The Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS) for 2025 has ranked the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University among the top global universities with employable graduates.
The GEURS assesses the employability performance of higher education institutions.
It is the only survey that ranks and reveals the world’s top 250 universities for producing employable graduates based on the employer’s assessment, knowledge and expectations.
The 14th edition of the GEURS collected 129 126 votes from 13 240 operational and international managers in 33 countries– this is the largest sample to date.
Stellenbosch University earned the 245th spot in the GEURS, which is five places improvement to this year (2024) after scoring the 250th position.
Meanwhile, UCT grabbed the 243rd spot, earning two places improvement as it ranked the 245th best university for graduate employability.
“The GEURS shows that employers want graduates that have undertaken some form of work experience. Though other factors continue to play a significant role, such as graduate skills, or digital mindset, this factor is emerging as exceptionally influential in employer assessments,” read the report.
With 52 American universities featuring in the top 250 in 2025, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claimed the first spot, whilst California Institute of Technology took second place.
Surprisingly, Harvard University found itself in fourth place, and Stanford University comfortably took third spot.
The University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom fought a good fight as it claimed fifth position, followed by the University of Oxford in seventh place.
There are 13 UK universities present in this year’s rankings, with Imperial College of London claiming tenth position.
Asia made 52 appearances in the survey, meanwhile India boasts a strong performance with 10 of its universities present.
Peking University in China ranked 11th position, followed by Tsinghua University in 19th place and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 35th spot.
The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi had a slight fall to 28th place, compared to the 27th spot it claimed in 2024.
The Indian Institute of Science made impressive progress by earning 47th place, becoming the second Indian university in the top 50.
The report cited the success of these institutions is largely due to their technological specialisation, which continues to pool the attraction of international employers.
Egypt being the second African country to feature in the survey, Cairo University secured the 247th position, marking a slight increase from its previous rank of 249th.
Notably, 45.9% of employers emphasised they hire graduates based on the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies and trends, while 45.1% valued collaboration skills, such as communication and teamwork— these skills are critical in modern workplaces.
The Star