UCT remains Africa’s leading university in QS rankings

Dear colleagues and students

I am delighted to share that the University of Cape Town (UCT) has once again been ranked the leading university in Africa in the latest QS World University Rankings 2027, released on 18 June 2026.

UCT has been ranked 184th globally, the highest-ranked university on the African continent. Our overall ranking has declined from 150th in 2026 to 184th in the latest 2027 rankings. We have also maintained our position in the top 200 globally for the fourth successive year (2024-2027), having fallen outside this range for the preceding three years (2021-2023).

This achievement places UCT among the world's top 2%, out of 8 808 universities evaluated, and reflects the dedication, excellence and resilience of our staff and students. Our continued leadership in Africa demonstrates the enduring strength of UCT's academic project and our contribution to scholarship, research, innovation and societal impact.

The global higher education landscape is becoming more competitive each year. Universities in Asia, Europe and the Middle East continue to invest heavily in research capacity, internationalisation and student success. Maintaining and improving our position will require deliberate effort, strategic investment and continued excellence across all areas of our work.

Indicators within the QS methodology reflect UCT’s strong standing as a globally respected institution. UCT improved on two indicators: employment outcomes and academic reputation.

Employment outcomes

We improved our position to 40th globally (from 49th), reflecting strong graduate success in the labour market. This indicator assesses an institution’s success in enhancing graduate employability while nurturing future leaders who make meaningful contributions within their fields.

Academic reputation

UCT achieved a global ranking of 179th, up by four places year-on-year. This reflects continued recognition by international academics; and underscores the quality and impact of our teaching, research and scholarship across disciplines.

The university also ranked in the top 50 in the international research network indicator, and in the top 100 in the sustainability indicator.

We recorded marginal shifts in sustainability performance, international research network and international students.

Sustainability performance

On this indicator, we ranked joint 59th globally in 2027, from 45th in 2026. This placed the institution among globally recognised institutions in this area, although we note the continuous need to reinforce efforts addressing societal and environmental challenges through research, teaching and institutional practice.

International research network

UCT ranked 31st globally. While this represents a slight decline from 24th in the previous year, it still reflects the depth and reach of UCT’s international research partnerships and continued strong global collaboration.

As important as it is to celebrate our strengths above, it is equally important to acknowledge areas requiring focused attention. In the main, there are three areas we can address both tactically and strategically, citations per faculty, employer reputation and international faculty.

Citations per faculty

This metric, which accounts for 20%, measures the average number of citations received per faculty member and serves as an indicator of the impact and quality of a university’s research output. The indicator uses citation data from Scopus. While being ranked 296th globally for citations per faculty reflects continued research impact in a highly competitive global environment, there has been a decline from 176th in the previous year.

Employer reputation

UCT is ranked 227th globally in this metric, which accounts for 15%, indicating a shift in employer perceptions. This largely appears to be attributable to the fact that there has been a smaller pool of responses from employers to the survey put out by QS. Additionally, the international geographic spread was not wide enough.

International faculty

While UCT continues to attract staff from across the world – affirming our position as a globally connected African university and reinforcing the value of internationalisation to our academic mission – we were ranked 439th ranking on this indicator. This metric accounts for 5%.

International students

We declined from 615th to 646th in this metric, which also accounts for 5%. This indicator represents the percentage of a university’s student population that comes from outside the host country. It serves as an indicator of the institution’s global appeal and reflects the cultural diversity of its campus community, enriching the educational experience for all students.

Overall performance context

While rankings do not define who we are, they do provide useful external benchmarks of our performance. UCT’s continued position as Africa’s leading university reflects the collective efforts of our community and our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research, innovation and social responsiveness.

We should take pride in this achievement while recognising that there is always room to do better. Our strategic focus remains clear: strengthening academic excellence, expanding research impact, enhancing graduate success, deepening international partnerships and ensuring that UCT continues to serve South Africa, Africa and the world.

I would like to thank every member of the UCT community for their contribution to this achievement. Together, we continue to demonstrate what is possible when an African university pursues excellence with purpose.

Sincerely

Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor

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Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements

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