SA's top 12 universities rank among global best
Here are the 12 best universities in South Africa, with three of them ranking among the global top 500.
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) for 2025 has been released, ranking the top 2,000 global universities.
According to CWUR, 21,462 institutions were evaluated, and only those that ranked at the top made the global 2,000 list.
From this ranking, only three South African universities made the list of the top 500 tertiary institutions in the world.
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According to BusinessTech, this is one fewer tertiary institution than was included in the 2024 list.
The Tshwane University of Technology fell out of the top 2,000 rankings entirely, which means that only 12 South African universities made the overall ranking.
Three universities, the University of Cape Town, Wits, and Stellenbosch University, each claimed a spot in the top 500 global rankings.
Although this is cause for celebration, the CWUR raised concerns about South African universities, stating that the country’s institutions are struggling to compete with other international universities.
Nine of the 12 ranked South African universities reportedly dropped in the global list, allegedly due to a decline in research performance amid intensified global competition.
The highest-ranked university, the University of Cape Town, fell four spots to 275th.
Wits University dropped one place to 292nd, while Stellenbosch University fell 18 spots to 458th.
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"While several countries are placing the development of education and science high on their agenda, South Africa is struggling to keep pace," said Dr. Nadim Mahassen, President of the Centre for World University Rankings.
"Without stronger funding and strategic planning, South Africa risks falling further behind in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape."
BusinessTech also reported that three universities saw improvements in their rankings: the University of Pretoria, North-West University, and the University of South Africa (Unisa) all climbed the list.
Here are South Africa's top 12 universities according to CWUR:
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Image: Facebook/ Conny Kebbel