South African universities lead 2027 THE World University Rankings for Africa

South Africa has secured six of the top ten positions in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for Africa. The University of Cape Town holds the top spot on the continent, ranking 147th globally.

Other leading South African institutions include the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, the University of Johannesburg, the University of Pretoria, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Morocco is represented by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, while Egypt features the American University in Cairo and Al-Azhar University.

The 2027 edition is the largest in the history of the rankings, evaluating 2,297 universities across 118 countries. The methodology assesses various indicators, including teaching, research, scientific output quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.