UCT’s clinical & health in top 100

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has been ranked among the top 100 globally for clinical & health in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings by subject.

THE launched its 11 subject rankings in four phases from 16 September to 3 November 2021.

In the Top 100

• Clinical & health at 98th position

In the Top 200

• Education, law, and social sciences: in the 126–150 band
• Arts and humanities, life sciences, and psychology: in the 176–200 band

“While rankings are a very imperfect measure of excellence, we do pay attention to them because they reflect how we are seen and positioned by the rest of the world, and can influence important decisions such as funding and research collaborations,” said Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation Professor Sue Harrison.

“UCT has a long and proud history of world-leading research in clinical and health fields, and we are pleased that this continues to be recognised.”

“There has never been a more important time to attract funding and collaborations, as the continent faces a multitude of existential challenges. UCT has a long and proud history of world-leading research in clinical and health fields, and we are pleased that this continues to be recognised. More important than the recognition through rankings, however, is the real impact of this research and teaching in our communities and across the continent: good health is critical to achieving other measures of well-being, such as financial stability, and the pandemic has brought this into stark focus. Together with this, the rankings in the top 200 across education, law, social sciences, arts and humanities, life sciences, and psychology highlight UCT’s performance as a high-performing comprehensive university.”

THE bases its subject rankings on the same 13 performance indicators used in their world university rankings which are grouped under five categories: teaching, research, citations (the number of times a publication is referred to), international outlook, and industry income. However, the methodology is recalibrated to suit the individual fields. Exact positions are only published for the top 100, and thereafter, universities are ranked in broad bands.

These subject-specific tables follow the publication of the overall 2022 THE World University Rankings in September, in which UCT was tied at 183rd position.

Other subject rankings

In the recent release of the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in October, UCT had five subjects in the top 100, with infectious diseases at 13th position. The other four subjects in the top 100 were: public, environmental and occupational health; immunology; social sciences and public health; and psychiatry/psychology.

In May, the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) placed five of UCT’s subjects in the top 100. These were environmental science & engineering (23rd), oceanography (48th), public health, and mining & mineral engineering (both in the 51–75 band) and clinical medicine (76–100 band).

In March this year, the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject placed UCT among the top 100 universities in six subjects. UCT’s top subject, development studies, remained at 10th position. The five other subjects in the top 100 were: medicine (87th), anthropology, archaeology, architecture/built environment, and geography (all in the 51–100 band).

Read about the 2022 THE Rankings by subject methodologies (which can be accessed from each of the subject pages).