21 Best universities for Earth science / Geoscience / Geophysics 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 Earth science and Geophysics. A graph of 591K citations received by 20.7K 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

#160 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

#243 in the World

Founded: 1874

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Earth science and Geophysics

#3 in Africa

#425 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Earth science and Geophysics

#4 in Africa

#505 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#6 in Africa

#521 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Earth science and Geophysics

#7 in Africa

#534 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Earth science and Geophysics

#9 in Africa

#646 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

8. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Earth science and Geophysics

#23 in Africa

#905 in the World

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

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Earth science and Geophysics

#40 in Africa

#1202 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Earth science and Geophysics

#47 in Africa

#1319 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Earth science and Geophysics

#52 in Africa

#1422 in the World

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

12. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#60 in Africa

#1535 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

13. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Earth science and Geophysics

#62 in Africa

#1562 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Earth science and Geophysics

#67 in Africa

#1650 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Earth science and Geophysics

#109 in Africa

#2168 in the World

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

16. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Earth science and Geophysics

#120 in Africa

#2293 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Earth science and Geophysics

#141 in Africa

#2507 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Earth science and Geophysics

#149 in Africa

#2628 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Earth science and Geophysics

#150 in Africa

#2654 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Earth science and Geophysics

#167 in Africa

#2905 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Earth science and Geophysics

#201 in Africa

#3544 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.