South African University Rankings 2027
Where South African universities place in the three main global rankings: the QS World University Rankings 2027, the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027 and ShanghaiRanking's ARWU 2026, plus the latest QS subject rankings.
Verified 12 October 2026 against the QS, THE and ShanghaiRanking websites
🏆 Overall University Rankings
Global positions of every South African university that appears in the latest QS, THE or ARWU table. Ranks with "=" are tied; ranks shown as a range (for example 301–325) are bands, because the publishers do not give exact positions below a certain point.
UCT is still South Africa's top-ranked university
The University of Cape Town leads South Africa in all three rankings. It placed 184th in QS 2027, down from 150th in QS 2026, but climbed to joint 147th in THE 2027 from joint 164th a year earlier, putting it in THE's top 150 and making it the highest-ranked university in sub-Saharan Africa.
The rankings disagree on who is second
In QS 2027 the University of Johannesburg is second in South Africa at 292nd, up 16 places to its best QS position yet. In THE 2027 Wits is second (301–325), and in ARWU 2026 Wits is also second (301–400).
More South African universities in THE
THE 2027 ranks 17 South African universities, up from 13 in the 2026 edition. The University of Pretoria moved up to the 451–500 band from 501–600. THE also split the positions below 300 into narrower bands this year, so some year-on-year band changes are not like-for-like.
Not being ranked is not a quality verdict
Each ranking has its own entry rules, and several South African universities do not appear in any of them. A "—" below means the university is not in that ranking's published list.
| University | QS 2027 | THE 2027 | ARWU 2026 | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 University of Cape Town (UCT) Cape Town, Western Cape | #184 | #=147 | 201–300 | Visit → |
2 University of Johannesburg (UJ) Johannesburg, Gauteng | #292 | 351–375 | 601–700 | Visit → |
3 Stellenbosch University (SU) Stellenbosch, Western Cape | #=296 | 326–350 | 401–500 | Visit → |
4 University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Johannesburg, Gauteng | #302 | 301–325 | 301–400 | Visit → |
5 University of Pretoria (UP) Pretoria, Gauteng | #=326 | 451–500 | 501–600 | Visit → |
6 University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | #=600 | 501–550 | 601–700 | Visit → |
7 Rhodes University Makhanda, Eastern Cape | 901–950 | — | — | Visit → |
8 University of South Africa (Unisa) Pretoria, Gauteng (distance learning) | 951–1000 | 1201–1400 | 801–900 | Visit → |
9 North-West University (NWU) Potchefstroom, North West | 1001–1200 | 801–1000 | 801–900 | Visit → |
10 University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein, Free State | 1001–1200 | 1201–1400 | — | Visit → |
11 University of the Western Cape (UWC) Cape Town, Western Cape | 1001–1200 | 701–800 | — | Visit → |
12 Nelson Mandela University Gqeberha, Eastern Cape | 1401+ | 1401–1600 | — | Visit → |
13 Durban University of Technology (DUT) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | — | 1201–1400 | — | Visit → |
14 Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) Ga-Rankuwa, Gauteng | — | 1401–1600 | — | Visit → |
15 Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Pretoria, Gauteng | — | 1801–2000 | — | Visit → |
16 University of Venda (Univen) Thohoyandou, Limpopo | — | 1801–2000 | — | Visit → |
17 Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng | — | 1801–2000 | — | Visit → |
18 Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Mthatha, Eastern Cape | — | 1801–2000 | — | Visit → |
The numbers in the first column follow the QS 2027 order, then the universities ranked only by THE. Sources: QS World University Rankings 2027 (18 June 2026), THE World University Rankings 2027 (30 September 2026), ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026 (August 2026).
📚 Subject Rankings
South African universities in the five broad subject areas of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 (published 25 March 2026). The figure is each university's global position in that subject area.
Life Sciences & Medicine
Social Sciences & Management
Arts & Humanities
Natural Sciences
Engineering & Technology
UCT's highest subject-area position is joint 100th in the world for Life Sciences & Medicine. QS also ranks individual subjects (for example Law, Accounting and Finance, or Mining Engineering), which can matter more than the broad areas when you choose a course.
🔬 Research Rankings
ARWU is a research-only ranking: it counts Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners among alumni and staff, Highly Cited Researchers, papers in Nature and Science, and papers indexed in Web of Science, and it uses no reputation survey.
ARWU 2026: South African universities in the world top 1,000
UJ and UKZN share the 601–700 band, as do NWU and Unisa in 801–900.
QS 2027: Citations per Faculty
This QS indicator (20% of the overall score) measures research citations relative to academic staff numbers. Stellenbosch leads South Africa on it.
💼 Graduate Employability
South African universities' global positions on the two employability indicators inside the QS World University Rankings 2027: Employment Outcomes (5% of the overall score) and Employer Reputation, based on a global employer survey (15%). Scores are out of 100. These are QS indicator results, not graduate employment rates or salaries.
Wits
UCT
Unisa
Stellenbosch
UP
UKZN
UJ
Ordered by Employment Outcomes rank. Source: QS World University Rankings 2027 indicator data on topuniversities.com.
📊 Ranking Methodology
Why the same university can sit in very different places: each ranking measures different things
QS World University Rankings 2027 weights
Academic Reputation
Global survey of academics
Citations per Faculty
Research citations relative to the number of academic staff
Employer Reputation
Global survey of employers
Faculty Student Ratio
Academic staff relative to students
Employment Outcomes
Graduate employment and alumni outcomes
International Faculty Ratio
Share of international academic staff
International Research Network
Breadth of international research partnerships
International Student Ratio
Share of international students
Sustainability
Environmental and social impact
QS also reports an International Student Diversity indicator, which carries no weight.
THE World University Rankings 2027 weights
Research quality
Citation impact, research strength, excellence and influence
Teaching
The learning environment
Research environment
Research volume, income and reputation
International outlook
International staff, students and research
Industry
Industry income and patents
Ranking Sources
QS World University Rankings 2027
Published 18 June 2026. Ranks 12 South African universities. QS publishes this ranking every June.
Official tables →Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027
Published 30 September 2026. Ranks 2,297 universities in 118 countries and territories, including 17 from South Africa (up from 13 the year before).
Official tables →ShanghaiRanking Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026
Published August 2026. Research-only ranking that publishes the top 1,000 universities, including 8 from South Africa.
Official tables →QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
Published 25 March 2026. Ranks universities in five broad subject areas and individual subjects.
Official tables →How to Use University Rankings
- • Rankings are just one factor - consider your specific needs and career goals
- • Different ranking systems use different methodologies: QS leans on reputation surveys, ARWU counts only research, and THE mixes teaching, research and industry measures
- • Subject-specific rankings may be more relevant than overall rankings
- • Consider factors like location, cost, campus culture, and programme offerings
- • Rankings move year to year (UCT fell 34 places in QS 2027 but rose in THE 2027), so look for consistent performers
- • Research the specific programmes and departments you're interested in
Choose Your University Wisely
Use these rankings as a guide, but remember to consider your personal goals, financial situation, and career aspirations when choosing a university.