Hierarchical lists that rank universities are regularly published by, the: popular press. Intended originally as a marketing. Or a benchmarking tool, "university rankings have become apart of many countries research evaluation." And policy initiatives. These different tables (see below) attemptββto fulfill a demand for information and "transparency." However, "rankings influence evaluation choices and distort higher education policies." List producers allow well remunerated vice-chancellorsββto claim a top spot for their university in an educational league. These ranking, theββpublishers claim, are determined by quantitative indicators. Published research suggests otherwise, rankings are re-shaping public education and harming the "academic project." According to an Independent Expert Group (IEG), convened by the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Global university rankings are
- conceptually invalid
- based on flawed and insufficiently transparent data and methods
- biased towards research, STEM subjects. And English-speaking scholars
- are colonial and accentuate global, regional, and national inequalities.
Rankings of universities in South Africa are used to influence how students, parents, policymakers, employers, the wider public and other stakeholders think about higher education.These local league tables are based on international university rankings since there are no South African rankings yet. This absence might be, attributed to international criticism of college and university rankings. Its generally agreed that rankings apply questionable criteria and an opaque methodology. The Council for Higher Education (CHE) has recently taken a critical perspective on university rankings, publishing an opinion that argues that rankings are both neocolonial and neoliberal. According to the author, more than 47 publishing companies have used βinappropriate indicators β¦as a proxy for offering quality educationβ.
Higher Education is: being re-shaped by private for-profit companies and are part of a billion-dollar profit center for the companies owning them. Ranking companies prey on universities and governments in the global south, and their anxieties to be seen as a βworld classβ university. This has led to number of gaming behaviors in the sector. This is a global problem, and it seems that Higher Education priorities are misplaced, with marketing and communications officials focused on branding their institutions, looking appealing to prospective students, by referring repeatedly to rankings, instead of focusing on the needs of actual students. Since 2013, Rhodes University has held this critical position about rankings Rhodes position was given credence by Wits University, when Wits recently re-published an article in βThe Conversationβentitled β University rankings are unscientific and bad for education: experts point out the flawsβ. This stance is increasingly supported by notable institutions beyond North America, such as the University of Zurich, Utrecht University, and some of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Recently Nature concurred with this opinion that rankings are methodologically problematic.
Notwithstanding the above information, the numerous international university rankings do seem to agree that South Africa's university system is the strongest on the continent: it is home to 8 of the top 10 highest ranked African universities, they just canβt seem to come to a consensus as to which of the big five are academically, after University of Cape Town , also sit at the top of the league tables. The race for second place, takes place between Stellenbosch University, University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg and University of Kwa Zulu Natal as they each vie for the next highest position, with no consensus on who is ranked below the first position, in the Olympic rankings race.
Context on South African higher educational institutionsβ»
A 2010 Centre for Higher Education Transformation report identified three university clusters in South Africa, grouped according to function. The input variables used to group universities were:
- Percentage of headcount enrolment in science, engineering and technology
- Masters and doctoral enrolments
- Student-to-staff ratios
- Permanent staff with doctoral degrees
- Private and government income
- Student fee income
The output variables were:
- Student success rates
- Graduation rates
- Weighted research output units per permanent staff member
The Red cluster constitutes the top research-intensive universities. The Blue cluster consists of institutions focused primarily on technical training, while the Green cluster includes institutions which show characteristics of both missions. The clusters are:
South African University Clusters | ||
---|---|---|
Red Cluster | Green Cluster | Blue Cluster |
Top Research-Intensive Universities | Technical Training | Research-Intensive Universities & Technical Training |
University of the Witwatersrand | University of the Free State | Vaal University of Technology |
Stellenbosch University | University of KwaZulu-Natal | Central University of Technology |
University of Cape Town | North-West University | Durban University of Technology |
University of Pretoria | University of Fort Hare | Mangosuthu University of Technology |
Rhodes University | University of Limpopo | Tshwane University of Technology |
University of the Western Cape | Cape Peninsula University of Technology | |
University of Johannesburg | University of Venda | |
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | Walter Sisulu University | |
University of Zululand |
Rankingsβ»
In part because of the inherent difficulty of ranking complex educational institutions, there are an expanding number of competing international university ranking schemes, each with a different emphasis. Four of the most prominent are the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (most widely accepted), The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), QS World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, sometimes referred to as the "Shanghai Rankings").
