The North-West University (NWU) has proven to be a consistent force of quality higher education. This is clear in the newest rankings that were released by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in November.

The university has continuously been placed among the top universities in South Africa. It has excelled in various fields of expertise, including law, business and economics, social sciences, education, and humanities. 
It is especially in law studies and in business and economics that the NWU is excelling in the newest rankings. The NWU is placed in the top 5 and top 7 of local universities in these fields respectively.

The NWU is also in the top 10 in social sciences (8th) and education (9th). Earlier this year the THE ranked the NWU’s humanities in position 8.

Overall the NWU is ranked in position 5 in South Africa, a remarkable achievement, as this was the first year that the university was ranked by the THE. 

The THE World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions, namely teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. THE uses 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, the industry, and governments.

The performance indicators are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).
Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, says the NWU’s performance is a positive sign of the relevance as well as the high standard of the academic performance. “This is especially important while preparing students for a global future.”

Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor, reiterated that although ranking is not a goal the university wants to pursue, the rankings confirm that the NWU is on its way to achieve the dream of being an internationally recognised university in Africa.

For more information visit:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subj...
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subj...
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subj...
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subj...
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/subj...