Best Universities in South Africa

Best Universities in South Africa: Planning to study in universities of South Africa? Here is a list of top five universities in South Africa for international students. Check out the article which will help you choice between the best university in South Africa. 

Want to study in South Africa but are not sure of the university? Here is a curated list of the best universities in South Africa for international students to help them choose between the best options for study. There is everything you would want to know about studying at universities in South Africa. 

Why Study in South Africa?

South Africa is a beautiful country with scenic beauty apart from this, it is home to five universities that make it to the global rankings. Reasons why you should consider studying at the universities of South Africa are as follows:

• Studying in universities in South Africa is cheaper than studying in any of the other countries like the USA, UK, Canada or Australia.
• International students' living costs in South Africa can range between R15 000 - R20 000 per month.
• Degree programs at universities in South Africa are offered in English, thus, international students will not have language issues. 
• Studying at South African universities can be an exhilarating experience with 11 official languages and a rich culture to witness. 
• After graduating from South African universities, international students can go for jobs in sectors of shortage like - advanced ICT, engineering, healthcare, languages and others.  

Top 5 Universities in South Africa

Students deciding on studying in universities of South Africa can check out about the top five universities in South Africa. Let us begin by understanding the rankings of the top universities in South Africa globally:

Top Universities in South Africa	QS - World University Rankings 2024	THE - World University Rankings 2024
University of Cape Town	#173	#167
University of Witwatersrand	#264	301-350
Stellenbosch University	#283	301-350
University of Johannesburg	#306	401-500
University of Pretoria	#323	501-600

Best Universities in South Africa

Let us discuss in detail the best universities in South Africa and why international students should consider studying there. 

University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is South Africa’s oldest university. It is also one of the top-ranking universities in South Africa. From around 100 countries, international students make up 20% of the student force at UCT. 

UCT offers over 200 courses across all levels of study across six areas - Commerce, Law, Science, Health Science, Humanities and Engineering. 

On average, here’s the cost of attendance for UCT:

• Based on the discipline, the following are tuition costs incurred by international students: 
• Commerce:.R66 140 to R99,350
• Engineering & Built Environment: R68 770 - R84,040
• Health Sciences: R75 820 - R102 470
• Humanities: R53,600 - R99,300
• Law: R72 570 (undergrad) | R72 020 (graduate)
• Science: R78 500  
• On-campus housing costs: R39 400 – R114 600 per year
• The application fee for applying at UCT is around R300.

Overall, there are placement options after graduating from UCT, which is an added advantage for international students. 

University of Witwatersrand

Ranking among the 1% of 25,000 other universities globally, the University of Witwatersrand (or University of Wits) is one of the top universities in South Africa’s Johannesburg. Home to four Nobel Prize winners, the University of Wits is the next-best university in South Africa for international students. 

Wits University has 5 faculties of - Sciences, Commerce, Law, Management, Engineering, Health Sciences and Humanities with 33 schools offering over 3,000 courses. 

Here’s how much an international student would ideally spend if they wish to study at the University of Wits:

• International students will have to pay R6 970 for all kinds of course applications.
• For undergraduate courses around R57 800 – R78 220 is charged.
• For postgraduate courses, fees will be charged based on credits, which varies with each course offered at the University of Wits.
• There are additional living costs and miscellaneous costs apart from tuition fees. 

With over 200,000+ alumni, the University of Witwatersrand has a prominent name in South Africa. 

Stellenbosch University

One of South Africa’s top three research universities, Stellenbosch University (SU) is one of the top 300 universities globally. SU has an academic community of 32,500+ students, including 3,700+ international students from over 104 countries. In terms of faculty, SU has 4, 658 permanent faculty members, including 1 393 academicians.

​There are 10 faculties at SU namely:

• AgriSciences
• Arts and Social Sciences
• Economic and Management Sciences
• Education
• Engineering
• Law
• Medicine and Health Sciences
• Military Science
• Science
• Theology

Apart from these, there are the School of Climate Studies, the School for Data Science & Computational Thinking and the Stellenbosch Business School.

For those applying to Stellenbosch University, will have to pay and application fee of R850 apart from B-school applicants who will have to pay R1,050. There will be additional costs to study at Stellenbosch University, apart from the tuition and application fee.

University of Johannesburg

University of Johannesburg is one of the largest universities in South Africa and the city of Johannesburg. Ranked among the top 500 universities globally, University of Johannesburg is 

The University of Johannesburg has seven faculties and a college namely: 

• Education
• Law
• Humanities
• Art
• Design and Architecture
• Health Sciences
• Science
• Engineering and the Built Environment
• College of Business and Economics
• Johannesburg Business School

The University has four campuses - Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus; the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus; the Doornfontein Campus; and the Soweto Campus. Together these campuses can accommodate over 50,000 students, out of which around 3,000 are international students. 

In order to study at the University of Johannesburg, international students will have to spend around R78,000 including living costs for undergraduate courses and around R45,000 for postgraduate courses. 

University of Pretoria

Ranking in the 1.9% of the universities globally, the University of Pretoria is one of the top rankers in Africa. The University of Pretoria has a student community of over 30,000 students and 15% are international students. Various courses are offered at the university which are for international students as well. Here are a few details about the university who are planning to study here. 

The following faculties presently take up classes at the University of Pretoria:

• Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• Faculty of Theology and Religion
• Faculty of Veterinary Science

Students planning to study here, can get accommodation options and the fee for studying here is comparatively lower than other universities in South Africa irrespective of being in the top rankings. So this university is also a good option for students.

By now, hopefully students would have been able to make up their minds and will choose the best possible university in South Africa for themselves. For more help related to admissions, sign up fore free Shiksha Abroad Counselling and request a call back from out expert counsellors. You can also get in touch with us in the comments below.