THE Top South African University

I was wondering what the folks here would consider the top South African university. If you had to say which one school ranks above all the others, which would you choose?

 

I know better than to fly in the face of destiny...

 

CUNY has produced 12 Nobel laureates. Does that make it the Harvard of North America? ;-)

 

Hmmmm

Wouldn't the Harvard of North America be Harvard?

 

I would say "University of Pretoria"

 

No way....

It is Wits or Cape Town.....

 

I would say if you are earning a SA degree in the U.S. it doesn't matter. Very few people here have heard of any of them. If you're going to study for a SA degree, make sure it's accredited and go for it.

 

Hmmmm.... But the universities are not yet accredited. So this advice would lead a reader to enroll in an institution of a lower grade.

 

Perhaps you missed the part where I said "make sure it's accredited"?

Personally, I would choose an British, Australian or Canadian university before looking at one in SA.

 

TCord,

Why?

 

I didn't miss it. The South African universities are not yet accredited. Some of the other South African institutions are accredited. But the universities are nevertheless a better choice for many people.

The South African framework for accreditation can be see here:
http://www.che.ac.za/documents/d000080/Programme_Accreditation_Framework_Nov2004.pdf

The timetable for accreditation is on pp. 25 and 26.

 

In the thread cited below I've stated that my research to date (that was back in 2001) showed that there was no official ranking of South African universities. Of course, people will have their own opinions and that is fine.
http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7685#post7685
Jack


(for those nostalgia buffs, I believe this was my second posting on degreeinfo, which was formed only a bit earlier.)

 

Serious candidates for top South African University:

Cape Town
Witswatersrand
Stellenbosch
Pretoria (of course, I had to throw that one in there)

 

Go Tuks.

 

It's nothing against the South African universities, I am sure some of them are fine institutions of learning. Plus, you can't beat the price. However, it's like I said before, if there are accreditation and recognition issues in the U.S., why mess with a SA degree?

In my opinion (and this is only an opinion) I think colleges and universities in Great Britain, Australia or Canada would have more utility and/or recognition in the States. Even before I joined this message board, I had at least heard of Heriot Watt and the University of London. I had at least heard of Monash and Athabasca (really!). But UNISA? I've been to their website and I still can't make heads or tails out of that school...and what's with the office in Canada?

Just my opinion...I could be wrong (but not really)

 

unc, ox, Jack, and everyone,

What do you think about what TCord says concerning the utility of a South African university degree in the United States?

Cory,

Good to hear from you again!

 

Actually, I think that oxpecker should post, here, an explanation of just what's going on with SA university accreditation.

If SA universities are "accredited," then what are they? And whatever they are, is it equivalent to accreditation such that accredited US colleges and universities would accept their degrees in transfer?

How do SA degrees fare with US foreign credential evaluators? If they do okay, then how is that possible if they're not "accredited"?

Obviously, oxpecker knows the subtleties of SA accreditation -- or lack thereof -- and can explain to us what is the actual situation. We're obviously getting it wrong... but is it actually and fundamentally wrong? Or are we just getting the terminology wrong?

While the rest of us are calling it "Kleenex," does oxpecker know that, technically, it's facial tissue and that Kleenex is actually a brand name that has become so ubiquitous that people mistakenly call all facial tissue "Kleenex"?

oxpecker... help us understand. This is the second time relatively recently, that I can recall, where someone has referred to SA university "accreditation" as a means of indicating credibility, and you've pointed-out that they've got it technically wrong. But you won't say what's technically right. Please help us.

 

I'd like to know the answer to those questions, to0 -- before I spend money on a SA degree, and I've already spent $160 to send my credentials to SAQA for evaluation.

 

University of Cape Town

Overall the best university in South Africa is the University of Cape Town (UCT) based on its reputation internationally.