Webometrics has published its mid-year update for the 2024 global university rankings, and the University of Pretoria (UP) has solidified its standing as a global leader in tertiary education. UP has climbed to 3rd place in both Africa and South Africa (jointly with Stellenbosch University) and improved its global position from 447th in February 2024 to 431st out of more than 12 000 ranked universities. Despite tying for 3rd place, UP’s improvement was more significant than that of SU and this achievement highlights UP’s continued commitment to excellence and its growing impact on the global academic stage.

Ranking Web, or Webometrics, was established in 2004 and is recognised as the largest academic ranking of higher education institutions (HEIs). It conducts an independent, objective and open scientific assessment every six months, offering free access to reliable, multidimensional, and up-to-date information on universities’ performance globally. The primary goal of this ranking is to promote open access to knowledge produced by universities. Unlike other rankings, Webometrics evaluates not only the universities’ websites but also considers webometric (all missions) and bibliometric (research mission) indicators. A key distinction of Webometrics is its ability to rank a large number of HEIs thanks to its comprehensive methodology and data collection process.

UP excelled in three key indicators: Visibility, Transparency/Openness, and Excellence. Visibility, which contributes 50% to the ranking, measures the number of external networks linking to the institution’s web pages. Transparency/Openness, accounting for 10%, evaluates the number of citations from the top 310 authors, excluding outliers. Excellence, with a significant 40% weight, assesses the number of papers among the top 10% most cited across 27 disciplines over the past five years (2018–2022). UP significantly improved its Visibility ranking, moving up to 548th globally (from 659th in February). In Transparency/Openness, it ranks 505th, and in Excellence, it is placed 518th. Regionally, UP is ranked 2nd in Africa and South Africa for Impact, 4th for Transparency, and 5th for Excellence.

“What makes this accomplishment truly special is that it’s not just about the numbers – it’s a reflection of the vibrant research culture we’ve built collectively at UP. This success is a result of the collective commitment, hard work and dedication of our administrators, researchers, faculty and students who are passionate about making a difference through their work. This milestone reminds us of the importance of staying committed to our research goals and continuing to make an impact in the world. At UP, we believe in the transformative power of research, and this ranking reaffirms our standing as a research-intensive institution dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and contributing meaningfully to global scholarship,” said Professor Sunil Maharaj, UP Vice-Principal for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education.