North West University

🇿🇦 South Africa 4-Year University

Global #1856 South Africa #13

On this page

Institution Info

Founded: 2004
Type: 4-Year University
Students: 72,994 students
Website: https://www.nwu.ac.za/

About

North West University is a higher education institution in South Africa, founded in 2004. Recognized as a globally recognized institution, it is one of the leading universities in South Africa. The university has approximately 73K students.

Rankings

Source	Year	Rank	Score
QS	2026	QS #951 · Ranked	—
THE	2026	THE #898 · Ranked	37,20
UNIRANKS	2026	UniRanks #1856 · Ranked	68,05

Research Output via OpenAlex

348

h-index

1,434,109

Citations

43,879

Publications

27,590

i10-index

2,28

Mean Citedness

Compare

See how this university compares to others worldwide.

Compare Universities

Related Universities

University of Cape Town

#242

Stellenbosch University

#348

University of the Witwatersrand

#383

University of Kwazulu Natal

#490

University of Johannesburg

#504

University of Pretoria

#597

University of the Western Cape

#783

Rhodes University

#978

University of the Free State

#1071

Tshwane University of Technology

#1368

Motto

"Dit Begin Alles Hier"

Frequently Asked Questions

What is North West University's global ranking?

North West University is ranked #1,856 globally according to the UniRanks aggregated ranking. Within South Africa, it holds the #13 position.

When was North West University founded?

North West University was founded in 2004, making it 22 years old. It is one of the established institutions in South Africa.

How many students attend North West University?

North West University has a student body of approximately 72,994 students.

What is North West University's research output?

North West University has produced 43,879 research publications with 1,434,109 total citations and an h-index of 348, according to OpenAlex data.