UJ becomes part top 500 universities globally

The University of Johannesburg has proved it's in a class of its own after its ranking broke into the top 500 universities for the first time in history.

This was revealed in the QS World University Rankings published on Wednesday.

This means UJ, the product of a 2005 merger between Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand and Vista University Soweto Campus, has risen by 55 places in the global ranking positions to reach 439 globally out of 20,000 universities, and to be the fourth best university in the country.

"This exceptional feat comes fresh on the back of the university’s upward trajectory in the  the 2020-21 Center for World University Rankings [CWUR] and the URAP [University Ranking by Academic Performance] Field Rankings, published last week," the academic institution said in a media release.

"In the URAP rankings, released on the 6 June 2020, UJ featured and ranked in 18 of the 61 URAP Field Rankings, three more than last year; holding the top spots in the country for four of the fields: Sociology (187); Commerce, Management, Tourism & Services (370); Chemical Engineering (414); and Materials Engineering (480). Additionally, UJ was ranked in the top 200 in the world in the Philosophy (132) and Anthropology (159) fields."

The CWUR rankings, released on Monday 8 June 2020, also see UJ being the only South African university inside the top 10 nationally to have improved and climbed this year from its previous position.

Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, UJ's vice-chancellor and principal, described the performance as a tremendous accomplishment and recognition.

"The latest global rankings reaffirm the fact that our academic programmes remain strong and relevant, as we continue with our mission to position UJ as the international university of choice, anchored in Africa and dynamically shaping the future.

“These rankings are a wonderful tribute to the sustained work by our staff and students as we continue to forge ahead and scale new heights.”