22 Best universities for Environmental Engineering 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 Environmental Engineering. A graph of 269K citations received by 11.1K academic papers made by 22 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 Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Environmental Engineering

#1 in Africa

#218 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Engineering

#2 in Africa

#246 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

3. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Engineering

#4 in Africa

#280 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Engineering

#5 in Africa

#321 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Engineering

#7 in Africa

#331 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

6. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Environmental Engineering

#8 in Africa

#405 in the World

Founded: 1918

7. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Engineering

#10 in Africa

#475 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Engineering

#11 in Africa

#476 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Engineering

#17 in Africa

#577 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

10. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Environmental Engineering

#26 in Africa

#706 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

11. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Environmental Engineering

#28 in Africa

#737 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

12. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Environmental Engineering

#34 in Africa

#861 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

13. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Environmental Engineering

#43 in Africa

#967 in the World

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

14. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Environmental Engineering

#51 in Africa

#1041 in the World

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

15. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Engineering

#57 in Africa

#1091 in the World

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

16. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Environmental Engineering

#74 in Africa

#1343 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

17. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Environmental Engineering

#103 in Africa

#1733 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Environmental Engineering

#118 in Africa

#1893 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Environmental Engineering

#126 in Africa

#1970 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

20. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Environmental Engineering

#129 in Africa

#2004 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

21. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Engineering

#157 in Africa

#2359 in the World

Founded: 1979

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Engineering

#193 in Africa

#2741 in the World

Founded: 1981

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