South African-based International Hotel School has cracked the top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.
The rankings benchmark over 21,000 academic programmes across 1,900 universities in over 100 countries, spanning 55 disciplines and five broad faculty areas.
The faculty areas are Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Sub-Saharan African institutions feature almost 200 times in the 2026 Subject Rankings, with South Africa home to 16 top-100 entries.
- The best-ranked university in South Africa was the University of Cape Town (UCT), which ranked 11th globally in Development Studies.
- The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) was also ranked 25th in the world for Development Studies and 25th for Engineering related to Mineral & Mining.
- International Hotel School ranked 44th and entered the top 50 in its subject area for the first time since 2020. It was previously in the 101-150 range in 2025.
| 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank | Institution | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 15 | University of Cape Town | Development Studies |
| 25 | 41 | University of the Witwatersrand | Development Studies |
| 25 | 11 | University of the Witwatersrand | Engineering – Mineral & Mining |
| 44 | 101-150 | International Hotel School | Hospitality & Leisure Management |
| 51-100 | 51-100 | University of Cape Town | Anthropology |
| 51-100 | 51-100 | University of Witwatersrand | Anthropology |
| 51-100 | 151-200 | University of Cape Town | Archaeology |
| 51-100 | 51-100 | University of Pretoria | Development Studies |
| 51-100 | 51-100 | University of Johannesburg | Development Studies |
| 51-100 | – | University of Cape Town | Engineering – Mineral & Mining |
| 51-100 | – | University of Cape Town | Sports-related Subjects |
| 51-100 | 101-150 | Stellenbosch University | Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies |
| 51-100 | – | University of Pretoria | Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies |
| 51-100 | 51-100 | University of Pretoria | Veterinary Science |
| 88 | 99 | University of Cape Town | Medicine |
| 100 | 102 | University of Cape Town | Life Sciences & Medicine |
South African entries in the World’s Top 100
International Hotel School history
The International Hotel School was established in the Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg, in 1994, to meet the shortage of trained individuals for the service-driven industry.
It now offers a range of nationally and internationally recognised degrees, diplomas and certificates across all parts of the hospitality industry.
It has six campuses, namely Johannesburg, Benoni, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Gqeberha, as well as an online campus which was launched in 2014.
It has over 1,300 students graduate annually, with many going on to work with worldwide hospitality groups, including Disney, Seabourn Cruise Line, and Ritz-Carlton Hotels.
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