SA varsities get a first

South African universities are rising up the global rankings, with the University of Cape Town leading the way.

For the first time, South Africa has three universities in the top 300 World University Rankings, which were released last night.

UCT moved up two places to 124 and Stellenbosch moved into the top 300 for the first time, while Wits dropped a few spots.

No other African university ranks in the top 300, but Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco, is listed in the 301-350 bracket.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings system is one of the three biggest global academic reputation surveys. This year's data was collected from about 10000 academics.

Rankings below 200 are not individually listed, but rather grouped into clusters. Stellenbosch moved up from the 301-350 group last year to the 276-300 group this year, while Wits dropped from the 226-250 group to the 251-275 group.

The top global university is the California Institute of Technology for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, the University of California, Berkeley, the Imperial College of London and Yale.

Criteria include learning environment, volume of research, income, reputation, research influence, and innovation.

UCT spokesman Patricia Lucas said: "Having universities that rank globally benefits the country as a whole. It sends the message that the country's higher education system is globally competitive."

She said some of the university's recent achievements had been in the fields of eResearch, astrophysics, cosmology, climate, clinical neuroscience and democratic governance and rights.

Stellenbosch acting rector and vice-chancellor, Professor Leopoldt van Huyssteen, said the university was "receiving international recognition for the quality and stature of its teaching and research".

Media spokesman Martin Viljoen said innovative contributions the university had made to new technology included electromagnetic parts for the SKA radio telescope, cancer research and the production of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

But Wits vice-chancellor Adam Habib said rankings should be approached "with a level of measured circumspection".

"Our focus should be on building a nationally responsive and globally competitive institution, one that is both demographically diverse and cosmopolitan."