The University of KwaZulu-Natal ranked 478th out of 20 531 institutions, and was placed in fourth position in Africa and South Africa on the CWUR list.
THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has been ranked in the top 2.4% of 20 531 universities worldwide on the 2023 Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) list.
The CWUR publishes the largest academic rankings list of global universities, according to its president, Dr Nadim Mahassen, who congratulated UKZN saying the institution’s highly ranked position is an outstanding achievement.
Mahassen stated the rankings are unique in that:
• Objective indicators are used for all four key pillars underlying the methodology of the ranking (education, employability, faculty and research) with no reliance on surveys and university data submissions
• Equal emphasis is put on student-related and faculty-related indicators
• 62 million outcome-based data points were used for this year’s rankings
• 20 531 universities were ranked according to their academic performance
Further detailing UKZN’s achievement, Mahassen said the university ranked 478th out of the 20 531 institutions in the survey, and was placed in fourth position in Africa and in South Africa. UKZN had an employability rank of 360, a research rank of 469 and an education position of 500.
The CWUR uses seven objective and robust outcome-based indicators grouped into four areas to rank the world’s universities:
1. Education
Based on the academic success of a university’s alumni and measured by the number of alumni who have received top academic distinctions relative to the university’s size (25%).
2. Employability
Based on the professional success of a university’s alumni and measured by the number of alumni who have held top company positions relative to the university’s size (25%).
3. Faculty
Measured by the number of faculty members who have received top academic distinctions (10%).
4. Research
Research output measured by the total number of research articles (10%)
High-quality publications measured by the number of research articles appearing in top-tier journals (10%)
Influence measured by the number of research articles appearing in highly influential journals (10%)
Citations measured by the number of highly cited research articles (10%)
“The CWUR is a leading international consulting organisation providing policy advice, strategic insights and consulting services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes. Its authoritative global university rankings are respected for objectivity, transparency, consistency, and trusted by students, academics, university administrators and governments around the world,’ said Mahassen.
Normah Zondo, UKZN Corporate Relations Executive Director, welcomed the news.
“We are proud of the recent ranking of our university at a global level. This is well received by all stakeholders as the rankings place our institution on the global map. It is clear that UKZN is making great strides in various areas,” she said.