| Subject | QS | THE | ARWU | U.S. News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality & Tourism | — | — | #19 | — |
| Development Studies | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Geography | — | — | #76-100 | — |
| Environmental Science | #301-350 | — | — | #79 |
| Public Health | — | — | — | #80 |
| Anthropology | #101-200 | — | — | — |
| Business & Management | #451-500 | — | #101-150 | — |
| Earth & Geosciences | — | — | #101-150 | #273 |
| Economics & Econometrics | #401-450 | — | #301-400 | #110 |
| Education | #201-250 | #126-150 | #201-300 | — |
| Law | — | #126-150 | — | — |
| Social Sciences & Management | #394 | #151-175 | — | — |
| Food Science & Technology | — | — | #301-400 | #174 |
| Business & Economics | — | #176-200 | — | — |
| Archaeology | #201-260 | — | — | — |
| Art & Design | #201-300 | — | — | — |
| Communication & Media | #201-250 | — | — | — |
| Sociology | — | — | #201-300 | — |
| Chemistry | #401-450 | — | — | #208 |
| Arts & Humanities | #401-450 | #251-300 | — | #221 |
| Engineering & Technology | #376 | #301-400 | — | #233 |
| Psychology | #251-300 | #251-300 | — | #308 |
| Materials Science | #251-300 | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | #451-500 | #251-300 | — | #448 |
| Energy Science & Engineering | — | — | — | #267 |
| Political Science & IR | #301-400 | — | — | — |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | #401-450 | — | #301-400 | #336 |
| Natural / Physical Sciences | #401-450 | #301-400 | — | — |
| Telecommunication Engineering | — | — | #301-400 | — |
| Automation & Control | — | — | #301-400 | — |
| Chemical Engineering | #351-400 | — | #401-500 | — |
| Physics & Astronomy | #551-600 | — | #401-500 | #358 |
| Mathematics | #401-450 | — | — | #445 |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | #451-500 | #401-500 | — | — |
| Medicine / Clinical | #551-600 | — | #401-500 | — |
| Pharmacy & Pharmacology | — | — | #401-500 | — |
| Clinical & Health | — | #401-500 | — | — |
| Agriculture & Forestry | — | — | — | #425 |
| Biological Sciences | #451-500 | — | — | #448 |
| Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | #451-500 | — | — | — |
University of Johannesburg ranks #308 in QS 2026, #375 in THE 2026, #501-600 in ARWU 2025 and #319 in U.S. News 2026. Its consensus position across the major rankings is #409 globally.
QS weights employer reputation and international metrics more heavily; THE places more weight on research influence and teaching environment. Differences of this size between the two systems are common — see our methodology comparison.