21 Best universities for Zoology in South Africa

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Zoology. A graph of 823K citations received by 31.4K academic papers made by 21 universities in South Africa was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Zoology

#1 in Africa

#56 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Zoology

#2 in Africa

#104 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Zoology

#3 in Africa

#148 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Zoology

#4 in Africa

#157 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Zoology

#5 in Africa

#175 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

6. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Zoology

#7 in Africa

#262 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

7. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Zoology

#11 in Africa

#466 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1904

8. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Zoology

#12 in Africa

#519 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

9. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Zoology

#13 in Africa

#529 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

10. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Zoology

#18 in Africa

#642 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Zoology

#31 in Africa

#889 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 24,754
Founded: 1959

12. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Zoology

#40 in Africa

#1080 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Zoology

#51 in Africa

#1252 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Zoology

#63 in Africa

#1440 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Zoology

#78 in Africa

#1710 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

16. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Zoology

#86 in Africa

#1801 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

17. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Zoology

#113 in Africa

#2236 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

18. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Zoology

#126 in Africa

#2394 in the World

Founded: 2005

19. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Zoology

#129 in Africa

#2445 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

20. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Zoology

#130 in Africa

#2449 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Enrollment: 35,047
Founded: 2005

21. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Zoology

#159 in Africa

#2941 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

The best cities to study Zoology in South Africa based on the number of universities and their ranks are Pretoria, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Durban.

Biology subfields in South Africa