SA universities rank as best in Africa

12 August 2015 News

South African institutions dominate the top 15 ranked universities on the continent, with the University of Cape Town edging out the University of the Witwatersrand for first place.

The ranking was formulated using Elsevier’s Scopus database, and focus on research output – specifically in terms of how often research papers are referred to and cited by other academics across the globe. Overall, South African institutions make up more than half the list with eight universities featured, while a lone Ugandan institution – Makerere University – breaks SA’s stranglehold on the top five spots.

According to THE rankings editor, Phil Baty, these African rankings still have considerable room for refinement. “This is an experimental and preliminary ranking based solely on research, and only on one aspect of research – how many times research papers are cited by other academics,” he said. “When we develop a full Africa University Ranking, we expect to add many more indicators, examining things like a university’s economic contribution, its civic engagement and, of course, its teaching.”

The top 15 snapshot was calculated using the ratio of the citations received by an institution’s publication output between 2009 and 2013 and the total citations that would be expected based on the average of the subject field. To be included in the table, an institution must have published a minimum of 500 research papers in the five-year period assessed, with at least 50 papers per year.

THE’s Africa Universities Summit will look at topics including higher education funding in the continent and preventing brain drain. Speakers will include Mabel Imbuga, vice-chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology; Rwekaza Mukandala, vice-chancellor of the University of Dar-es-Salaam; and Cheryl de la Rey, vice-chancellor of the University of Pretoria and vice-chair of the US-based Talloires Network, an international association of universities committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education.

For more information visit www.timeshighereducation.co.uk

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