Students proud of NWU’s top 5% global ranking

Students reacted with pride on Tuesday to news that the North-West University (NWU) is ranked in the top 5% of universities globally, according to the latest rankings published by the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR).

The university is ranked 922nd out of 20 000 universities globally, and seventh nationally. The NWU achieved an overall score of 70.8 (out of 100).

The table below shows a comparison between the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 statistics published by CWUR on Monday. It shows the world ranking and the overall score of South African universities.

Herman Fourie (23), a final year law student in Potchefstroom, said, “I am not surprised at all by the ranking as the NWU is by far one of the best tertiary institutions in South Africa. The university is constantly upgrading its academic programs and does particularly well in normal situations, as well as during the current pandemic. There are obstacles, but the NWU is very good at managing these obstacles.”

Alet Janse van Rensburg (21), an honours in Afrikaans and Dutch student, said, “I think the ranking is an eye-opener because when you are on campus and you are a student who is actively involved at the university, you think that it’s the student activities that make the campus and the university the best. However, when a global university ranking like this is published, it brings everything into perspective by showing that the university, in the end, is measured by its academic output.”

Janse van Rensburg continued, “students like to hear and see the university they are studying at is performing, even if they do not necessarily understand how the criteria works. It sounds amazing to say the NWU is in the top 5% globally out 20 000 universities.” However, she felt the university should improve its ranking as seventh in South Africa.

Dyondzo Kubayi (20), a third-year BCom economics and risk management student and Primarius of Vergelegen men’s residence on the Vanderbijlpark campus, added, “the rankings help increase the stature of universities, but the CWUR should rank universities quarterly so that all the universities can improve and gain a higher ranking when being ranked annually.”

The CWUR is a leading consulting organisation that provides policy advice, strategic insights and consulting services to governments and universities with the aim of improving educational and research outcomes, and publishes its global rankings of universities annually. The organisation ranks the universities based on a range criteria that look at the quality of education; alumni employment; quality of faculty; and research performance, which includes research output, high-quality publications, influence and citations.  

The Times Higher Education Emerging Economies in February published a ranking of universities placing the NWU among the top five universities in South Africa. 

Commenting on the Times report, Kubayi said, “being part of an institution which is in the top five in the country is a big deal. It serves as a motivation to work even harder because you want to contribute to maintaining the status of the university. When you eventually graduate, it allows you to brag to your friends and family about being an alumnus of an internationally recognised university.”