University of South Africa: Statistics

Updated:

EduRank

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Position Category
#875 of 14,131 In the World
#10 of 1,104 In Africa
#7 of 26 In South Africa
#2 of 4 In Pretoria
#106 of 1,021 For Human Rights Law
Top50% For 172 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Enrollment
420,000
Type
Non-profit
Funding
Public
Highest Degree
Doctorate
Website
www.unisa.ac.za
Languages
English;Afrikaans
Acceptance rate
64%*

* The University of South Africa is among the institutions that don't provide data on acceptance rates. This might happen because the university has programs where applicants only need to meet admission requirements to enroll and don't necessarily compete with others.

We estimate the above acceptance rate based on admission statistics of closely ranked nearby universities with similar research profiles that do publish such data.

Acceptance rate & Admissions

Admissions RequirementsFor undergraduate certificates: National Senior Certificate with entry level degree, diploma or higher certificate; National Senior Certificate (vocational) at level 4 with entry level degree, diploma or higher certificate; Senior Certificate of full or conditional exemption issued by the Matriculation Board of Higher Education South Africa (HESA); Senior Certificate with matriculation or university admission endorsement (exemption). For undergraduate diplomas: National Senior Certificate with entry level degree or diploma; National Senior Certificate (vocational) at level 4 with entry level degree or diploma; Senior Certificate of full or conditional exemption issued by the Matriculation Board of Higher Education South Africa (HESA); Senior Certificate with matriculation or university admission endorsement (exemption). For undergraduate degrees: National Senior Certificate with entry level degree; National Senior Certificate (vocational) at level 4 with entry level degree; Senior Certificate of full or conditional exemption issued by the Matriculation Board of Higher Education South Africa (HESA); Senior Certificate with matriculation or university admission endorsement (exemption). Please note that the admission requirements for entry level qualifications are the minimum statutory requirements and that admission requirements differ between the various Colleges.
Academic CalendarJanuary to December
Enrollment420,000

Research profile

University of South Africa is a world-class research university with 37,559 scientific papers published and 408,632 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Political Science, Law, Environmental Science, Sociology, Biology, Philosophy, Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics.

Publications
37,559
Citations
408,632

University of South Africa majors

by publication & citation count

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
27,369 / 252,724
Political Science
19,914 / 177,081
Law
18,447 / 167,749
Environmental Science
18,069 / 207,021
Sociology
16,832 / 169,063
Biology
15,378 / 207,529
Philosophy
15,183 / 108,959
Engineering
13,197 / 188,582
Computer Science
13,067 / 154,159
Physics
12,827 / 185,017
Geography and Cartography
11,829 / 101,975
Business
11,473 / 116,371
Economics
11,189 / 135,537
Psychology
10,904 / 113,929
History
10,827 / 78,758
Medicine
10,522 / 141,132
Chemistry
9,534 / 157,272
Quantum and Particle physics
9,064 / 137,288
Archaeology
8,863 / 67,337
Mathematics
8,519 / 117,319
Geology
7,611 / 95,698
Ecology
7,448 / 105,047
Development Studies
7,061 / 86,839
Linguistics
7,027 / 49,960
Art & Design
6,421 / 42,261
Paleontology
5,592 / 70,251
Organic Chemistry
5,547 / 108,098
Materials Science
5,435 / 102,581
Statistics
5,287 / 86,750
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies
4,874 / 22,047
Social Psychology
4,730 / 53,404
Biochemistry
4,680 / 86,131
Management
4,660 / 56,625
Education Majors
4,504 / 40,432
Anthropology
4,492 / 42,392
Finance
4,230 / 37,847
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
4,117 / 39,718
Genetics
3,580 / 53,730
Pathology
3,474 / 70,846
Literature
3,409 / 15,305

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1992 164 503
1993 200 454
1994 217 603
1995 194 481
1996 202 587
1997 224 619
1998 188 650
1999 225 693
2000 184 832
2001 220 846
2002 259 1040
2003 279 1111
2004 289 1320
2005 346 1536
2006 323 1658
2007 319 1904
2008 440 2288
2009 472 3037
2010 713 3545
2011 994 4345
2012 1311 5351
2013 1543 8771
2014 1808 11462
2015 1813 13217
2016 1939 14526
2017 2115 17173
2018 1875 21057
2019 2350 27734
2020 2570 35779
2021 2731 45958
2022 2955 49853
2023 3195 58613
2024 2970 62661
Academic rankings

Programs and Degrees

The table below displays academic fields with programs and courses that lead to Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees offered by University of South Africa.

Note that the table provides a general overview and might not cover all the specific majors available at the university. Always visit the university's website for the most up-to-date information on the programs offered.

