Still among the top emerging economies universities

Unisa is one of only eleven South African universities to make the Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020. It features in the segment #251–300.

The university scores highly on female power, coming 23^rd overall with a female:male student ratio of 69:31, an increase from last year’s 67:33.

Out of the 606 ranked universities, Unisa has the second highest number of students per staff member at 179.7, second only to Anadolu University in Turkey, with 339.1. In comparison, the University of Cape Town, which heads the 2021 list of South African and African universities, has 11.7 students per staff member.

The best universities in Africa span 10 countries, from Uganda in the east to Nigeria in the west, Morocco in the north to South Africa at the southernmost tip of the continent.

Overall, Egypt and South Africa are the two best represented African countries in the ranking, with 21 and 11 universities each.

According to the THE’s Ellie Bothwell, from access to basic equipment, technology and quiet working spaces to childcare burdens and job cuts, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing disparities among individuals, communities, institutions, and countries.

She writes that the increased attention on inequalities has also sparked hope that systems and structures will change and that academia will become more inclusive. Universities in emerging economies could be among the beneficiaries.

Some experts have suggested that international partnerships could become more equitable, with institutions in developing countries better able to assert their value and authority within collaborative research projects.

The list of emerging economies includes those nations classified by the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE Group as “advanced emerging”, “secondary emerging” or “frontier”.

The Emerging Economies Ranking uses the same 13 performance indicators as the World University Rankings, measuring teaching, research, research impact, industry income and international outlook, but the weightings are adjusted to reflect the specific characteristics of this group of universities. The full methodology can be found here.

Download a free copy of the Emerging Economies University Rankings 2021 digital supplement

World University Rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 include more than 1 500 universities across 93 countries and regions, making them the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.

This is how Unisa scored across various disciplines, with Law and Engineering heading the list:

*By Sharon Farrell, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement