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Top 10 Best Universities in Africa: Education Rankings 2026

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1 month ago

October 11, 2025

Africa’s higher education sector continues to evolve, reflecting a growing focus on excellence in teaching, innovation, and global engagement.

The 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings highlight the institutions across the continent that are setting new standards in academic and research performance.

Using comprehensive indicators that assess teaching quality, research environment, research output, industry connections, and international outlook, the rankings showcase how African universities are positioning themselves on the global stage.

South Africa remains the undisputed leader in African higher education, with its universities dominating the top positions. The University of Cape Town leads once again as Africa’s best university, achieving a strong overall score driven by world-class research quality and an excellent international outlook.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Pretoria, both from South Africa, continue to perform strongly, thanks to their emphasis on research output and contributions to global knowledge, particularly in the sciences and health-related disciplines.

Their continued presence among the continent’s top universities demonstrates the sustainability of South Africa’s higher education model.

The table below presents the top 10 universities in Africa for 2026, as ranked by Times Higher Education. It highlights their positions, overall scores, and performance across key indicators, offering a snapshot of where Africa’s academic excellence currently stands.

Top 10 Best Universities in Africa

Rank	Name	Country	Overall Score	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	University of Cape Town	South Africa	60.8	39	47	88	85	78
2	Stellenbosch University	South Africa	51.6–54.2	35	41	76	92	59
3	University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa	51.6–54.2	35	43	71	92	74
4	Mohammed VI Polytechnic University	Morocco	49.9–51.5	35	35	73	56	73
5	University of Johannesburg	South Africa	49.9–51.5	30	38	70	81	82
6	University of KwaZulu-Natal	South Africa	43.6–46.1	31	38	62	49	55
7	University of Pretoria	South Africa	43.6–46.1	32	35	58	61	65
8	American University in Cairo	Egypt	39.0–43.5	30	26	54	34	72
9	Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST)	Egypt	39.0–43.5	31	27	65	41	53
10	Kafrelsheikh University	Egypt