The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was positioned 378 in the latest 2021 US News and World Report’s Best Global Universities Rankings.
Nationally, UJ retained the fifth position among the 13 South African universities that were ranked, six of which were ranked in the global top 500. The rankings encompass the world’s top 1 500 universities spread across 86 countries, up from 81 countries last year. For these overall global rankings, US News and World Report use a methodology that focuses on factors that measure research performance only, based on 13 indicators which include those that measure a university’s global and regional reputation and academic research performance using bibliometrics (use of statistical methods) such as citations, publications, and international research collaboration.
In addition to the overall global rankings, the seventh annual Best Global Universities Rankings also include an examination of the leaders in key academic subject areas with the publication of their corresponding subject rankings. US News and World Report use a separate methodology to publish the top global universities in 38 subject areas, with 10 new subject rankings introduced and published in this year’s 2021 edition, adding to the 28 subject rankings previously published in earlier editions. The subject-specific rankings, like the overall global rankings, are also based purely on academic research performance in those subjects.
UJ has been ranked in seven of these subject rankings in this year’s 2021 edition, up from the six subjects in which UJ placed last year, making its debut in the environment/ecology subject ranking, at position 463 worldwide.
Most notably, UJ is ranked first in the country and on the continent for chemistry, up from second position last year and climbed a substantial 87 places into the global top 300 at position 280 this year, from 367 last year. Significantly, UJ is ranked second in South Africa for geosciences (up from third place last year) and engineering, ranked globally at positions 222 (up 12 places from 234 last year) and 392 (entering the global top 400 this year, up 12 places from 404 last year).
UJ’s physics retains its rank in the top 300 in the world at position 289 and third in South Africa and on the African continent. UJ also maintained its global top 300 status for the social sciences and public health subject, climbing nine places this year to 287 worldwide from 296 last year, and is ranked fifth nationally. UJ also placed 424 globally this year for the plant and animal science subject.
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