The University of Cape Town has climbed back into the global top 150, giving the city another reason to celebrate its place on the international map.
A view of the Upper Campus of the University of Cape Town / Adrian Frith / Wikimedia Commons
UCT was ranked joint 147th in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, moving up from joint 164th in the previous edition. It is also the highest-ranked university in sub-Saharan Africa.
The latest rankings, released on 30 September, assess 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories. UCT’s latest position is its best result in seven years and marks its return to the global top 150 for the first time since 2020.
For Cape Town, where UCT’s campuses are woven into the city itself, the result is more than a number on an international table. It adds to the city’s reputation as a destination for students, researchers and academics from around the world.
South African universities make gains
UCT is one of five South African universities to feature in the global top 500.
The University of the Witwatersrand placed in the 301–325 band, followed by Stellenbosch University in the 326–350 band and the University of Johannesburg in the 351–375 band. The University of Pretoria was placed in the 451–500 band.
South Africa’s wider presence has also grown. The country has 17 universities in the 2027 rankings, compared with 13 in the previous edition. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the number of ranked institutions increased from 55 to 69.
UCT’s result comes as universities outside the traditional higher education powerhouses of North America and Europe continue to gain ground.
The University of Oxford retained the number one position for an 11th consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For visitors and locals alike, UCT remains one of those parts of Cape Town that can be easy to take for granted. It’s campuses sit against the slopes of Table Mountain, while thousands of students move through the city each year.
Now, the latest global rankings have put the university back among the world’s top 150.
Rankings and figures are correct at the time of publication.
Source (IOL)
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