Three universities in South Africa ranked among the best in the world for the first time
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ranked 147th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2027, placing it above several notable global institutions.
The THE University Ranking for 2027 ranks thousands of tertiary institutions based on the quality of teaching, research quality and innovation.
The list tracks several key metrics to determine an overall score out of 100 for each university, before ranking them accordingly.
Each institution’s score is determined by five metrics:
- Teaching – The quality of the university’s teaching and learning environment.
- Research environment – The volume, income, and reputation of an institution’s research.
- Research Quality – Analyses each university’s role in spreading new knowledge and ideas.
- Industry – The institution’s ability to help various industries through innovations and inventions.
- International Outlook – How well the institution can attract new undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty.
In total, 16 South African tertiary institutions made the list, with three making their debut and several moving up in the rankings.
Walter Sisulu University, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Venda joined the ranking for the first time.
The highest-ranked South African university was UCT, which ranked 147th, improving from 164th the previous year.
This placed UCT above several academic stalwarts, such as the University of Geneva in Switzerland and Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the United States.
The 147th placement also saw UCT tie with four universities from Japan, America, and Italy.
UCT achieved an overall score of 62.4, with particularly high results in the research quality and industry indexes.
The second-place South African university was the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), which ranked in the 301-325 category.
While the World University Ranking assigns individual rankings to the top 300 institutions, those below this threshold are placed in broader categories.
In last year’s rankings, Wits was tied with Stellenbosch University (Stellies) in the 301-350 category, but the Johannesburg-based institution pulled ahead in the latest list.
Below is the list of South African universities ranked in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings.
In the latest university rankings, several placement categories were adjusted. Therefore, positions and changes in the list are based on each institution’s highest theoretical position.
World ranking of South African universities
| University name | 2027 Global ranking | 2026 Global ranking | Change |
| University of Cape Town | 147 | 164 | ↑ |
| University of the Witwatersrand | 301–325 | 301–350 | = |
| University of Stellenbosch | 326–350 | 301–350 | ↓ |
| University of Johannesburg | 351–375 | 351–400 | = |
| University of Pretoria | 451–500 | 501–600 | ↑ |
| University of KwaZulu-Natal | 501–550 | 501–600 | = |
| University of the Western Cape | 701–800 | 601–800 | ↓ |
| North-West University | 801–1,000 | 801–1,000 | = |
| Durban University of Technology | 1,201–1,400 | 1,501+ | ↑ |
| University of South Africa | 1,201–1,400 | 1,201–1,500 | = |
| University of the Free State | 1,201–1,400 | 1,001–1,200 | ↓ |
| Nelson Mandela University | 1,401–1,600 | 1,201–1,500 | ↓ |
| Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University | 1,401–1,600 | 1,201–1,500 | ↓ |
| Walter Sisulu University | 1,801–2,000 | – | – |
| Tshwane University of Technology | 1,801–2,000 | – | – |
| University of Venda | 1,801–2,000 | – | – |
The global rankings
The World University Rankings included 2,297 institutions across 118 countries, but only two countries were represented in the top 10.
The UK had three institutions in the top 10, with the country’s famed Oxford University placing first for the 11th year in a row.
The world-renowned university had an overall score of 97.9, and scored a perfect 100 in the research environment index.
The United Kingdom also had Cambridge University and Imperial College London feature in the top 10.
The rest of the top ten was taken up by American universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Princeton.
Outside the top ten, the US continued to have many high-ranking universities, with other countries such as China, Singapore, and Australia also featuring in the top 50.
Times Higher Education also noted that this year’s list featured three Asian universities in the top 15 for the first time in its history.
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