Programs Bachelor Master Doctoral
Art & Design Yes Yes Yes
Biology Yes Yes Yes
Business Yes Yes Yes
Chemistry Yes Yes Yes
Computer Science Yes Yes Yes
Economics Yes Yes Yes
Engineering Yes Yes Yes
Environmental Science Yes Yes Yes
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Yes Yes Yes
Mathematics Yes Yes Yes
Medicine No No No
Physics Yes Yes Yes
Psychology Yes Yes Yes
Bachelor's Degree Accountancy, Administration, Banking, Biological and Life Sciences, Business Administration, Business and Commerce, Catholic Theology, Christian Religious Studies, Communication Arts, Communication Studies, Community Health, Computer Science, Criminology, Cultural Studies, Development Studies, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Management, Finance, Government, Health Sciences, Higher Education, Human Resources, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Information Management, Information Technology, International Relations and Diplomacy, Law, Leadership, Literature, Logistics Management, Management, Marketing, Multimedia, Music, Musicology, Nursing, Philosophy, Police Studies, Political Sciences, Psychology, Public Administration, Social Welfare, Social Work, Taxation, Theology, Tourism, Translation and Interpretation, Visual Arts, Writing
Advanced Diploma Accountancy, Agricultural Management, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Education, Education, Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Explosive Engineering, Health Sciences, Horticulture, Industrial Engineering, Information Management, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Science Education, Teacher Trainers Education, Tourism
Honours Degree Accountancy, Administration, Adult Education, African Languages, African Studies, Afrikaans, Agriculture, Ancient Civilizations, Anthropology, Applied Linguistics, Applied Mathematics, Arabic, Archaeology, Archiving, Art History, Astronomy and Space Science, Behavioural Sciences, Bible, Business Administration, Catholic Theology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Christian Religious Studies, Computer Education, Computer Science, Construction Engineering, Consumer Studies, Criminology, Development Studies, Ecology, Economics, Education, Education of the Gifted, Educational Administration, Educational and Student Counselling, Electronic Engineering, English Studies, Environmental Management, Environmental Studies, Ethics, Finance, Gender Studies, Geography, Health Sciences, Hebrew, History, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Industrial Engineering, Information Sciences, International Studies, Islamic Studies, Judaic Religious Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Logistics Management, Management, Marketing, Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Mechanical Engineering, Media Studies, Modern Languages, Multimedia, New Testament, Nutrition, Operations Research, Philosophy, Physics, Police Studies, Political Sciences, Power Engineering, Psychology, Public Administration, Religious Studies, Science Education, Social Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Technology Education, Theology, Tourism, Translation and Interpretation, Transport Economics, Visual Arts, Water Science
Postgraduate Diploma Accountancy, Agriculture, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Economics, Education, Educational Administration, Finance, Fiscal Law, Foreign Languages Education, Higher Education, Horticulture, Human Resources, Information Management, International Relations and Diplomacy, Labour and Industrial Relations, Labour Law, Law, Library Science, Logistics Management, Mathematics Education, Nursing, Operations Research, Private Law, Psychometrics, Public Administration, Public Health, Social Studies, Taxation
Master's Degree Accountancy, Administration, Adult Education, Behavioural Sciences, Business Administration, Business and Commerce, Christian Religious Studies, Civil Law, Clinical Psychology, Commercial Law, Consumer Studies, Criminology, Curriculum, Ecology, Education, Educational Administration, Educational and Student Counselling, Educational Psychology, Engineering, Fiscal Law, Gender Studies, Horticulture, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Information Sciences, Information Technology, Labour Law, Law, Leadership, Mathematics Education, Music, Musicology, Philosophy of Education, Police Studies, Private Law, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Public Administration, Public Health, Science Education, Social Studies, Social Work, Technology Education, Theology, Visual Arts
Doctorate Accountancy, Administration, Agriculture, Anthropology, Applied Mathematics, Archaeology, Astronomy and Space Science, Biological and Life Sciences, Business Administration, Business and Commerce, Chemistry, Communication Arts, Computer Science, Criminal Law, Criminology, Development Studies, Economics, Education, Engineering, Environmental Management, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Horticulture, Information Sciences, Law, Leadership, Linguistics, Literature, Management, Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Music, Musicology, Nursing, Operations Research, Philosophy, Physics, Political Sciences, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health, Religious Studies, Science Education, Social Work, Sociology, Statistics, Technology Education, Theology

University of South Africa alumni

  1. Nelson Mandela

    Nelson Mandela
    Born in
    South Africa Flag South Africa
    Years
    1918-2013 (aged 95)
    Enrolled in the University of South Africa
    Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    Occupations
    political prisonerpoliticianautobiographerlawyerscreenwriter
    Biography

    Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.

