Academic Index Last updated: May 09, 2026

24 Best Universities in South Africa for Engineering

If you are looking to study Engineering in South Africa, our index highlights the top 24 domain-leading institutions. To determine these leaders, we isolated 257.5K specialized research publications which collectively generated 5.9M citations. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Mankweng

University of Limpopo

For Engineering

#110 in Africa #2729 in the World

45% Acceptance

48,174 Enrollment

1959 Founded

2

Durban

University of KwaZulu-Natal

For Engineering

#7 in Africa #579 in the World

63% Acceptance

48,174 Enrollment

2004 Founded

3

Cape Town

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

For Engineering

#69 in Africa #2071 in the World

91% Acceptance

35,047 Enrollment

2005 Founded

4

Stellenbosch

University of Stellenbosch

For Engineering

#4 in Africa #537 in the World

56% Acceptance

24,754 Enrollment

1918 Founded

5

Durban

Durban University of Technology

For Engineering

#59 in Africa #1882 in the World

75% Acceptance

49,910 Enrollment

2002 Founded

6

Pretoria

University of Pretoria

For Engineering

#5 in Africa #542 in the World

52% Acceptance

48,174 Enrollment

1908 Founded

7

Durban

Mangosuthu University of Technology

For Engineering

#216 in Africa #4438 in the World

73% Acceptance

35,047 Enrollment

1979 Founded

8

Pretoria

Tshwane University of Technology

For Engineering

#31 in Africa #1366 in the World

89% Acceptance

49,910 Enrollment

2003 Founded

9

Johannesburg

University of the Witwatersrand

For Engineering

#3 in Africa #517 in the World

34% Acceptance

48,174 Enrollment

1922 Founded

10

Pretoria

Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

For Engineering

#201 in Africa #4171 in the World

74% Acceptance

5,000 Enrollment

2014 Founded

11

Port Elizabeth

Nelson Mandela University

For Engineering

#62 in Africa #1942 in the World

57% Acceptance

8,200 Enrollment

2005 Founded

12

Cape Town

University of Cape Town

For Engineering

#2 in Africa #462 in the World

51% Acceptance

24,754 Enrollment

1874 Founded

13

Vanderbijlpark

Vaal University of Technology

For Engineering

#116 in Africa #2820 in the World

90% Acceptance

49,910 Enrollment

1966 Founded

14

Makhanda

Rhodes University

For Engineering

#32 in Africa #1426 in the World

61% Acceptance

8,200 Enrollment

1904 Founded

15

Kwadlangezwa

University of Zululand

For Engineering

#115 in Africa #2810 in the World

45% Acceptance

37,000 Enrollment

1960 Founded

16

Bellville

University of the Western Cape

For Engineering

#41 in Africa #1573 in the World

60% Acceptance

24,754 Enrollment

1959 Founded

17

Bloemfontein

Central University of Technology

For Engineering

#124 in Africa #2943 in the World

64% Acceptance

49,910 Enrollment

1981 Founded

18

Bloemfontein

University of the Free State

For Engineering

#25 in Africa #1221 in the World

25% Acceptance

37,000 Enrollment

1904 Founded

19

Mthatha

Walter Sisulu University

For Engineering

#184 in Africa #3971 in the World

67% Acceptance

24,754 Enrollment

2005 Founded

20

Potchefstroom

North-West University

For Engineering

#16 in Africa #1004 in the World

83% Acceptance

37,000 Enrollment

2004 Founded

21

Thohoyandou

University of Venda

For Engineering

#137 in Africa #3108 in the World

72% Acceptance

48,174 Enrollment

1982 Founded

22

Pretoria

University of South Africa

For Engineering

#19 in Africa #1094 in the World

61% Acceptance

420,000 Enrollment

1873 Founded

23

Alice

University of Fort Hare

For Engineering

#86 in Africa #2266 in the World

64% Acceptance

11,074 Enrollment

1916 Founded

24

Johannesburg

University of Johannesburg

For Engineering

#10 in Africa #668 in the World

58% Acceptance

49,910 Enrollment

2005 Founded