UCT has been ranked among the top 50 universities in the world in three subjects in the 2018 QS World University Rankings by Subject: development studies, geography and sport. A further eight subjects are in the top 100.

UCT remains one of the top places in the world to research and learn about development studies according to the latest QS subject rankings, having moved down just one position to 11th place. The University of Sussex is back in first place, having flipped for a second time with Harvard University, which is now in second place.

In 37th place, sports-related subjects at UCT are ranked in the top 50 for the first time, tied with the National University of Singapore. This is a jump up from last year (the field was first included in the rankings in 2017) when UCT was in the 51–100 range.

Geography at UCT remains in the top 50 in the world, in 49th place, equal with the University of East Anglia.

UCT has a total of 11 subjects in the top 100. The other eight are Agriculture, Anatomy, Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, English, Law and Social policy.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject ranks 48 subjects in five broad subject areas: arts and humanities, engineering and technology, life sciences and medicine, natural sciences, and social sciences and management.

UCT’s performance has improved in all of these five broad subject areas, with life sciences and medicine jumping into the top 100 in 88th position.