University Of The Witwatersrand

The University of the Witwatersrand is a public research university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Commonly known as Wits University or simply Wits, it is one of the country's leading institutions of higher education and a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The university operates across five campuses in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, with its main campus situated in Braamfontein. Wits offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across five faculties: Commerce, Law and Management; Engineering and the Built Environment; Health Sciences; Humanities; and Science. The institution is recognised for its strong research output and has produced notable graduates and faculty members, including several Nobel Prize laureates. The university plays a significant role in South Africa's academic landscape, particularly in fields such as mining engineering, palaeontology, law and social sciences. Wits maintains partnerships with universities and research institutions globally and contributes extensively to public discourse on social, economic and environmental issues affecting South Africa and the broader African continent. The university was established in 1922 as the University of the Witwatersrand, having evolved from the South African School of Mines founded in 1896 and later the Transvaal Technical Institute and Transvaal University College.