South African universities dominate Africa’s 2025 rankings
South African universities have emerged as the highest-ranked institutions on the continent in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.
The rankings, which evaluated more than 1,700 universities globally across 55 subjects, reaffirm the country’s strong academic standing. While elite universities from the United States and the United Kingdom continue to dominate the top spots, South Africa's institutions stood out among African universities.
A total of 12 South African universities were ranked across 176 subjects—the highest representation of any African nation. The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) achieved the highest individual subject ranking among African universities, securing 11th place globally in mineral and mining engineering, according to University World News. Meanwhile, the University of Cape Town (UCT) maintained its position as Africa’s top-ranked institution overall.
Egypt followed as the second-best performing African country, with 15 universities securing 162 entries in the rankings, while Nigeria ranked third. In total, the continent’s best universities span 19 countries, from Uganda in the east to Nigeria in the west, Morocco in the north, and South Africa in the south, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025.
Several African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda, had universities that placed in the top 1,000 globally.
Top 7 Universities in Africa for 2025 according to the Times Higher Education World Universities Ranking 2025:
- University of Cape Town (South Africa)
- Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
- University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)
- University of Johannesburg (South Africa)
- Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) (Egypt)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
Source: globalsouthworld
