Lifestyle

Private university in South Africa named among the best in the world

Luke Fraser

 ·9 Apr 2026

South African-based International Hotel School has cracked the top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

The rankings benchmark over 21,000 academic programmes across 1,900 universities in over 100 countries, spanning 55 disciplines and five broad faculty areas.

The faculty areas are Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Sub-Saharan African institutions feature almost 200 times in the 2026 Subject Rankings, with South Africa home to 16 top-100 entries.

The total number of entries from Sub-Saharan Africa dropped slightly in 2026 to 198 from 203 the previous year, with South Africa accounting for some 120 entries.

“From new entries in subjects from Economics & Econometrics to Hospitality to Sports, the region’s higher education landscape continues to strengthen,” said Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President of QS.

“However, as global higher education continues to evolve, universities must ensure their curricula and their programme portfolios create the best possible outcomes for both students and society.”

The best-ranked university in South Africa was the University of Cape Town (UCT), which ranked 11th globally in Development Studies.

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) was also ranked 25th in the world for Development Studies and 25th for Engineering related to Mineral & Mining.

International Hotel School ranked 44th and entered the top 50 in its subject area for the first time since 2020. It was previously in the 101-150 range in 2025.

South Africa’s top university regularly featured in the top 50 to 100 in the 2026 rankings by subject.

UCT was also recognised for its Anthropology, Archaeology, and Engineering related to Mineral & Mining, Sports-related subjects, Medicine, and Life Sciences.

Wits was also recognised for its Anthropology, while the University of Johannesburg was also in the world’s top 100 for Development Studies.

The University of Pretoria was also among the best in the world for Development Studies, Theology and Veterinary Sciences. Stellenbosch was also named one of the best in the world for Theology.

International Hotel School history

The International Hotel School was established in the Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg, in 1994, to meet the shortage of trained individuals for the service-driven industry.

It now offers a range of nationally and internationally recognised degrees, diplomas and certificates across all parts of the hospitality industry.

It has six campuses, namely Johannesburg, Benoni, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Gqeberha, as well as an online campus which was launched in 2014.

It has over 1,300 students graduate annually, with many going on to work with worldwide hospitality groups, including Disney, Seabourn Cruise Line, and Ritz-Carlton Hotels.

The school is seen as South Africa’s leading Hotel School, given that it is the largest hospitality training provider of its kind, offers high-quality academic and practical training, and produces high-quality graduates.

The International Hotel School is part of the Invictus Education Group. In 2021, Swiss-based Sommet Education acquired a majority stake in Invictus.

Despite not technically being a university, which are still required to be state-owned in South Africa, the International Hotel School could soon receive the designation amid a change in regulations.

International Hotel School Photos