Address: 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, 2000 Johannesburg, South Africa
Engineering and the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Commerce, Law and Management, Humanities, Science
The University of the Witwatersrand, known as Wits, was founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley. It is the third-oldest South African university in continuous operation. The school moved to Johannesburg in 1904, went through several names, and became the University College, Johannesburg, in 1920. It received full university status as the University of the Witwatersrand on 1 March 1922. Its first principal was Professor Jan Hofmeyr. The Johannesburg municipality donated the Milner Park site, and construction began on 4 October 1922.
The East Campus in Braamfontein houses the administration building, Solomon Mahlangu House, and the faculties of Science and Humanities. The West Campus, across the De Villiers Graaff Motorway, houses Engineering and the Built Environment, and Commerce, Law and Management, and a bridge links the two campuses. Three academic campuses stand in Parktown: Wits Education, Health Sciences and Wits Management. A rural campus is located in Mpumalanga.
The university reports 40,259 students, 25,352 of them undergraduates and 14,025 postgraduates, and 41,702 students in 2025 by another count. International students numbered 3,313 in 2022, or 7.78 percent, down from 9.64 percent in 2017. The infobox gives 1,112 full-time permanent academic staff.
Five faculties teach: Commerce, Law and Management; Engineering and the Built Environment; Health Sciences; Humanities; and Science. Together they contain 33 schools.
Four Nobel laureates are linked to Wits: Nelson Mandela, who studied law there, Sydney Brenner, Aaron Klug and Nadine Gordimer. Fees differ for South African and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Research includes the Evolutionary Studies Institute, which leads the excavations at Sterkfontein, where Lee Berger discovered Australopithecus sediba in 2010 and Homo naledi in 2015. The university runs nine museums, among them the Origins Centre, opened in 2006, and the Wits Art Museum, with over 12,000 works of African art. Two main libraries, Wartenweiler and William Cullen, and twelve branch libraries serve the students. About 20 percent of them live on campus, in 17 residences. The Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre is the only private teaching hospital in South Africa. The motto is Scientia et Labore, through knowledge and work, and in July 2026 the Center for World University Rankings placed Wits first in South Africa and 200th in the world.
Domains taught:
Astroscience, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Five faculties with 33 schools, Wits Education, Health Sciences and Management campuses in Parktown, and a rural campus in Mpumalanga.
Research:
Engineering and the built environment, health sciences, commerce, law and management, humanities and science.
Famous Alumnis:
Nelson Mandela, Sydney Brenner, Aaron Klug, Nadine Gordimer
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1112
Current students***:
40259
Foreign students***:
8%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading research university in South Africa, large urban campus in Johannesburg, four Nobel laureates linked to it, strong mining and engineering heritage.
Cons
Johannesburg security and transport concerns, campuses spread over several sites, fees for international students.
Best For
Students seeking a leading African research university in Johannesburg, with strong engineering, health sciences and law.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
On content, University of Cape Town and this university are close, as both teach finance, astroscience and civil engineering; it is slightly smaller, at about 28,233 students against roughly 40,259 here, and is also a public institution.
For students who like the finance, mathematics and life sciences focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Stellenbosch University fits well: it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers military and agriculture as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Porto offers an international parallel to this university, with finance, civil engineering and chemistry as common ground; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Lisbon (Portugal) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly finance, civil engineering and chemistry; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
In Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong teaches much the same core subjects, finance, chemistry and physics, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers AI and machine learning as well.
National Taiwan University (Taiwan) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly finance, chemistry and physics; it is slightly smaller, at about 34,483 students against roughly 40,259 here, and is also a public institution.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Tel Aviv University in Israel, where finance, chemistry and physics also form the core, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Wits?
On the Braamfontein campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, with campuses in Parktown and Mpumalanga.
When was it founded?
In 1896, as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley.
When did it become the University of the Witwatersrand?
On 1 March 1922.
Who was the first principal?
Professor Jan Hofmeyr.
How many students does it have?
40,259 according to its infobox, and 41,702 in 2025 by another count.
What share of the students are international?
7.78 percent in 2022.
How many faculties does it have?
Five, with 33 schools.
Where are the health sciences?
On a campus in Parktown.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Nelson Mandela, Sydney Brenner, Aaron Klug and Nadine Gordimer.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for South African and international students. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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