Top 20 Universities in South Africa (2026)
Planning to study in South Africa? This list features 20 universities. Compare rankings, tuition fees, and acceptance rates to make a confident decision. Institutions are evaluated based on research output, global rankings, and academic performance.
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Degree Level
Bachelor, Master, PhD
Subject Area
Science, Business, Arts
Location
Worldwide destinations
1
Cape Town, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
239 World
1 Africa
1
South Africa
1 Cape Town
University Information
Acceptance
51%*
Publications
95695
Citations
2920600
2
Johannesburg, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
392 World
2 Africa
2
South Africa
1 Johannesburg
University Information
Acceptance
34%
Publications
83673
Citations
2021576
3
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
422 World
3 Africa
3
South Africa
71 Stellenbosch
University Information
Acceptance
52%*
Publications
69594
Citations
1618799
4
Pretoria, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
430 World
4 Africa
4
South Africa
1 Pretoria
University Information
Acceptance
57%*
Publications
74475
Citations
1326679
5
Durban, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
610 World
6 Africa
5
South Africa
1 Durban
University Information
Acceptance
63%
Publications
66518
Citations
1453103
6
Johannesburg, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
808 World
9 Africa
6
South Africa
2 Johannesburg
University Information
Acceptance
60%*
Publications
46881
Citations
729348
7
Pretoria, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
875 World
10 Africa
7
South Africa
2 Pretoria
University Information
Acceptance
64%*
Publications
37559
Citations
408632
8
Potchefstroom, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
952 World
12 Africa
8
South Africa
110 Potchefstroom
University Information
Acceptance
83%
Publications
35148
Citations
589918
9
Makhanda, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
1070 World
15 Africa
9
South Africa
157 Makhanda
University Information
Acceptance
61%*
Publications
18207
Citations
374038
10
Bellville, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
1137 World
17 Africa
10
South Africa
41 Bellville
University Information
Acceptance
60%
Publications
20690
Citations
425992
11
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
1153 World
18 Africa
11
South Africa
1 Bloemfontein
University Information
Acceptance
25%
Publications
28297
Citations
407021
12
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
1787 World
31 Africa
12
South Africa
94 Port Elizabeth
University Information
Acceptance
57%
Publications
11941
Citations
181023
13
Durban, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
2266 World
41 Africa
13
South Africa
2 Durban
University Information
Acceptance
75%
Publications
8603
Citations
112149
14
Pretoria, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
2301 World
42 Africa
14
South Africa
3 Pretoria
University Information
Acceptance
89%
Publications
11875
Citations
187112
15
Cape Town, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
2337 World
43 Africa
15
South Africa
2 Cape Town
University Information
Acceptance
91%
Publications
7274
Citations
95854
16
Alice, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
2814 World
59 Africa
16
South Africa
389 Alice
University Information
Acceptance
68%*
Publications
7995
Citations
138978
17
Mankweng, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
3013 World
64 Africa
17
South Africa
381 Mankweng
University Information
Acceptance
45%
Publications
9395
Citations
111672
18
Kwadlangezwa, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
3567 World
90 Africa
18
South Africa
540 Kwadlangezwa
University Information
Acceptance
45%
Publications
5695
Citations
69698
19
Thohoyandou, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
3752 World
102 Africa
19
South Africa
433 Thohoyandou
University Information
Acceptance
72%
Publications
5512
Citations
65384
20
Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Africa
Founded:
Rankings
3968 World
117 Africa
20
South Africa
558 Vanderbijlpark
University Information
Acceptance
90%
Publications
3444
Citations
46412