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Nelson Mandela University

(NMU)

🇿🇦 South Africa / Eastern Cape / Port Elizabeth
Public Est. 2005

About

NMMU brings together the best traditions of technikon and university education, and draws on more than a century of quality higher education, in a new kind of university that offers a wide range of academic, professional and technological programmes at varying entrance and exit levels.NMMU has approximately 27 000 students and approximately 2 500 staff members, based on six campuses in the Nelson...

NMMU brings together the best traditions of technikon and university education, and draws on more than a century of quality higher education, in a new kind of university that offers a wide range of academic, professional and technological programmes at varying entrance and exit levels.NMMU has approximately 27 000 students and approximately 2 500 staff members, based on six campuses in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and George. The sites are the North Campus (former PE Technikon), South Campus (former UPE), Second Avenue Campus (former PE Technikon College Campus) Missionvale Campus (former Vista), Bird Street Campus and the George Campus at Saasveld.The first Chancellor of NMMU was Chief Justice Pius Langa, and Justice Ronnie Pillay the first Chairperson of Council. Dr Rolf Stumpf was the first Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of NMMU, succeeded on 1 January 2008 by Prof Derrick Swartz.The first step in the merger came with the incorporation of Vista PE by UPE on 2 January 2004, followed by the merger of PE Technikon and UPE on 1 January 2005.

Ranking Overview

Ranking Snapshot

Ranked Top 1201 worldwide across 3 major ranking systems

THE #1201–1500 (2026)
US News #1259 (2026)

Ranked in 14 subject rankings

QS QS World University Rankings
# 1401+
2027
THE Times Higher Education World University Rankings
# 1201–1500
27.3
2026
ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities
Not Ranked
US News U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings
# =1,259
9
36.0
2026

Key Facts

Students
24,272
Student-Staff Ratio
34.8 : 1
Int'l Students
2%
Female : Male
60 : 40
Staff
2,500

Historical Trend

Longitudinal View
US News US News
1 201 401 601 801 1001 1201 1401 1450 2020 2021 2022 2023 2025 2026 2027 Rank
:
Score:

Top Subjects

Best-performing areas
228
301-400
=317
Environment/Ecology
401–500
Education & Training
401-500
Earth & Marine Sciences
401-475
Agriculture & Forestry
464
Plant and Animal Science
601–800
Life Sciences
601–800
Social Sciences
601–800
Arts & Humanities
1001–1250
Engineering & Technology
1001+
Clinical & Health
1001–1250
Physical Sciences
1001+
Business & Economics

Subject Rankings

Detailed breakdown

US News

3 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Ecology 228 36.0 2026
Environment/Ecology =317 36.0 2026
Plant and Animal Science 464 36.0 2026

ARWU

2 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Ecology 301-400 - 2025
Earth & Marine Sciences 401-500 - 2022

THE

8 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Education & Training 401–500 32.7 2026
Life Sciences 601–800 29.3 2026
Social Sciences 601–800 26.6 2026
Arts & Humanities 601–800 16.8 2026
Engineering & Technology 1001–1250 21.4 2026
Clinical & Health 1001+ 11.2 2026
Physical Sciences 1001–1250 20.9 2026
Business & Economics 1001+ 14.7 2026

QS

1 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Agriculture & Forestry 401-475 - 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ranking of Nelson Mandela University?

Nelson Mandela University's performance in the latest university rankings: QS Rank 1401+, THE Rank 1201–1500, US News Rank =1,259.

When was Nelson Mandela University founded?

Nelson Mandela University was founded in 2005.

What are the top subjects at Nelson Mandela University?

Top subjects at Nelson Mandela University include: Ecology, Ecology, Environment/Ecology, Education & Training, Earth & Marine Sciences.

Where is Nelson Mandela University located?

Nelson Mandela University is located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.