This is the list of the 8 top highly-ranked African universities in 2020 ideal for architecture study. Nigerians should explore them to acquire the best quality knowledge in Africa
According to the two most influential and prestigious university ranking organizations in the world; Times Higher Education (THE) – World University Ranking and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) – World University Ranking, our continent proudly boasts of quality African universities Nigerians will be proud to kickstart their architecture study.
THE and QS assess these African universities based on certain indicators and indices. According to the two organizations they are;
Teaching (the learning environment); Research (volume, income and reputation); Citations (research influence); International outlook (staff, students and research); and Industry Income (knowledge transfer).
Times Higher Education (THE)
Academic Reputation; Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio; Citations per faculty; International Faculty Ratio; and International Student Ratio.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
The list of top 8 African universities for architecture study
For universities to feature on this list, they had to be ranked by both THE 2020 and QS 2020 and offer an architectural program. There were a couple of African Universities that were only ranked by one or didn’t offer architecture, therefore they were left out. Below is the list of the top African universities ranked by THE and QS ideal for the study of architecture. You will also find the respective links to the department of architecture of these schools.
| S/N | Universities (Ranked by both THE and QS in 2020) |
| 1 | University of Cape Town, South Africa |
| 2 | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 3 | American University in Cairo, Egypt |
| 4 | University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa |
| 5 | University of Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 6 | Cairo University, Egypt |
| 7 | University of Pretoria, South Africa |
| 8 | Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt |
No. 1: University of Cape Town, South Africa
This university in 2020 was ranked No. 1 in Africa and 136th in the world by the THE and No. 1 in Africa and 198th in the world by the QS. This makes it indisputably number 1 among all African universities.
Click to visit the UCT School of Architecture and Planning website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 2: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
This university in 2020 was ranked No. 2 in Africa and 194th in the world by the THE and No. 3 in Africa and 400th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 2 among all African universities.
Click to visit the WITS School of Architecture and Planning website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 3: American University in Cairo, Egypt
This university in 2020 was ranked no. 7 in Africa and 801-1000th in the world by the THE and no. 2 in Africa and 395th by the QS. This makes it number 3 among all African universities.
Click to visit the AUC Department of Architecture website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 4: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
This university in 2020 was ranked No. 4 in Africa and 401-500th in the world by the THE and No. 8 in Africa and 801-1000th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 4 among all African universities
Click to visit the UKZN Department of Architectural Studies website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 5: University of Johannesburg, South Africa
This university in 2020 was ranked No. 6 in Africa and 601-800th in the world by the THE and No. 5 in Africa and 501-510th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 5 among all African universities
Click to visit the UJ School of Architecture website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 6: Cairo University, Egypt
This university in 2020 was ranked No. 6 in Africa and 601-800th in the world by the THE and No. 6 in Africa and 521-530th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 6 among all African universities
Click to visit the CU department of Architecture (Faculty of Engineering) website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 7: University of Pretoria, South Africa
This university in 2020 was ranked no. 6 in Africa and 601-800th in the world by the THE and no. 7 in Africa and 551-560th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 7 among all African universities.
Click to visit the UP department of Architecture website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
No. 8: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
This university in 2020 was ranked no. 7 in Africa and 801-1000th in the world by the THE and no. 8 in Africa and 801-1000th in the world by the QS. This makes it number 8 among all African universities
Click to visit the UP department of Architecture engineering (faculty of engineering) website where you can get all the necessary information about the department.
Other African universities worthy of mention.
Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
Covenant University is ranked 4th in Africa and 401 – 450th in the world by Times Higher Education for its outstanding commitment to quality education, however, it wasn’t ranked by QS. Visit its department of architecture.
University of Lagos, Nigeria
The University of Lagos was ranked 20th in Africa and 801 -1000th in the world by the THE 2020, however, it wasn’t ranked by QS. Visit its faculty of environmental science.
University of Nairobi, Kenya
The University of Nairobi is ranked 20th in Africa and 801 – 1000th in the world by THE 2020, however, it wasn’t ranked by QS. Visit their department of architecture and building science.
Below are the full lists of all the top African universities published by THE and QS – World University Ranking.
What’s your favourite university? Are there African universities you think should be on this list but arent? If there is a specific university you want more information on. Let me know, and drop a comment.
How do I get a scholarship to join any of these top 8 mentioned architecture universities in Africa because I would like join one from next year
Hi Nayma
Visit the school’s website, they often have information on scholarships on them. You may not limit yourself to only these schools, you can search the internet for others.