The universities of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and Johannesburg (UJ) are among the top 2 000 universities that made the cut in this year’s Center World University Rankings (CWUR).
This year, Wits was ranked second in South Africa and 275th internationally while UJ was seventh nationally and 706th in the world. In total, 13 South African universities attained a spot on the final league table where 20 000 higher education institutions were evaluated.
CWUR is a leading consulting organisation providing policy advice, strategic insights, and consulting services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes. The organisation grades universities on seven factors to compile their annual list of the world’s top universities.
These include the quality of education, quality of academic faculty staff, alumni employment, and overall research performance. They believe that they are known objectivity, transparency, and consistency and are trusted by students, academics, university administrators, and governments from around the world.
The University of Cape Town was ranked as the top university in the country and 268th globally. Stellenbosch University (third nationally and 429th globally), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (fourth nationally and 429th globally) and University of Pretoria (fifth nationally and 578th globally wrapped up the top five South African universities.
UJ has been able to gradually climb nearly 250 places over just three years to its current global ranking of 706. This year they improved from last year’s standing by 55 places. Vice-chancellor and principal of UJ, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala said, “We are thrilled with this global endorsement that recognises our endeavours towards global excellence and stature, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The rankings also reaffirm our stature as an international university of choice, anchored in Africa and dynamically shaping the future.” Globally, the top five universities rankings haven’t changed from last year’s list. Harvard University in the United States of America was ranked as the best university on earth for the ninth year in a row.
American universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University round up the top the three while the United Kingdom’s University of Cambridge and University of Oxford came fourth and fifth respectively. The University of Johannesburg’s vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala has celebrated the university’s inclusion in the top 2 000 universities globally in this year’s rankings.
