 900
Pharmacology 7 24 909
Biochemistry 7 12 939
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 9 17 1199

Chemistry rankings

Rhodes University ranked 8th for Chemistry in South Africa and 1109th in the World with 1,445 publications made and 38,593 citations received. Main research topics: Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Materials Science, Petrology and Geochemistry, Organic Chemistry.

Chemistry ranking Location
#8 of 24 In South Africa
#20 of 229 In Africa
#1109 of 4,317 In the World

Rhodes University
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1991 11 15
1992 16 6
1993 11 4
1994 21 20
1995 10 9
1996 20 54
1997 19 32
1998 32 56
1999 19 21
2000 24 39
2001 22 53
2002 20 41
2003 29 42
2004 22 74
2005 23 91
2006 41 112
2007 49 157
2008 38 102
2009 49 109
2010 70 236
2011 64 113
2012 69 205
2013 61 138
2014 67 118
2015 60 133
2016 59 98
2017 74 154
2018 61 139
2019 59 166
2020 76 89
2021 47 22

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Chemistry.

Chemistry subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Petrology and Geochemistry 6 6 275
Polymer science and Plastics engineering 1 1 417
Physical chemistry 1 3 470
Inorganic Chemistry 3 7 561
Pharmacy 5 13 574
Radiochemistry 3 12 600
Organic Chemistry 5 11 795
Biochemistry 7 12 939
Biochemical Engineering 14 21 956
Environmental Chemistry 11 28 976
Chemical Engineering 13 39 1649
Materials Science 14 57 2038

Physics rankings

Rhodes University ranked 12th for Physics in South Africa and 1762nd in the World with 1,028 publications made and 32,469 citations received. Main research topics: Astrophysics and Astronomy, Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Theoretical Physics, Astrobiology.

Physics ranking Location
#12 of 22 In South Africa
#34 of 182 In Africa
#1762 of 4,082 In the World

Rhodes University
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1991 1 0
1992 0 0
1993 2 4
1994 1 1
1995 0 0
1996 3 5
1997 4 3
1998 4 14
1999 0 0
2000 5 9
2001 4 3
2002 2 9
2003 2 7
2004 3 5
2005 1 20
2006 10 28
2007 12 9
2008 14 51
2009 10 15
2010 32 91
2011 21 53
2012 27 44
2013 54 255
2014 54 172
2015 106 508
2016 108 454
2017 87 577
2018 104 649
2019 105 1569
2020 85 241
2021 108 196

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Physics.

Physics subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Astrophysics and Astronomy 6 7 464
Astrobiology 3 5 538
Theoretical Physics 9 19 918
Optical Engineering 9 33 1718
Materials Science 14 57 2038

Medicine rankings

Rhodes University ranked 12th for Medicine in South Africa and 1307th in the World with 836 publications made and 17,693 citations received. Main research topics: Pharmacy, Anatomy and Physiology, Health Science, Public Health, Pharmacology.

Medicine ranking Location
#12 of 24 In South Africa
#45 of 263 In Africa
#1307 of 4,739 In the World

Rhodes University
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1991 10 2
1992 2 0
1993 12 8
1994 6 2
1995 6 8
1996 13 25
1997 9 6
1998 13 10
1999 14 18
2000 13 26
2001 4 14
2002 9 10
2003 13 25
2004 10 37
2005 17 65
2006 28 57
2007 16 23
2008 30 54
2009 45 113
2010 37 92
2011 37 66
2012 49 72
2013 46 101
2014 29 80
2015 34 29
2016 47 98
2017 27 39
2018 45 42
2019 33 37
2020 44 31
2021 49 32

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Medicine.

Medicine subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Forensic Science 4 4 206
Toxicology 8 29 574
Pharmacy 5 13 574
Veterinary 13 67 686
Public Health 14 59 893
Pharmacology 7 24 909
Anatomy and Physiology 6 16 912
Healthcare Management (MHA) 13 52 1005
Health Science 12 43 1073
Physical Therapy 8 20 1108

Psychology rankings

Rhodes University ranked 11th for Psychology in South Africa and 903rd in the World with 618 publications made and 9,520 citations received. Main research topics: Education Majors, Social Psychology, Child Psychology, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Sexology.

