Three rankings confirm that the North-West University (NWU) is an institution that shines not only locally but also internationally, and can stand tall among some of the world’s greatest universities.
Students can be assured that when they decide on the NWU as their preferred choice for higher education, they also choose a university that is not only known for excellence but is making an impact in addressing pressing issues in Africa.
This is evident in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) University Rankings for 2024 by Times Higher Education (THE). According to this ranking, the NWU is sixth in South Africa and 17th in Africa out of 129 universities from 22 countries. These rankings specifically assess the impact of universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the region. It considers, among other things, the impact a university has in Africa, as well as the factors such as student engagement, access and fairness, and ethical leadership.
It explores themes that include university education, teaching quality, financial strength and addressing inequality. According to the SSA, the rankings not only assess current performance, but also help universities to identify key areas where they can improve. This was the first year the NWU participated in the SSA rankings. For more information about the SSA, visit https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sub-saharan-africa-university-rank….
Leading the way in social and environmental sustainability
The NWU is among the leading higher-education institutions locally and in Africa in responding to crucial environmental, social and governance issues. This is according to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for Sustainability 2025. QS published their results on 10 December.
This ranking places the NWU among the top seven out of 13 universities in South Africa, top eight in Africa out of 70 institutions on the continent, and overall 505th out of the 1 751 institutions that qualified for the ranking internationally.
The three performance lenses applied in each of the three categories are environmental impact, social impact and governance. Each performance lens is made up of separate indicators that are used to calculate a score.
The NWU was 176th for Governance, 524th for Social Impact, and 637th for Environmental Impact.
According to QS World University Rankings for Sustainability in 2025, universities must be eligible for the QS World University Rankings and the QS Rankings by Region or the QS Rankings by Subject to qualify for the Sustainability ranking.
For more information about the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability 2025, visit https://www.topuniversities.com/sustainability-rankings.
NWU excelling through research and innovation in Africa
The 2024 SCImago Institutions Rankings highlight African universities that have excelled in research output, societal impact and innovation. This ranking placed the NWU in the top 10 of its rankings – a significant achievement, as 283 universities were considered in the rankings.
The ranking placed the NWU 25th overall in their universities category.
SCImago’s three different sets of indicators (20 in total) are divided into three groups intended to reflect scientific, economic and social characteristics of institutions measured by their web visibility. For more information about this ranking, visit https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?country=Africa.
