ranking South African universities

I know that some of this ground has been covered with the NRF ratings, so be patient with me for bringing it up again. How would you rank, say, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Free State, Potchefstroom, and RAU (if possible, with a view to theology)? How would you characterize these plus UNISA and Zululand on a left-to-right theological continuum?

 

I can't answer the question with regard to theology.

Many perceptions are based on size rather than quality. For example, Pretoria is the largest face-to-face university in SA and so you'll see it mentioned often.

Stellenbosch is often seen as the "classiest" -- I suspect because of its beautiful campus in SA's most beautiful region. Stellenbosch also has a controversial past, having educated most of the Afrikaner Prime Ministers and being seen as the source of the thinking that led to the apartheid state.

 

These sort of rankings are hard to pull off; how one rates a given group of institutions will depend in large part upon what he or she values. However, if you use the traditional criteria of faculty strength, publishing record, alumni placement, national and international links and reputation within the theological community, etc., based upon my research, reading, and interaction with others, I would rank the theological faculties you mention in the following order:

1) Stellenbosch--One might argue that I'm biased in favour of Stellenbosch because this is where I'm choosing to do my doctoral work. However, Stellenbosch is not merely the best theological faculty in South Africa; it arguably is the best theological faculty outside of North America and Europe. I do not hold this opinion because I've chosen Stellenbosch, but rather have chosen Stellenbosch because I hold this opinion.

2) Pretoria
3) Potchefstroom
While I rank Pretoria higher, I think that these two schools are very close to one another. Some corners of the academic community might smile more enthusiastically upon a Potchefstroom graduate than one from Pretoria.

4) Free State--This faculty, a sister faculty to Pretoria and Stellenbosch, is strong in its own right, and enjoys a solid reputation. However, it has only been in existence since the early '80's, and, thus, hasn't had the opportunity to establish itself quite to the extent of the three listed above.

5) RAU--Within the Faculty of Arts, RAU offers advanced degrees in Biblical Studies (NT, OT) that seem to enjoy a solid reputation within the South African theological community. However, RAU doesn't actually have a faculty or department of theology. Rather, they have established a cooperative relationship with Aukland Park Theological Seminary, a Pentecostal institution located directly adjacent to the RAU campus, whereby APTS provides all theological instruction and RAU awards the degrees. As a result of this arrangement, APTS essentially serves as the faculty of theology for RAU. While possessing some very attractive qualities, this program simply isn't as strong as the other institutions under consideration here.

Cory Seibel

 

Baie dankie, Cory! This really helps sort things out. Best of luck with Stellenbosch. I know they don't do DL, but what a wonderful place! I was familiar with Maties long before I had heard of anywhere else in SA (long before I'd heard of DL, for that matter). You are to be congratulated on being accepted there. Die ou-lutherse predikant stands in awe.