The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is the only university in South Africa that has improved its position in the latest global rankings, in what is another demonstration of the robustness and impact of its academic and research programmes.
According to the latest 2024 edition of the Academic Rankings of World Universities (ARWU), otherwise known as the Shanghai Ranking, released yesterday, UJ is now ranked among the top 500 universities, moving up from the 501 – 600 band it was ranked in 2023 to 401 – 500 band this year.
More than 2,500 universities are ranked by ARWU every year, and only the best 1,000 are published. Only eight universities from South Africa were ranked. UJ is the only university in the country to improve its range standing this year. This is a significant achievement for a university that has only been around for less than 20 years.
UJ Climbs the Ranks: Now #3 in SA and #4 in Africa
The University of Johannesburg has also bettered its standings nationally and on the African continent, clinching the #3 spot in South Africa (up from joint #5) and the #4 spot in Africa (up from joint #6). UJ has, in the process, surpassed Stellenbosch University (SU). UJ is ranked joint #3 with SU in the 401-500 band, but UJ has achieved a higher overall score than SU in South Africa based on the overall score calculation.
The ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities:
• The number of alumni who win Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (10%)
• The number of staff who win Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (20%)
• The number of highly cited researchers in 21 broad subject categories (20%)
• The number of papers published in Nature and Science (20%)
• The number of papers indexed in the Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index (20%)
• The per capita academic performance of an institution (10%)
The latest news comes after UJ achieved its highest-ever position in global rankings, after being ranked #36 in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings, released on June, 2024.
Says Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal: “The University remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing societal challenges through research and knowledge production. Our progress is not just about numbers and figures; it’s all about the positive and lasting impact we have on our students and the broader society.”
