The North-West University (NWU) has once again demonstrated consistency in the latest global university rankings. Its position in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings maintains its standing among the leading universities in the world.
THE published the 2027 edition of its rankings on 30 September. This year’s edition places the NWU in the 801 to 1 000 category globally. This marks the third consecutive year that the NWU has occupied this ranking category, following the same results in the 2026 and 2025 editions.
Nationally, the NWU is in eighth position in South Africa, the same position it held in last year’s edition. By sustaining its performance and continuing to build the foundations for future growth, the NWU has maintained its position in a highly competitive international higher-education landscape.
The results this year also show improvement in two of the five pillars used by the THE to assess universities.
In the research environment pillar, the NWU increased its score from 18,8 in the 2026 edition to 21,1 in the 2027 rankings. This pillar considers research reputation, research income and research productivity, and indicates how an institution creates an environment that supports and advances research.
Performance in the industry pillar also improved, with the NWU increasing its score from 45,1 to 46,9. This pillar considers industry income and patents and reflects how universities contribute to innovation and knowledge transfer and connect their research expertise with the needs of industry. Such progress is significant for an institution that places research, innovation, partnerships and societal impact at the centre of its ambitions.
These results support the direction set by the strategy of the university of “Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond”. Initiatives aimed at expanding the academic and research contribution of the university include the establishment and proposed establishment of three future-fit academic schools: the Desmond Tutu School of Medicine, the School of Mines and Mining Engineering, and the School of Veterinary Sciences. Together with other cross-sectoral initiatives, these developments demonstrate the focus of the NWU on partnerships, innovation, internationalisation and meaningful societal impact.
More about the THE World University Rankings
The THE World University Rankings assess research-intensive universities across their core missions. Seventeen performance indicators make up five main pillars. These are teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
Together, these measures provide a broad assessment of university performance in areas ranging from the learning and research environments to international collaboration, research influence and knowledge transfer.
For more information about the continued performance of the NWU in global rankings, visit www.nwu.ac.za/rankings. To read more about the showing by the NWU in the THE Rankings, visit: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/north-west-university.
Prof. Mabutho Sibanda, executive dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Prof. Linda du Plessis, senior deputy vice-chancellor for Teaching and Learning, and Prof. Dumi Moyo, executive dean of the Faculty of Humanities, receive the certificate from a representative of Times Higher Education during the THE World Academic Summit.
