By Levy Masiteng
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has retained its position as Africa’s leading university in the QS World University Rankings 2027, despite dropping 34 places globally.
UCT was ranked 184th in the latest rankings, published on 18 June, making it the highest-ranked university on the continent.
The institution said that although it had fallen from 150th position in the 2026 rankings, it had maintained its place among the world’s top 200 universities for a fourth consecutive year.
“This achievement places UCT among the world’s top 2%, out of 8 808 universities evaluated, and reflects the dedication, excellence and resilience of our staff and students,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela.
“Our continued leadership in Africa demonstrates the enduring strength of UCT’s academic project and our contribution to scholarship, research, innovation and societal impact.”
The university improved its academic reputation ranking to 179th globally, rising four places from the previous year. UCT said this reflected growing recognition from academics around the world for the quality and impact of its teaching and research.
UCT also said it improved in employment outcomes, rising to 40th globally from 49th in the previous rankings.
Among its other achievements, UCT said it was ranked in the global top 50 for international research networks and in the top 100 for sustainability.
The university placed 31st globally for international research collaboration and joint 59th for sustainability performance.
“While rankings do not define who we are, they do provide useful external benchmarks of our performance,” Moshabela said.
“UCT’s continued position as Africa’s leading university reflects the collective efforts of our community and our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research, innovation and social responsiveness.”
He added that the university remained focused on strengthening academic excellence, expanding research impact, enhancing graduate success and deepening international partnerships.
“We should take pride in this achievement while recognising that there is always room to do better,” Moshabela said.
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