Best Universities in South Africa 2026

The top 16 universities in South Africa, ranked by QS World University Rankings — explore programs, tuition and scholarships.

1
U

University of Cape Town

South Africa · QS World #228
2
U

University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa · QS World #426
3
S

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch · South Africa · QS World #483
4
U

University of Pretoria

South Africa · QS World #647
5
R

Rhodes University

South Africa · QS World #879
6
U

University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa · QS World #953
7
U

University of the Western Cape (UWC)

South Africa · QS World #1187
8
A

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

South Africa
9
A

African Leadership University (ALU)

South Africa
10
A

Aurecon

South Africa
11
N

National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences

South Africa
12
T

The Institute for Post-School Studies (IPSS)

South Africa
13
T

Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa
14
U

University of Limpopo

South Africa
15
U

University of the Free State

South Africa
16
U

University of Venda

South Africa