​Stellenbosch University (SU) continues to hold its own in a competitive global higher education landscape. Having improved its position on the latest QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings, it continues to be regarded as one of the top 500 tertiary institutions in the world.

In the 2023 version released recently, SU is ranked at number 454, compared to last year when it was placed at 482. In terms of the QS rankings, SU occupies the fourth position in South Africa (and in Africa).

Regarded as one of the three top university ranking systems globally, the QS World University Rankings 2023 features over 1 400 universities – the biggest QS university ranking yet.

These institutions were assessed across the following six categories (or indicators) to effectively capture university performance: academic reputation (teaching and research quality); employer reputation (preparing students for successful careers/providing the most competent, innovative, and effective graduates); faculty-to-student ratio (providing students with meaningful access to lecturers and tutors); citations per faculty (number of academic citations in papers produced by a university in a five-year period); and international student ratio & international faculty ratio (the ability to attract quality students and staff from across the world).

Commenting on SU's latest achievement, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs Prof Hester Klopper said that although the University does not officially take part in the QS Rankings, it is good to hear that SU improved on its position.

“Our consistent performance on various international rankings is testimony to the institution's vision of being 'Africa's leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society'. Considering that universities on the African continent's social, economic, and political contexts differ vastly from that of universities in high-income countries, SU's continued presence on established rankings is an achievement of note," she said.

In April 2022, SU was also ranked among the top 2 000 higher education institutions in the world by the Center for World University Rankings.

Over the last few years, SU has been consistently ranked among the best tertiary institutions in the world on various global university rankings including the QS World University Rankings, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings.

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