University of Johannesburg secures spot in Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings’ global top 30

The  University of Johannesburg is now the leading sub-Saharan Africa institution in addressing global challenges through the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This is according to the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.

The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) strong performance in the 2025 rankings, climbing 13 places from its 2024 position of 36th to an outstanding 23rd place globally, highlights its excellence in areas such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and global partnerships — affirming its role as a transformative force in higher education. 

The university is now ranked among the top 30 universities in the world out of 2,318 institutions evaluated.

UJ also performed well in the individual SDG top 10s, taking second place for SDG 1 (no poverty), fourth place for SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and joint fourth for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).

‘We want UJ to be the best university for the world’

Daily Maverick spoke to the UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, who said this milestone was not easy to attain; however, it showed the impact that the university had on people from different communities in South Africa.

Mpedi gave examples of some of the work done.

“Through the UJ societal impact project in Limpopo, we adopted villages and a high school, working with generous donors. We are addressing food insecurity.

“We’ve got carriages that we have set up there, helping gogos, but there are children in a high school called Hanyani High School; they leave home at 4am to be at school at 8am. We have assisted with internet and water,” said Mpedi.

Another example included work done in the Eastern Cape.

“There’s a village where we set up hydro panels. There was a water issue, and through these hydro panels we harvest water from the atmosphere; these hydro panels harvest 8,000 litres of potable water,” said Mpedi.

Speaking about eradicating poverty, Mpedi said challenges such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment must be dealt with by coming up with new solutions.

“Many of our students are the first generation to come to varsity, and student hunger is a big issue. We have a feeding programme for our needy students, and it’s not a lousy meal. It’s like Cheesy Rice and peanut butter, and we work with generous donors; also, the university invests some of its money…

“We’ve got lots of free land that is not being used. The aim is to show people that you can grow your food,” said Mpedi, who has held several senior academic and leadership positions. He served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, followed by his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic. Since 2023, Mpedi has been the vice-chancellor and principal of the university.

Read more: Letlhokwa George Mpedi — the Karate Kid who grew up to become a vice-chancellor

For the Impact Ranking achievement, he thanked the students and his staff who had worked brilliantly.

“I would say to them, ‘Thank you so much. The hard work is making a huge difference out there. It’s giving people hope.’ We are transforming lives,” said Mpedi.

Among other African universities that have made it to the top 100 is the University of Pretoria, which is now ranked 63, down from 42. Nigeria’s Afe Babalola University is in joint 84th position, up from the 101-200 band. DM