Best universities in South Africa to study engineering and computer science

The University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch University are the best tertiary institutions to study computer science, engineering, and technology in South Africa.
That is based on a comparative analysis of the rankings of several of South Africa’s biggest universities performed by MyBroadband.
For our analysis, we looked at the scores of South African universities on the following reputed educational institution ranking systems:
- Times Higher Education Engineering (THE-E)
- Times Higher Education Computer Science (THE – CS)
- SCIMAGO Engineering (SCIMAGO – E)
- SCIMAGO Computer Science (SCIMAGO – CS)
- University Ranking by Academic Performance Engineering (URAP – E)
- University Ranking by Academic Performance Technology (URAP – T)
To be included in the comparison, a university had to be represented in at least one of the disciplines — engineering, computer science, or technology — on each ranking system.
Several institutions were not included because they did not meet this criterion.
The universities not listed include the North-West University, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Fort Hare, University of the Free State, and the Durban University of Technology.
To determine which university had ranked highest, we calculated an overall score based on the ranking or score it received in the ranking systems. All the rankings were weighted equally.
With the latest updates to the rankings, the University of Pretoria (UP) edged out Stellenbosch University (SU) with an average score of 88.35 compared to 87.62.
In our last comparison in February, SU managed a score of 92, and UP achieved 91.
They were followed by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Johannesburg, and the University of Cape Town, each with a score of around 77.
Rounding off the rankings were the University of Witwatersrand with 71.92 points, Tshwane University of Technology with 69.47, and trailing far behind was UNISA with 61.48.
Neither the URAP rankings nor the Times Higher Education Computer Science included North-West University.
Had its other three scores been averaged, it would have ranked third with 78.39 points.
The table below shows the top universities to study computer science, engineering, and technology in South Africa and their rankings and scores on the various systems.
University Ratings – Computer Science, Engineering, and Technology |
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University | THE-E |
THE-CS | SCIMAGO – E | SCIMAGO – CS | URAP – E | URAP – T | Overall Score |
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University of Pretoria (UP) | #601-800 | #501-600 | #446 | #531 | 299.05 | 257.39 | 88.35 | ||
Stellenbosch University (SU) | #401-500 | #401-500 | #495 | #582 | 272.78 | 201.12 | 87.62 | ||
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) | #601-800 | #601-800 | #515 | #632 | 266.60 | 187.59 | 77.68 | ||
University of Johannesburg (UJ) | #401-500 | #601-800 | #467 | #615 | 245.66 | 153.13 | 77.54 | ||
University of Cape Town (UCT) | #601-800 | #501-600 | #485 | #589 | 162.08 | 252.81 | 77.44 | ||
University of Witwatersrand (Wits) | #601-800 | #601-800 | #511 | #661 | 156.29 | 244.12 | 71.92 | ||
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) | #301-400 | #801+ | #587 | #721 | N/A | 122.70 | 69.47 | ||
University of South Africa (UNISA) | N/A | #801+ | #551 | #715 | N/A | 104.72 | 61.48 |