The ranking of the best universities according to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data shows that the best Universities in Africa span 10 countries, from Uganda in the east to Nigeria in the west, Morocco in the North to South Africa at the southernmost tip of the continent (Timeshighereducation). The ranking rates university performance on the basis of 13 different indicators that range from teaching, research, research impact, innovation, and international outlook to mention a few.
Some key facts about the ranking
- The Times Higher Education 2020 Ranking sampled almost 1400 universities across 92 countries, standing as the largest and most diverse university rankings ever to date
- According to the Times Higher Education ranking, Egypt has 20, South Africa 10, Algeria 8, Nigeria 4, Tunisia 2 and Kenya with one university.
- Most of the top ten Universities in Africa are from South Africa
According to the ranking, most of the top schools in the region can be found in South Africa, as only two South African Universities feature in the top 200 of the worldwide rankings, namely University of Cape Town which is ranked as the 136th University, and the University of Witwatersrand which is ranked as the 194th University.
Egyptian Universities dominates the list with 20 universities, seconded by Southern African Universities with 10. Similarly, in the top ten rankings of the best University in Africa, South African University dominates the list with five South African Universities appearing on the list.
In the top 500 of the global ranking of Universities, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa all have Universities in that list. Here are the top ten Universities in Africa and their world ranking.
University Country Africa Ranking World ranking
University of Cape Town South Africa 1 136
University of the Witwatersrand South Africa 2 194
Stellenbosch University South Africa 3 251
Aswan University Egypt 4 400
Covenant University Nigeria 5 400
University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa 6 400
Mansoura University Egypt 7 500
University of Ibadan Nigeria 8 500
North-West University South Africa 9 600
Suez Canal University Egypt 10 600
