24 Best universities for Environmental Management 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 Management. A graph of 1.24M citations received by 42.2K academic papers made by 24 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 Management

#1 in Africa

#140 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Environmental Management

#2 in Africa

#232 in the World

Founded: 1918

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Management

#4 in Africa

#259 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Management

#5 in Africa

#260 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Management

#6 in Africa

#262 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Management

#7 in Africa

#299 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Environmental Management

#10 in Africa

#450 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Management

#14 in Africa

#541 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Management

#20 in Africa

#667 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Environmental Management

#24 in Africa

#760 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Management

#30 in Africa

#820 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

12. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Management

#33 in Africa

#867 in the World

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

13. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Environmental Management

#37 in Africa

#949 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

14. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Environmental Management

#43 in Africa

#1031 in the World

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

15. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Environmental Management

#46 in Africa

#1084 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

16. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Environmental Management

#66 in Africa

#1369 in the World

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

17. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Environmental Management

#68 in Africa

#1386 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Environmental Management

#100 in Africa

#1792 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Environmental Management

#110 in Africa

#1919 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

20. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Management

#114 in Africa

#2001 in the World

Founded: 1981

21. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Environmental Management

#131 in Africa

#2173 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

22. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Management

#174 in Africa

#2688 in the World

Founded: 1979

23. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Environmental Management

#183 in Africa

#2801 in the World

Founded: 2005

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Management

#226 in Africa

#3467 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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