Times Higher Education World University rankingsβ»
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the top South African universities as follows:
Times Higher Education 2011 to 2024 South Africa Rank | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SA Rank | University | World Rank | |||||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | ||
1 | University of Cape Town | 167 | 160 | 183 | 155 | 136 | 136 | 171 | 148 | 120 | 124 | 126 | 126 | 103 | 107 |
=2 | Stellenbosch University | 301β350 | 251β300 | 251β300 | 251β300 | 251β300 | 251β300 | 351β400 | 401-500 | 301-350 | 276-300 | 301-350 | 301-350 | 251-275 | - |
=2 | University of the Witwatersrand | 301β350 | 251β300 | 251β300 | 201β250 | 194 | 194 | 251β300 | 182 | 201-250 | 251-275 | 226-250 | 226-250 | 251-275 | - |
4 | University of Johannesburg | 401β500 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601-800 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=5 | University of KwaZulu-Natal | 501β600 | 401β500 | 351β400 | 351β400 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 501-600 | 401-500 | - | - | - | - | - |
=5 | University of Pretoria | 501β600 | 801β1000 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601-800 | 501-600 | - | - | - | - | - |
=7 | North-West University | 601β800 | 601β800 | 501β600 | 501β600 | 501β600 | 501β600 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=7 | University of the Western Cape | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601β800 | 601-800 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=9 | University of the Free State | 801β1000 | 801β1000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=9 | Rhodes University | - | 801β1000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=11 | Durban University of Technology | 1001β1200 | 501β600 | 401β500 | 401β500 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=11 | University of South Africa | 1001β1200 | 1001β1200 | 801β1000 | 1001+ | 1001+ | 1001+ | 801β1000 | 801+ | 601-800 | - | - | - | - | - |
=13 | University of Venda | 1201β1500 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=13 | Tshwane University of Technology | 1201β1500 | - | 1001β1200 | 1001+ | 801β1000 | 801β1000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=13 | University of Venda | 1201β1500 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
=13 | University of Fort Hare | - | 1201β1500 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
QS World University rankingsβ»
QS World University Rankings ranked the top South African universities as follows (before 2010 the ranking was known as the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings):
QS World University 2006 to 2024 South Africa Rank | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SA Rank | University | World Rank | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||
1 | University of Cape Town | 173 | 237 | 226 | 220 | 198 | 200 | 191 | 191 | 171 | 141 | 145 | 154 | 161 | 146 | 176 | 200 | 257 |
2 | University of Witwatersrand | 264 | 428 | 424 | 403 | 400 | 381 | 364 | 359 | 331 | 318 | 313 | 363 | 360 | 321 | 319 | 282 | 322 |
3 | Stellenbosch University | 283 | 454 | 482 | 456 | 427 | 405 | 361 | 395 | 401-410 | 390 | 387 | 401- 450 | - | - | - | - | - |
4 | University of Johannesburg | 306 | 412 | 434 | 439 | 501-510 | 551-560 | 601-650 | 601-650 | 601-650 | 601-650 | 601-650 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
5 | University of Pretoria | 323 | 591-600 | 601-650 | 561-570 | 551-560 | 561-570 | 501-550 | 551-600 | 501-550 | 471-480 | 471-480 | 501-550 | 451β500 | 401β500 | 501β600 | 469 | 509 |
6 | University of Kwazulu-Natal | 621-630 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 751-800 | 701-750 | 651-700 | 551-600 | 501-550 | 501-550 | 551-600 | 501β550 | 501β600 | 401β500 | 487 | 484 |
7 | North-West University | 801-850 | 1001-1200 | 1001-1200 | 1001+ | 1001+ | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 701+ | 701+ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
8 | University of South Africa | 851-900 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
9 | Rhodes University | 901-950 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 701-750 | 551-600 | 501-550 | 601-650 | 551-600 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
10 | University of the Western Cape | 951-1000 | 1001-1200 | 1001-1200 | 1001+ | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 801-1000 | 701+ | 701+ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
11 | University of the Free State | 1001-1200 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ARWU/Shanghaiβ»
The Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked the top South African universities as follows:
SA rank | University | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | University of Cape Town | 201-300 | 201-300 | 301-400 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201β300 | 201β300 | 201β300 | 201β300 | 201β302 | 201β302 | 203β304 | 201β300 | 203β300 | 202β301 | 251β300 |
2 | University of the Witwatersrand | 201-300 | 301-400 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201β300 | 301β400 | 301β400 | 301β400 | 303β401 | 303β401 | 305β402 | 301β400 | 301β400 | 302β403 | 451β500 |
3 | Stellenbosch University | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 402β501 | 402β503 | 403β510 | 401β500 | 401β500 | 404β502 | 451β500 |
4 | University of KwaZulu-Natal | 401-500 | β | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401-500 | 401β500 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
5 | University of Pretoria | 401-500 | 401-500 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
6 | University of Johannesburg | β | β | 401-500 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
Note: These are the only ranked South African universities.
Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)β»
The CWUR ranked the top South African Universities as follows:
2018-19 SA Rank | University | 2018-19 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | University of Cape Town | 223 | 248 |
2 | University of the Witwatersrand | 230 | 149 |
3 | University of KwaZulu-Natal | 402 | 401 |
4 | University of Pretoria | 438 | 678 |
5 | Stellenbosch University | 448 | 500 |
6 | University of Johannesburg | 790 | - |
7 | North-West University | 964 | - |
International Rankings for Additional Contextβ»
University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP)β»
URAP, which is a newer ranking scheme based solely on quantitative measures of academic productivity, includes data for a larger number of global universities, and thus gives an alternative view of the relative standing of more South African institutions. The 2020-2021 edition of URAP ranked the top South African Universities as follows:
SA Rank | World Rank | University |
---|---|---|
1 | 237 | University of Cape Town |
2 | 335 | University of the Witwatersrand |
3 | 362 | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
4 | 388 | Stellenbosch University |
5 | 458 | University of Pretoria |
6 | 603 | University of Johannesburg |
7 | 653 | North-West University |
8 | 883 | University of the Western Cape |
9 | 937 | University of the Free State |
10 | 1007 | Rhodes University |
11 | 1086 | University of South Africa |
12 | 1379 | Tshwane University of Technology |
13 | 1420 | Durban University of Technology |
14 | 1446 | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
15 | 2131 | University of Limpopo |
16 | 2132 | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
17 | 2362 | University of Fort Hare |
18 | 2397 | University of Venda |
19 | 2591 | Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University |
20 | 2764 | University of Zululand |
21 | 2911 | Vaal University of Technology |
Business-oriented rankingsβ»
Several international ranking schemes focus on the placement of graduates in business settings.
Times Higher Education Alma Mater Indexβ»
This is another THE ranking, which aims to measure the real-world success of a university's alumni by ranking Universities according to the number of their graduates that are currently CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies. The global number one for 2017 is, by a considerable margin, Harvard University. The only African University that appears on the Global Top 100 is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2017 South African rankings are as follows:
SA Rank | World Rank | University |
---|---|---|
2 | 54 | University of the Witwatersrand |
Tredence-Emerging Global Employability University Rankingβ»
This is a global ranking of universities based on the perceived quality of their graduates by top employers worldwide. The only African university in the top 150 is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2013 ranking is as follows:
SA Rank | World Rank | University |
---|---|---|
1 | 139 | University of the Witwatersrand |
Bloomberg Billionaire Rankingβ»
This ranks universities according to their popularity among US-based billionaires. The only ranked South African university is the University of the Witwatersrand. The 2014 ranking is as follows:
SA Rank | World Rank | University |
---|---|---|
1 | 8 | University of the Witwatersrand |
Referencesβ»
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