The 18 best universities in South Africa according to academic performance
A new ranking by the Informatics Institute at the Middle East Technical University, in Turkey, lists the 18 top universities in South Africa.
The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) for 2019 differs from other widely published rankings by not precluding the lower-end of institutions, particularly in developing nations.
With 18 South African universities making the list for the 2018/19 review period, it is the most comprehensive look at South Africa’s higher education institutes (HEIs).
The URAP is a research-only ranking using indicators that measure the quality, quantity and impact of publications, as well as international collaboration.
The overall score of each HEI is based on its performance over several indicators, including current scientific productivity, research impact, research quality and international acceptance.
Data is gathered from Web of Science and other sources which provide lists of HEIs, the group said.
In the 2018/19 ranking, South Africa’s top universities – the University of Cape Town and Wits – both dropped down the global rankings, though UCT remains in the top 250 universities in the world.
Among South Africa’s 18 ranked universities, the position remains virtually unchanged from 2017/18’s list, with the exception of the University of the Free State, which climbed 90 places to rank ahead of Rhodes University and Unisa.
Unisa, meanwhile, showed a massive drop on the overall rankings, falling over 230 places – though it only dropped on place on the South African list due to UFS’ rise.
| 2018/19 | 2017/18 | University | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | 229 | University of Cape Town | 384.22 |
| 321 | 317 | University of the Witwatersrand | 358.00 |
| 349 | 349 | University of KwaZulu Natal | 350.33 |
| 415 | 421 | Stellenbosch University | 328.39 |
| 474 | 459 | University of Pretoria | 313.44 |
| 627 | 655 | University of Johannesburg | 276.58 |
| 745 | 808 | North West University | 252.88 |
| 885 | 919 | University of the Western Cape | 227.30 |
| 1021 | 997 | Rhodes University | 208.87 |
| 1004 | 1094 | University of the Free State | 206.17 |
| 1287 | 1051 | University of South Africa (Unisa) | 174.96 |
| 1414 | 1402 | Nelson Mandela University | 160.51 |
| 1469 | 1587 | Tshwane University of Technology | 154.22 |
| 1705 | 2069 | Durban University of Technology | 129.69 |
| 2034 | 2073 | University of Limpopo | 98.41 |
| 2040 | 2100 | Cape Peninsula University of Technology | 98.18 |
| 2212 | 2273 | University of Fort Hare | 81.33 |
| 2374 | 2446 | University of Venda | 66.96 |
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