"Congrats": UCT Breaks Into Global Top 150, Retains Title as Africa’s Highest-Ranked University

• The University of Cape Town jumped from joint 164th to joint 147th in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings
• UCT retained its title as the highest-ranked university in sub-Saharan Africa as more African institutions entered the global rankings
• South Africans online were divided, with some celebrating the achievement and others pointing out UCT once ranked in the top 100

The University of Cape Town has broken into the global top 150, cementing its place among the world's leading universities in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

UCT was placed joint 147th globally, up from joint 164th in the previous edition. The university also held onto its title as the top-ranked institution in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 2027 rankings assessed 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, making it one of the most comprehensive editions yet.

See how African universities performed

UCT's climb comes as the broader African higher education sector continues to grow its footprint in global rankings. The number of sub-Saharan African universities included in the list rose from 55 to 69. Nigeria led the region with 29 institutions featured in the 2027 edition.

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Globally, the University of Oxford held onto first place for an 11th consecutive year, though its margin over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology narrowed to just 0.1 points. MIT remained second, with Princeton and Stanford sharing third place, Cambridge fifth, and Harvard sixth.

See how Asian universities are gaining ground

The 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings also highlighted a continued shift in global higher education. Asian universities kept climbing, with China's Tsinghua University reaching 11th place, making it the highest-ranked university in Asia. Peking University placed 13th, while the National University of Singapore climbed to 15th. For the first time, three Asian universities appeared in the global top 15.

China also grew its presence in the top 200, increasing from 13 to 17 universities. Times Higher Education attributed much of Asia's progress to improvements in research output and teaching scores.

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See how Mzansi reacted to UCT's ranking

South Africans had plenty to say in the comments on the page:

Ursula Forrest noted:

"What you fail to mention is that UCT used to be in the top 100 globally."

Natasha Campbell added:

"Yes 150th from 100th and poor assistance for students that's academically strong. No bursaries, no scholarships or no international opportunities like a few years back. Only certain people get the opportunities. Some must pay thousands to study, others just study for free."

Caretha Nel said:

"Please show this to Dawie Roodt. He claims we'd have no university in the top 500."

Phelelani Mweli offered praise:

"Congratulations to all. Well done Vice Chancellor!"

Don Can remarked:

"Yet we all know where the nationally top performing matric students go for a degree."

Cecilia Naidoo simply wrote:

"Congratulations! UCT."

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Source: Briefly News