Field · Psychology · South Africa
Psychology research in South Africa
University of the Witwatersrand ranks first in South Africa for Psychology research in 2022–2025 (#95 worldwide), followed by University of Johannesburg and North-West University.
- South Africa's world rank
- #33 of 109 countries, 2022–2025
- Works, 2022–2025
- 4.6k
- Top-10% rate
- 21.2%
- Ranked institutions
- 19
Research strength only: this says nothing about teaching, admissions or cost.
What is the best university for Psychology in South Africa?
| # | Institution | World rank | Score | Top-10% rate | Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburg | #95 | 40.8 | 22.6% | 382 |
| 2 | University of JohannesburgJohannesburg | #161 | 33.9 | 25.4% | 528 |
| 3 | North-West UniversityPotchefstroom | #244 | 28.5 | 22.8% | 366 |
| 4 | Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch | #394 | 22.3 | 23.8% | 328 |
| 5 | University of South AfricaPretoria | #493 | 19.3 | 20.4% | 403 |
| 6 | University of PretoriaPretoria | #618 | 16.4 | 18.0% | 385 |
| 7 | University of Cape TownRondebosch | #732 | 14.2 | 25.4% | 264 |
| 8 | University of the Free StateBloemfontein | #733 | 14.2 | 20.3% | 248 |
| 9 | University of KwaZulu-NatalDurban | #739 | 14.1 | 19.9% | 258 |
| 10 | University of the Western CapeCape Town | #782 | 13.3 | 24.8% | 170 |
| 11 | South African Medical Research CouncilCape Town | #986 | 10.3 | 34.2% | 64 |
| 12 | Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences UniversityPretoria | #1,366 | 6.1 | 17.3% | 61 |
| 13 | Durban University of TechnologyDurban | #1,547 | 4.5 | 17.1% | 84 |
| 14 | Nelson Mandela UniversityPort Elizabeth | #1,680 | 3.4 | 18.4% | 90 |
| 15 | Walter Sisulu UniversityMthatha | #1,722 | 3.1 | 15.0% | 90 |
| 16 | Rhodes UniversityGrahamstown | #1,738 | 3.0 | 21.4% | 60 |
| 17 | Tshwane University of TechnologyPretoria | #1,771 | 2.7 | 15.8% | 83 |
| 18 | University of LimpopoPolokwane | #1,778 | 2.7 | 14.8% | 95 |
| 19 | University of VendaThohoyandou | #1,903 | 1.8 | 10.4% | 72 |
Institutions in South Africa above the floor of 40 fractional works in Psychology, ordered by their worldwide rank on research quality, 2022–2025.
Who are the top Psychology researchers in South Africa?
Dan J. Stein, Soraya Seedat and Christine Löchner rank highest among researchers based in South Africa.
- 1Dan J. Stein#1,863 worldwide overall7.7k citations · 201 works
- 2Soraya Seedat#8,042 worldwide overall1.4k citations · 47 works
- 3Christine Löchner#97,251 worldwide overall332 citations · 32 works
- 4Crick Lund#197,341 worldwide overall231 citations · 32 works
- 5Leslie Swartz#335,829 worldwide overall259 citations · 33 works
- 6Mark Solms#487,551 worldwide overall158 citations · 34 works
- 7Sebastiaan Rothmann#546,760 worldwide overall241 citations · 33 works
- 8Jason Bantjes#549,884 worldwide overall115 citations · 29 works
- 9Jean‐Pierre Bouchard#579,468 worldwide overall85 citations · 23 works
- 10Cedric Linder#584,658 worldwide overall172 citations · 24 works
- 11Jacobus G. Maree#842,355 worldwide overall103 citations · 26 works
- 12Adebowale Akande#851,103 worldwide overall104 citations · 23 works
- 13Susanne Schwab#953,228 worldwide overall99 citations · 27 works
- 14Ashraf Kagee#960,705 worldwide overall75 citations · 23 works
- 15Marie Poggenpoel#1,070,487 worldwide overall43 citations · 21 works
How South Africa compares with other countries in Psychology