  2. Robert Mugabe

    Robert Mugabe
    Born in
    Zimbabwe Flag Zimbabwe
    Years
    1924-2019 (aged 95)
    Enrolled in the University of South Africa
    Graduated with bachelor's degree in education and administration
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the ZANU – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, and as a socialist during the 1990s and the remainder of his career.

  3. Desmond Tutu

    Desmond Tutu
    Born in
    South Africa Flag South Africa
    Years
    1931-2021 (aged 90)
    Enrolled in the University of South Africa
    Studied in 1954
    Occupations
    human rights activistProtestant theologianarchbishopnon-fiction writerAnglican priest
    Biography

    Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology.

  4. Cyril Ramaphosa

    Cyril Ramaphosa
    Born in
    South Africa Flag South Africa
    Years
    1952-.. (age 73)
    Occupations
    politiciantrade unionistbusinesspersonentrepreneur
    Biography

    Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former anti-apartheid activist and trade union leader, Ramaphosa is also the president (leader) of the African National Congress (ANC).

All 62 notable alumni

University of South Africa faculties and divisions

College : Accounting Sciences Accountancy, Taxation
College : Agriculture and Environmental Science Agricultural Management, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Biological and Life Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Management, Environmental Studies, Food Science, Geography, Horticulture, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Soil Science, Veterinary Science, Water Science, Welfare and Protective Services
College : Economics and Management Sciences Accountancy, Administration, Banking, Business Administration, Business and Commerce, Economics, Finance, Human Resources, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Insurance, Labour and Industrial Relations, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Operations Research, Psychology, Public Administration, Real Estate, Retailing and Wholesaling, Secretarial Studies, Service Trades, Social Sciences, Taxation, Tourism, Transport and Communications, Transport Economics, Transport Management, Vocational Counselling, Welfare and Protective Services
College : Education Adult Education, Art Education, Business Education, Computer Education, Continuing Education, Curriculum, Distance Education, Education, Education of the Gifted, Education of the Handicapped, Educational Administration, Educational and Student Counselling, Educational Research, Educational Sciences, Educational Technology, Educational Testing and Evaluation, Health Education, Higher Education, Home Economics Education, Humanities and Social Science Education, International and Comparative Education, Literacy Education, Mathematics Education, Music Education, Pedagogy, Philosophy of Education, Preschool Education, Primary Education, Science Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, Teacher Trainers Education, Teacher Training, Technology Education
College : Graduate School of Business Leadership Business Administration, Leadership
College : Graduate Studies African Studies, Development Studies, Distance Education, Education, Educational Research, Educational Sciences, Leadership, Mathematics Education, Science Education, Social Policy, Teacher Training, Technology Education
College : Human Sciences African American Studies, African Languages, Afrikaans, Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Languages, Anthropology, Arabic, Archaeology, Art History, Art Management, Arts and Humanities, Bible, Christian Religious Studies, Classical Languages, Cognitive Sciences, Communication Studies, Comparative Literature, Comparative Religion, Contemporary History, Cultural Studies, Demography and Population, Design, Development Studies, English, English Studies, Fine Arts, French, Gender Studies, Health Administration, Health Sciences, Heritage Preservation, History, History of Religion, Information Management, Information Sciences, Information Technology, International Studies, Library Science, Linguistics, Literature, Mass Communication, Medieval Studies, Midwifery, Missionary Studies, Modern History, Modern Languages, Music, Musicology, New Testament, Nursing, Pastoral Studies, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Portuguese, Psychology, Public Health, Regional Studies, Religion, Religious Practice, Religious Studies, Romance Languages, Social Sciences, Social Work, Sociology, Spanish, Theology, Translation and Interpretation, Visual Arts, Welfare and Protective Services, Writing
College : Law Administrative Law, Civil Law, Civil Security, Commercial Law, Comparative Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminology, History of Law, Human Rights, International Law, Justice Administration, Labour Law, Law, Maritime Law, Notary Studies, Police Studies, Private Law, Protective Services, Public Law, Welfare and Protective Services
College : Science, Engineering and Technology Applied Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Astronomy and Space Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Engineering Drawing and Design, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Natural Sciences, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Systems Analysis, Technology

General information

Alternative names UNISA
Founded 1873
Accreditation Council on Higher Education (CHE); South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA); Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
Motto Pro Gentibus Sapientia
Learning in Service to Humanity

Location and contacts

Address PO Box 392
Pretoria, Gauteng, 0003
South Africa
City population 742,000

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