The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has soared to position #1 in the sub-Saharan Africa region, highlighting the robustness and growing popularity of the institution’s teaching and research for societal impact. According to the Times Higher Education (THE)’s 2024 Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings, released on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, UJ is ranked is now number #1 in the region – up from position 2 last year. This means that UJ is also ranked in the position 1 in South Africa.
The Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings measure universities performance using carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three vital areas: teaching, research and societal impact. The criteria have 20 metrics, which are grouped into five pillars: resources and finance; access and fairness; student engagement; ethical leadership; and Africa impact.
UJ was particularly recognised for its high performance in the access and fairness as well as the resources and finance pillars. The access and fairness pillar rewards universities that account for the openness of institutions to students of all backgrounds, and how institutions ensure that all can succeed, while the resources and finance pillar rewards financially stable institutions that provide a high-quality learning experience. Notably, one of the evidence-based metrics looks at accessibility (disability access and disability support).
The rankings, which were introduced last year as a new benchmarking system for universities in the sub-Saharan region, are the Times Higher Education’s first Africa specific rankings. Universities are asked to submit data and evidence, and to distribute THE’s student survey to their current students.
This year, a total of 171 universities participated in the data collection, compared to 121 last year. Of the 171 universities that participated this year, 129 from 22 countries were assessed for their impact in addressing some of the toughest challenges in the region. Of the universities from 22 countries assessed, South Africa notched four of the top 10 spots, including the top three.
Says Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal: “The latest rankings reaffirm the excellence of our academic programmes, especially considering the fact that the pool of competing universities in this ranking system has increased. It is particularly gratifying to see UJ being recognised highly, not only for its outstanding teaching and research programmes but for its accessibility and excellence. All this demonstrates our commitment to education and innovation for societal impact.”
Prof Mpedi added that the rankings results were a testament to the outstanding work and dedication of our staff, postdoctoral fellows, students, research associates, research divisions, centres and institutes.
To read more about the THE’s new sub-Saharan Africa University Ranking, here are some useful links:
