Lifestyle

South Africa has a new number one university in Gauteng – second only to UCT nationally

Staff Writer

 ·22 Jun 2026

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has risen remarkably in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2027, shooting up to second place in South Africa.

This places the university above Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand, the latter of which has fallen to fourth nationally.

UJ climbed to its highest-ever position in the QS World University Rankings, rising 16 places to rank 292nd overall, marking a milestone within the top 300.

The university has been climbing the rankings over the years, moving up and out of the 601-650 band a decade ago.

“What is particularly encouraging is that this achievement forms part of a broader pattern of progress across multiple international ranking systems,” said UJ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi.

“This reflects the strength and consistency of our academic, research and internationalisation efforts.”

Earlier in June, UJ improved its position by 20 places in the 2026 Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR), while advancing 38 places in the 2026–2027 US News Best Global Universities Rankings.

Conversely, Wits, which has historically been the top university in the province and the second-ranked university in South Africa, has declined in the 2027 ranking.

Wits dropped 11 positions in the global list, falling out of the top 300, and placing below Stellenbosch University.

After shooting up the QS rankings in 2024 to hit 264th place, it has been gradually slipping down the list.

UCT was once again ranked as the leading university in Africa and South Africa, but also saw a notable slide in the rankings, dropping 34 places.

Regardless, the university maintained its position in the top 200 globally for the fourth successive year (2024-2027), having fallen outside this range for the preceding three years (2021-2023).

“The global higher education landscape is becoming more competitive each year. Universities in Asia, Europe and the Middle East continue to invest heavily in research capacity, internationalisation and student success,” UCT said.

“Maintaining and improving our position will require deliberate effort, strategic investment and continued excellence across all areas of our work.”

The QS rankings measure performance across five performance lenses, broken down into nine indicators in total that carry different weights.

• Research and Discovery: Accounts for 50% of the ranking, with two indicators: Academic Reputation (30%) and Citations per Faculty (20%), by faculty QS means the academic staff.
• Employability and Outcomes: Accounts for 20%, with two indicators: Employer Reputation (15%) and Employment Outcomes (5%).
• Learning Experience: Accounts for 10%, with a single indicator: Faculty Student Ratio (10%), which is just the ratio of academic staff to students.
• Global Engagement: Accounts for 15%, with three indicators: International Research Network (5%), International Faculty (5%) (again, this refers to the international academic staff), and International Students (5%).
• Sustainability: Accounts for 5% with a single eponymous indicator: Sustainability (5%).

This global ranking is the first to incorporate both sustainability and employability factors as key measures into its methodology.  

Since the 2024 ranking, the group has added a five per cent weight to Sustainability to reflect the crucial role universities play in charting the course and driving change towards a more sustainable future.