10 Best universities in Africa 2026

• The University of Cape Town has been ranked the best university in Africa in the 2026 Times Higher Education rankings.

• South African universities dominate the top 10, with institutions like Stellenbosch, Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Pretoria all featuring prominently.

• Morocco and Egypt also appear on the list, with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and several Egyptian universities completing the top 10.

According to the ranking, the University of Cape Town (South Africa) leads the continent as the highest-ranked university in Africa for 2026. It is followed closely by Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand, both also based in South Africa.

The ranking highlights South Africa’s continued academic strength, with five of the top seven universities coming from the country. These institutions are recognised for their strong research output, international outlook, teaching quality, and industry impact.

In fourth place is Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco, which continues to rise in global academic reputation for science, engineering, and innovation-driven research.

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Other South African universities also made the list, including the University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and University of Pretoria, reflecting the country’s dominance in higher education on the continent.

From North Africa, the American University in Cairo and Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology also feature, showcasing Egypt’s growing academic presence. Kafrelsheikh University completes the top ten.

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The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a multicultural, multinational community of around 5 000 academic and professional, administrative support and service staff, and some 29 000 students who come from over 100 countries across the globe. Offering degrees in six faculties – Commerce, Engineering & the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Humanities, Law and Science – UCT sees around 7 200 students graduate year on year.

Stellenbosch University is a premier African learning institution that is committed to meeting the challenges and discovering the solutions that influence and impacts the world around us for the better. Our vision is to be Africa’s leading research-intensive university, globally recognized as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society.

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Commonly known as “Wits”, the University of the Witwatersrand developed out of the South African School of Mines, set up in Kimberley in 1896. The institution moved to Johannesburg in 1904 and acquired full university status in 1922. From the start, it embraced a philosophy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, which led to intense conflict with the government - including police raids and the detention of both faculty and students - during the apartheid era. 

Established in 2016, Mohamed VI Polytechnic University is a not-for-profit, research focussed private university located in the city of Benguerir, Morocco. The university is part of the Green City project launched by King Mohamed VI in 2009, an urban development scheme aimed at creating a model city promoting sustainability, research, education for the country. The university has the largest supercomputer in Africa, housed in the African Supercomputing Centre, which has enabled further scientific development and innovation for the continent, as well as the Modelling, Simulation and Data Analysis (MSDA), a leading numerical simulation and data analysis lab.

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The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is an Afropolitan international university with an identity of inclusion, a university that is transforming lives and diversifying professions. A proudly South African university, rooted in the vibrant and multicultural city of Johannesburg, reflecting the city’s energy and embracing its diversity with equal passion.

The University KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, eastern South Africa, was formed in 2004 following a merger of the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal, the first institutions to merge after government legislation aimed at reducing the number of South African universities. 

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As a multi-faculty, research-intensive university, the University of Pretoria (UP) stands among the top universities in South Africa for research output and impact, and produces the highest number of graduates in South Africa annually. With campuses in Pretoria, its surrounds, and in the country’s economic hub, Johannesburg, UP is conveniently situated within close proximity to government departments, foreign missions and major research agencies.

Founded in 1919, The American University in Cairo (AUC) — Egypt's global University — is a leading English-language, American-accredited institution of higher education and center of the intellectual, social and cultural life of the Arab world. Its diverse community of students, parents, faculty and staff, trustees, alumni and other generous sponsors represents more than 60 countries.

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Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST) was established in 2009 in Alexandria, Egypt, as a project between the Egyptian and Japanese governments. The university accepted its first students a year later, in 2010. The university is supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Japanese Supporting University Consortium, however the university is run entirely by the Egyptian government. E-JUST aims to become internationally recognised for its high education standards, quality graduates and research success, as well as aiming to be one of the top 500 international universities in its first ten years.

Kafrelsheikh University is an Egyptian public university that opened in 2006. It has a student population of around 30,000 and 1,500 faculty members. The institution’s buildings had previously been a part of Tanta University. Located in the northern Egyptian town of Kafr-El-Sheikh, the university has a modern campus, with plenty of greenery. Kafrelsheikh University has 19 faculties, five of which are scientific, seven of which are health-related, with the other six dedicated to the humanities. It is also host to three research institutes: the Nano Science and Technology Institute; the Institute of Drug Discovery and Development; and the Technical Institute of Nursing. The university is currently building a new medical complex, home to the faculties of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and physical therapy.

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21#- University of Cape Coast

31# - University of Ghana

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings assess universities based on teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook, making it one of the most widely referenced global university ranking systems.