21 Best universities for Earth science / Geoscience / Geophysics in South Africa

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Earth science and Geophysics. A graph of 433K citations received by 18.2K 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 the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Earth science and Geophysics

#1 in Africa

#148 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

2. University of Cape Town

South Africa | Cape Town

For Earth science and Geophysics

#2 in Africa

#231 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Earth science and Geophysics

#3 in Africa

#414 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Earth science and Geophysics

#4 in Africa

#478 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#5 in Africa

#512 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Earth science and Geophysics

#7 in Africa

#555 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Earth science and Geophysics

#9 in Africa

#608 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

8. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Earth science and Geophysics

#22 in Africa

#871 in the World

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

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Earth science and Geophysics

#38 in Africa

#1224 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Enrollment: 26,439
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 2004

10. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Earth science and Geophysics

#43 in Africa

#1338 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Earth science and Geophysics

#47 in Africa

#1355 in the World

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

12. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#55 in Africa

#1484 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#64 in Africa

#1650 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1873

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Earth science and Geophysics

#65 in Africa

#1651 in the World

Founded: 1916

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Earth science and Geophysics

#107 in Africa

#2318 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Founded: 2005

16. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Earth science and Geophysics

#119 in Africa

#2428 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Enrollment: 10,213
Founded: 2002

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Earth science and Geophysics

#129 in Africa

#2521 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Earth science and Geophysics

#133 in Africa

#2593 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

19. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Earth science and Geophysics

#138 in Africa

#2656 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Earth science and Geophysics

#155 in Africa

#2842 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Earth science and Geophysics

#190 in Africa

#3462 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

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