​​Stellenbosch University (SU) has cemented its place among the world's top universities based on the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

In the 2019 version, which has just been released, SU is placed in the category 301-350. This is a significant improvement on last year when it was ranked in the category 351-400.

Altogether 1258 institutions worldwide featured in the 2019 rankings. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings provide the definitive list of the world's best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. Its data are trusted by governments and universities.

Commenting on SU's latest achievement, Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation said: “Stellenbosch University is pleased with its new position on this leading and authoritative and global ranking. This type of recognition also provides further impetus to the realisation of our new Vision and Strategic Framework in terms of which we want to become Africa's leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as a place of excellence, innovation, and where knowledge is advanced in service of society."

She added that despite their caveats and limitations, rankings do play a role in attracting students and academics from across the world to SU and in building effective collaborations with other universities, institutions and organisations.

“We maintain a nuanced approach to university rankings in general – given the current realities of the institution, our country and our continent as well as the methodology of the various rankings of which there are well-documented differences of opinion.

“That said, SU's strong performance in the THE World University Rankings 2019 is a good indication that the University is indeed recognised internationally. It places SU amongst the top 20% of the universities participating in the THE World University Rankings 2019 and amongst the top 1% of all universities worldwide," she adds.

According to figures of South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training, SU has maintained the highest research output per fulltime staff member of all universities in the country for the past eight years.

• SU had more than 3 500 international students from more than 100 different nationalities and more than 246 bilateral partner institutions in 57 countries on six continents in 2017.