University of Pretoria ranking

University of Pretoria is one of the top Public universities in Pretoria, South Africa. It is ranked #561-570 in QS Global World University Rankings 2026.

The University of Pretoria (UP) is ranked number one in South Africa and Africa in uniRank’s list of the top universities on the continent. uniRank is the leading international higher education directory and search engine featuring reviews and rankings of over 13 000 universities and colleges in 200 countries. UP is also ranked at 183 on the list of the top universities globally.

UP also featured in the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy’s recently released 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS), coming in first in South Africa in three subject areas and joint first in five others. UP is also ranked in the top 500 universities globally in the GRAS, which assesses over 4 000 universities globally in 54 subject areas. According to these rankings, UP is tops in South Africa in the subjects Computer Science & Engineering, Veterinary Science, and Finance. UP is tied for first place in South Africa in the subject areas Energy Science & Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Biotechnology, Economics and Law.

The GRAS subject rankings methodology is based on five research-related rankings indicators: the number of papers published in Q1 (first quartile) journals by Journal Impact Factor (JIF) during the five-year period 2014-2018, citation impact, papers in top journals and conferences, international collaboration, and academic recognitions and awards.

Over the past year, UP has been recognised on several international rankings. The University was ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in three categories of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2026, based on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The institution featured in the top 100 for Quality Education (SDG 4); Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9); and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject, the University improved its overall ranking in three of the four broad subject areas the institution was ranked in, with UP noted as the domestic leader in the fields of Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, and Veterinary Science.

The University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) was also ranked as the most gender-balanced business school in the world by the UK’s Financial Times, and once again ranked as the top South African and African business school for executive education by the Financial Times in their Executive Education 2026 Ranking.

UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe said, “These rankings are a result of the high-quality programmes UP offers, as well as a validation of the expertise of our academics. I thank our staff for their hard work in constantly improving our educational offering. We are grateful for the recognition, and will continue to work on improving in all subject areas. Excellence is a continuum. The impact of our research matters to transforming society.”

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