According to the THE World University Rankings (THE WUR), which was released last week, the University is now within the 801-1000 band, down from the 601-800 in 2022. The drop is mostly because of the citations indicator, which counts 30% of the overall score and where UP’s performance declined. UP is continually working on of how to improve, not only in the number of research papers, but also in the quality and impact of the research.

In addition, the number of ranked universities also increased, from 1662 in 2022 to 1799 in 2023.

Despite this, we are pleased to see an improvement in 10 out of the 13 indicators in the 2023 ranking when compared to 2022.  The University’s overall ranking and score improved in Teaching, Research and Industry Income when compared to last year. UP is currently ranked 605 in Teaching (657 last year), 393 in Research (409 last year) and 598 in Industry Income (631 last year).

It’s important to note that the University does not chase after rankings and that the rankings should be considered holistically against the University’s strategic plan and objectives. While the University has dropped in this one ranking, we have improved or remained stable in most of the other rankings released this year, including the THE Impact Rankings, QS World University Rankings (QS WUR), QS Subject Rankings, Shanghai Rankings (ARWU), and University Rankings by Academic Performance (URAP).  

2022 THE Impact Rankings

According to the latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (2022), released in May 2022, the University of Pretoria was named South Africa’s second-best (joint second) and Africa’s third-best (joint third) university. The rankings are based on the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are designed to address the most serious and critical global challenges in the world. The SDGs offer an integrated framework to ensure that global development balances social, economic and environmental sustainability. As a result, UP moved from the 201-300 band to the 101-200 one and is among the Top 50 universities in the world in SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth (number 44) and SDG 15: Life on Land (number 30); Top 100 in SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (number 88) and SDG 17: Partnership For the Goals (number 86); and Top 200 in SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities (101-200) and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (101-200).

2022 QS Subject Rankings

The 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject ranked 1 543 institutions across 51 disciplines. UP is ranked 352 in Engineering and Technology, 337 in Life Sciences and Medicine, 323 in Social Sciences and Management and 401-450 in Arts and Humanities. The University was ranked first in South Africa in Accounting and Finance, Economics and Econometrics, Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

2023 QS World University Rankings

According to the 2023 QS WUR, released in June 2022, UP’s global ranking and individual score improved in Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation and International Faculty Indicators. As a result, UP moved up from 601-650 in 2022 to 591-600 in 2023. UP is now ranked second in SA and 190^th in the world (250 in 2022), according to the Employer Reputation indicator. The University has improved its indicators for Academic Reputation and is now ranked 4^th in SA and 359^th in the world (373 in 2022) and the International Faculty is now ranked 4^th in SA and 464^th in the world (615 in 2022).

2022 Shanghai (ARWU) Rankings

We also excelled in the 2022 Shanghai Rankings, which were published in August. The rankings are made up of the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking and the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).

ARWU, the organisation that ranks the world’s top 1000 institutions annually, ranked UP third in South Africa, fourth in Africa, and in the 401-500 band in the world. Universities are ranked by several academic or research-performance indicators, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices, and the per capita academic performance of an institution.

A summary of UP’s performance indicators compared to 2021 in South Africa looks as follows:

·         UP is joint second in highly cited researchers;

·         UP is ranked third in papers indexed in science citation index-expanded and social science citation index;

·         UP is ranked fourth in papers published in Nature and Science; and

·         UP is ranked fourth in per capita academic performance of an institution. UP’s overall score also improved in 2022 compared with 2021.

With reference to the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS), UP is ranked in 12 subject areas and is uniquely featured in three subjects in South Africa. UP improved its ranking in Mechanical Engineering to the 201-300 range in 2021; and in Ecology (151-200 in 2022 vs 201-300 in 2021). Also, UP’s score per subject improved in six subjects compared to 2021. A summary of UP’s results is as follows:

Ranked first in South Africa and Africa:

·         Veterinary Science (51-75)

·         Mechanical Engineering (151-200)

·         Finance (151-200)

·         Economics (201-300)

Ranked second in South Africa and Africa:

·         Ecology (151-200)

·         Biological Sciences (301-400)

Ranked first in South Africa:

·         Energy Science and Engineering (301-400)

Ranked second in South Africa:

·         Agricultural Sciences (301-400)

2022 URAP World University Rankings

The 2022 URAP ranking system’s focus is on academic quality. The overall score of each university is based on its performance over several indicators. The goal of the URAP ranking system is to help universities identify potential areas of progress with respect to specific academic performance indicators. UP is ranked 5^th in SA and 474^th in the world and improved its rank in numerous subjects. The subject rankings look at 79 fields of study across various faculties, and UP is ranked in 33 fields and the summary of the results are as follows:

Top 100 in the world

·         Zoology – 32 in the world (45 in 2021) and number 1 in SA

·         Veterinary Science – 65 in the world (49 in 2021) and number 1 in SA

·         Economics – 82 in the world (99 in 2021) and number 1 in SA

Top 200 in the world

·         Infectious Diseases – 131 in the world (ranked for the first time)

·         Agriculture – 134 in the world (135 in 2021)  

·         Language, Communication and Culture – 154 in the world (170 in 2021)

·         Law and Legal Studies – 199 in the world (ranked for the first time)

Top 300 in the world

·         Biological Sciences – 208 in the world (214 in 2021) and number 3 in SA

·         Dentistry – 222 in the world (ranked for the first time and is the only ranked SA university in this subject on the list)

·         Environmental Sciences – 222 in the world (208 in 2021) and number 3 in SA

·         Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services 233 in the world (325 in 2021) and number 2 in SA

Top 400 in the world

·         Environmental Engineering – 302 in the world (ranked for the first time)  

·         Energy and Fuels – 310 in the world (ranked for the first time)

·         Studies in Human Society – 329 in the world (377 in 2021)  

·         Public, Environmental and Occupational Health – 346 in the world (ranked for the first time)

·         Education – 360 in the world (ranked for the first time)

There are more than ten sets of rankings that are undertaken by various organisations with different indicators. These are conducted during different parts of the year. While rankings fluctuate, the University of Pretoria’s focus on quality teaching, learning and research is steadfast. Chasing after rankings for their own prestige has never been our objective, and we will continue raising our quality and standards in everything we do, including local and international engagements. Our partnerships and collaborations with leading universities across the world are increasing and that is making significant contributions to rising quality and standards. 

Prof Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal