As a new phase in global education unfolds, the QS World varsity Rankings 2025 showcase Africa’s academic excellence. This year’s rankings demonstrate the continent’s dedication to establishing high-quality institutions that excel not only in traditional academic fields but also in sustainability and job readiness.
Released on June 4, the rankings feature 40 African universities, with an equal number from Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting the continent’s diverse education landscape. South African universities have notably distinguished themselves, with one institution ranking among the world’s Top 200 and four others in the Top 500. This underscores South Africa’s strong presence in higher education and its universities’ ability to excel globally in six out of nine indicators.
Egypt also demonstrates strength, with 15 institutions included in the rankings, two of which are in the top 500. Additionally, eight other African countries are represented: Tunisia with four universities, and Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria with two institutions each, and Ethiopia, Morocco, Sudan, and Uganda with one university each.
According to the analysis, the top university globally is the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This marks the 13th time the university has been ranked first worldwide according to the QS methodology, which considers factors such as environmental sustainability, graduates’ employment prospects, and the university’s international research output.
Who is leading the pack?
The leading African institution in the QS rankings was the University of Cape Town (UCT), which climbed two spots from its previous ranking to 171st globally. Other African universities that made it into the top 500 globally included the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) at 267th, Stellenbosch University (SU) at 296th, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) at 312th, Cairo University at 350th, the University of Pretoria (UP) at 354th, and the American University in Cairo at 410th.
Below is the list of the 10 best universities in Africa according to QS World Varsity Rankings 2025.
1. The University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa is ranked 171
2. The University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa is ranked 267
3. Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa is ranked 296
4. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa is ranked 312
5. Cairo University, Giza, Egypt is ranked 350
6. The University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa is ranked 354
7. The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt is ranked 410
8. The University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pinetown, South Africa is ranked 587
9. Ain Shams University in Cairo (ASU, Cairo) Cairo, Egypt is ranked 592
10. Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is ranked 771–780.
List of top 10 best universities in Nigeria
The 2023 edition of the Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings by Times Higher Education (THE) has been released, showcasing over 30 Nigerian universities this year. Leading the Nigerian list is Covenant University in Ota, Ogun state, followed by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), and Benson Idahosa University in Edo state, ranked 7th, 26th, and 30th, respectively, in the overall list of Sub-Saharan Africa university rankings. Nigerian universities also did not make it into the top ten universities in Africa.
On what criteria were they ranked on?
The universities were evaluated based on nine indicators, which included academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty ratio, and international-faculty ratio. Other indicators comprised the international-student ratio, international research network, employment outcomes, and sustainability.
According to Ben Sowter, the senior vice president of QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the results were also informed by the analysis of 17 million academic papers and the expert opinions of over 280,000 academic faculty and employers. “This year’s world university rankings featured 1,500 universities across 106 higher education systems,” he stated.