Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS Among Global Top 1 000 in 2025 THE World University Subject Rankings

22 January 2025 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Supplied

University of the Free State - Main Gate — The THE rankings are known to guide potential students to identify the best institutions for their chosen field of study, allowing them to compare different universities based on the strength of their academic offerings in specific study fields.

The recently published Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2025 shows that the University of the Free State (UFS) is ranked among the top 1 000 global higher learning institutions in its nine evaluated subjects, with most subject areas showing improved results from those recorded in 2024.

The annually published THE World University Rankings by Subject is a highly regarded, trusted global benchmark for academic excellence in specific disciplines. Its methodology is designed to evaluate universities by employing a range of performance indicators categorised under five core pillars, namely Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook.

Under Teaching, factors such as reputation, student-to-staff ratio, doctorate-to-bachelor ratio, and institutional income are considered. The Research pillar focuses on aspects such as productivity, citation impact, and influence. Among the other considerations are the income generated from industry partnerships and patents, as well as the number of international students, staff, and co-authored publications.

The methodology is carefully adjusted for each subject, ensuring fairness and accuracy by considering field-specific research cultures and publication practices.

The complete list of UFS subject rankings is as follows:

Law: 301+ *

Arts and Humanities: 501-600 #

Education Studies: 501-600 #

Psychology: 501-600 #

Life Sciences: 601-800 #

Social Sciences: 601-800 #

Business and Economics: 801+ *

Medical and Health: 801-1 000 #

Physical Sciences: 801-1 000 #

*The “+” label indicates that there is no upper limit and is used in instances where the THE does not provide exact ranks for universities beyond this position, therefore grouping institutions together to avoid overly fine distinctions at lower ranking tiers. (Eg. 801+ indicates 801st or lower.)

# The range label (eg. 801-1000), indicates that a university is ranked somewhere within this narrower range, (eg. between 801st and 1000th. )

For more detail, visit: www.timeshighereducation.com

The THE rankings are known to guide potential students to identify the best institutions for their chosen field of study, allowing them to compare different universities based on the strength of their academic offerings in specific study fields. It also often paves the way for research collaboration, as companies are more likely to partner with highly ranked institutions in a specific sector for research and development projects. Furthermore, strong subject rankings enhance the international reputation of universities and enable comprehensive comparison in particular disciplines.

“This type of global benchmarking is extremely valuable in enhancing the international reputation of the UFS, enabling us to ultimately recruit and attract the most talented students and staff from our region and from across the globe. This aligns with our institutional strategy contained in Vision 130, whereby we aim to grow and extend our impact and influence locally, regionally, and globally,” says Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal. “Valuable knowledge and insights are also garnered during each evaluation process, allowing us to remain a globally competitive force in higher education, and to take the UFS to even greater heights in the years to come.”

Click to view UFS Times Higher Subject Scores

News Archive

The 70th Intervarsity between the UFS and North-West University approaches

2013-07-10

Intervarsity programme (pdf)

In what promises to be a spectacular event, the University of the Free State (UFS) will host the 70th Intervarsity between the UFS and North-West University (NWU) from 9–10 August 2013.

Students, staff and spectators from all three NWU campuses – Potchefstroom, Mafikeng and Vanderbijlpark – will flock to Bloemfontein to participate in one of the country’s oldest sport contests between universities. The rivalry between the two universities is one of the most reckoned events on the local and national sports and student calendars, and it is widely supported.

Rugby, soccer, hockey, netball, volleyball and basketball will satisfy sports fans’ appetite during the weekend. For a more cultural dose, choral singing and debating competitions, as well as dialogue between student leaders will take place. All campuses of the two universities will participate in the programmes.

Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs at the UFS, said the celebration of the 70th Intervarsity between the two institutions will be an important milestone to commemorate decades of friendship, collaboration and healthy competition.

“At Intervarsity 2013 not only do we celebrate a 70-year-legacy of friendship, but also see the potential of another 70 years of shared growth in a new country. We're especially excited with new events that focus on students debating societal issues and celebrating the vibrant diversity of artistic and cultural genres of our society. These events will be remembered for long."

As a run-up to Intervarsity, the university will also host the second annual Intravarsity between the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses with sport and cultural teams from the two campuses competing against each other. Intravarsity 2013will behosted on the Qwaqwa Campus and will take place from 26–27 July 2013.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept