The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is among the best higher education institutions in the country in the subject areas of Law, Physical Sciences, and Medical and Health. This was revealed by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject, which were released today. The rankings evaluate universities across 11 distinct subject areas, employing a refined version of the overall World University Rankings 2025 methodology.
In South Africa for 2025, UWC was placed:
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Balfour said the rankings reflect the commitment, hard work and dedication of faculty, staff and students who drive the academic project in conjunction with many dedicated partners across the globe. “Maintaining stability across other subject areas is also a testament to our commitment to excellence,” said Prof Balfour.
“We are mindful that rankings are just one measure of our performance, and there is always room for growth. As a university, we remain focused on our mission to advance knowledge which makes an enduring impact across all areas of society. We will ensure, as the UWC community, that we continue to build on our strengths while striving for even greater achievements in the years ahead.”
Despite being placed 6th in South Africa, law is the highest-performing subject at UWC, as it is placed in the top 300 in the world. This solidifies the Law Faculty’s exemplary reputation.
“The Law Faculty is extremely proud of its achievements as reflected in the 2025 THE subject ranking (law),” said Law Faculty Dean, Professor Jacques de Ville. “All staff members have been working hard to ensure that we have excellent academic programmes and that our research is of the highest quality. Our diversity as a Faculty is one of our strongest points, making us excel in internationalisation”.
Prof De Ville also thanked the University's Institutional Planning team for collaborating with them to achieve this rise in rankings. He committed that his faculty will continue these collaborations to analyse data and explore further improvements.
The history of the Faculty started with the establishment of a department of law in the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy in 1970. In 1973 the Faculty of Commerce and Law was established, and the Law Faculty became an independent faculty in 1979.
The faculty has a proud history in the struggle against apartheid, and many of its former staff and alumni have occupied and continue to hold high positions in academia, the judiciary, parliament, the executive, the legal profession, and business across the African continent.
Disciplines covered in each subject area
Each subject ranking is based on a range of narrower disciplines, with the exceptions of Computer Science and Law, which are already single disciplines. The narrower disciplines for the remaining nine subjects are listed below.
Arts and Humanities
- Art, performing arts and design
- Languages, literature and linguistics
- History, philosophy and theology
- Architecture
- Archaeology
Business and Economics
- Business and management
- Accounting and finance
- Economics and econometrics
Education Studies
- Education
- Teacher training
- Academic studies in education
Engineering
- General engineering
- Electrical and electronic engineering
- Mechanical and aerospace engineering
- Civil engineering
- Chemical engineering
Life Sciences
- Agriculture and forestry
- Biological sciences
- Veterinary science
- Sport science
Medical and Health
- Medicine and dentistry
- Other health
Physical Sciences
- Mathematics and statistics
- Physics and astronomy
- Chemistry
- Geology, environmental, earth and marine sciences
Psychology
- Psychology
- Educational/sport/business/animal psychology
- Clinical psychology
Social Sciences
- Communication and media studies
- Politics and international studies (including development studies)
- Sociology
- Geography
*Times Higher Education
In South Africa for 2025, UWC was placed:
- 5th for Medical and Health
- 5th for Physical Sciences
- 6th for Law
- 7th for Arts and Humanities
- 8th for Education Studies
- 8th for Social Sciences
- 9th for Life Sciences
- 9th for Psychology
- 11th for Business and Economics
“We are mindful that rankings are just one measure of our performance, and there is always room for growth. As a university, we remain focused on our mission to advance knowledge which makes an enduring impact across all areas of society. We will ensure, as the UWC community, that we continue to build on our strengths while striving for even greater achievements in the years ahead.”
Despite being placed 6th in South Africa, law is the highest-performing subject at UWC, as it is placed in the top 300 in the world. This solidifies the Law Faculty’s exemplary reputation.
“The Law Faculty is extremely proud of its achievements as reflected in the 2025 THE subject ranking (law),” said Law Faculty Dean, Professor Jacques de Ville. “All staff members have been working hard to ensure that we have excellent academic programmes and that our research is of the highest quality. Our diversity as a Faculty is one of our strongest points, making us excel in internationalisation”.
Prof De Ville also thanked the University's Institutional Planning team for collaborating with them to achieve this rise in rankings. He committed that his faculty will continue these collaborations to analyse data and explore further improvements.
The history of the Faculty started with the establishment of a department of law in the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy in 1970. In 1973 the Faculty of Commerce and Law was established, and the Law Faculty became an independent faculty in 1979.
The faculty has a proud history in the struggle against apartheid, and many of its former staff and alumni have occupied and continue to hold high positions in academia, the judiciary, parliament, the executive, the legal profession, and business across the African continent.