Psychology ranking Location
#11 of 23 In South Africa
#14 of 116 In Africa
#903 of 3,654 In the World

Rhodes University
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1991 4 2
1992 0 0
1993 1 0
1994 4 1
1995 1 0
1996 10 17
1997 5 4
1998 5 18
1999 6 3
2000 5 0
2001 6 19
2002 6 4
2003 6 5
2004 17 26
2005 9 28
2006 17 24
2007 11 8
2008 22 71
2009 23 27
2010 20 37
2011 24 19
2012 44 33
2013 45 116
2014 41 68
2015 34 20
2016 59 60
2017 62 75
2018 32 29
2019 22 46
2020 23 12
2021 25 5

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Psychology.

Psychology subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Education Majors 11 12 337
Sexology 10 14 473
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 10 10 552
Special Education 12 18 728
Social Psychology 11 14 940
Child Psychology 11 17 1053

Economics rankings

Rhodes University ranked 11th for Economics in South Africa and 626th in the World with 544 publications made and 10,041 citations received. Main research topics: Development Studies, Political Economy, Agricultural Economics, International Relations and Diplomacy.

Economics ranking Location
#11 of 22 In South Africa
#17 of 159 In Africa
#626 of 3,039 In the World

Rhodes University
Economics Publications & Citations

Year Economics publications Economics citations
1991 8 0
1992 5 1
1993 4 1
1994 6 1
1995 4 1
1996 4 1
1997 9 6
1998 5 1
1999 7 11
2000 9 5
2001 9 28
2002 8 31
2003 6 11
2004 11 19
2005 11 17
2006 14 45
2007 18 54
2008 13 29
2009 27 50
2010 19 46
2011 22 28
2012 35 58
2013 40 49
2014 36 57
2015 22 71
2016 38 70
2017 30 22
2018 18 10
2019 21 16
2020 25 25
2021 32 8

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Economics.

Economics subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Development Studies 11 16 228
Agricultural Economics 8 20 288
Political Economy 9 10 385
International Relations and Diplomacy 9 11 438

Art & Design rankings

Rhodes University ranked 10th for Art & Design in South Africa and 742nd in the World with 488 publications made and 1,649 citations received. Main research topics: Creative Writing, Literature, Aesthetics, Art History, Fashion Design.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

Art & Design ranking Location
#10 of 19 In South Africa
#12 of 66 In Africa
#742 of 2,700 In the World

Rhodes University
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1991 4 1
1992 4 0
1993 0 0
1994 1 0
1995 1 0
1996 4 1
1997 4 0
1998 3 1
1999 5 1
2000 4 1
2001 5 0
2002 5 1
2003 4 2
2004 6 2
2005 6 3
2006 9 4
2007 13 2
2008 14 3
2009 17 16
2010 29 4
2011 20 9
2012 34 4
2013 26 8
2014 39 14
2015 37 15
2016 41 11
2017 33 24
2018 25 2
2019 26 4
2020 16 24
2021 29 1

The following table provides academic rankings for Rhodes University in various areas of Art & Design.

Art & Design subfield South Africa ranking Africa ranking World rank
Fashion Design 5 5 227
Performing arts 4 4 268
Literature 10 10 347
Music 6 7 412
Creative Writing 11 11 418
Aesthetics 10 11 448
Art History 9 9 488
Computer Graphics 2 3 785
Singing and Vocal Performance 11 17 789
Entertainment Industry Business 11 24 816
Photography 11 15 834

Other rankings

Non-core subjects for Rhodes University

Speciality South Africa Africa World Rank
Math Teachers 10 13 495
Remote Sensing 6 6 649
Firefighting and Fire Science 8 14 753
Hospitality and Hotel Management 12 26 774
Tax Law 10 23 910
Management Information Systems 13 19 997
Business 12 30 1187
Mathematics 11 23 1281
Computer Science 12 30 1772
Engineering 14 58 1983
Artificial Intelligence (AI) 11 53 2269