World varsity rankings: South Africa dominates Africa’s top 10 - Punch Newspapers

South African universities dominated the upper end of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, with the University of Cape Town emerging as the continent’s highest-ranked institution at joint 147th globally. The latest rankings, released on Wednesday, placed five South African universities among the world’s top 500, while institutions from Morocco and Egypt also featured prominently in the African table. THE ranked 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories in its 2027 edition, making it the organisation’s largest ranking exercise to date. The ranking assesses universities across teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. The University of Cape Town improved from joint 164th position in the 2026 edition to joint 147th in 2027, making it the leading African university.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google The University of the Witwatersrand followed in the 301–325 band, while Stellenbosch University was ranked 326–350. The University of Johannesburg occupied the 351–375 band. Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University was next, placed in the 376–400 band, making it the highest-ranked North African institution among the universities featured in the higher African ranks. Nigeria condemns deaths of three nationals in S’Africa FG warns charcoal merchants against deforestation Support afforestation efforts, govt urges charcoal merchants The University of Pretoria was ranked 451–500, while the University of KwaZulu-Natal occupied the 501–550 band. The University of the Western Cape and Egypt’s American University in Cairo were both ranked 701–800. Nigeria’s Covenant University was among the institutions placed in the 801–1,000 band, alongside Makerere University of Uganda, North-West University of South Africa, the University of Cape Coast and University of Ghana, both in Ghana, as well as Nigeria’s University of Ibadan and University of Lagos. Highest-ranked African universities Because THE uses global rank bands after the top 300, universities within the same band are tied. University of Cape Town, South Africa — =147 University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa — 301–325 Stellenbosch University, South Africa — 326–350 University of Johannesburg, South Africa — 351–375 Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco — 376–400 University of Pretoria, South Africa — 451–500 University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa — 501–550 University of the Western Cape, South Africa — 701–800 American University in Cairo, Egypt — 701–800 Covenant University, Nigeria — 801–1,000 Other universities in the 801–1,000 band include Makerere University of Uganda, North-West University of South Africa, the University of Cape Coast and University of Ghana, both in Ghana, as well as the University of Ibadan and University of Lagos of Nigeria. Nigeria had 29 universities ranked in the 2027 THE exercise, the highest number among countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, for the Africa-wide comparison, institutions from North Africa are also included. THE said the 2027 rankings were based on 17 performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. The methodology covers research-intensive universities and draws on almost 20 million research papers, close to one million votes in an Academic Reputation Survey and institutional data from more than 3,000 universities. Tosin Oyediran Tosin Oyediran is a journalist with Punch Newspapers, bringing over eight years of newsroom experience to his coverage of politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment. Known for sharp interviews and human-centered reporting, his work focuses on public accountability, civic issues, and the stories shaping everyday lives.

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