23 Best universities for Oceanography in South Africa

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Africa ranked based on their research performance in Oceanography. A graph of 987K citations received by 35.1K academic papers made by 23 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 Oceanography

#1 in Africa

#131 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Oceanography

#2 in Africa

#398 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Oceanography

#3 in Africa

#437 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Oceanography

#4 in Africa

#452 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Oceanography

#5 in Africa

#480 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

6. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#6 in Africa

#484 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Oceanography

#12 in Africa

#843 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Oceanography

#13 in Africa

#882 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Oceanography

#15 in Africa

#922 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Oceanography

#17 in Africa

#985 in the World

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

11. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#29 in Africa

#1151 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Oceanography

#33 in Africa

#1198 in the World

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

13. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Oceanography

#36 in Africa

#1253 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Oceanography

#49 in Africa

#1466 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#50 in Africa

#1500 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Oceanography

#51 in Africa

#1503 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Oceanography

#78 in Africa

#1902 in the World

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

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Oceanography

#92 in Africa

#2009 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Oceanography

#108 in Africa

#2246 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Oceanography

#160 in Africa

#3166 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Oceanography

#163 in Africa

#3238 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Oceanography

#167 in Africa

#3295 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Oceanography

#192 in Africa

#3589 in the World

Founded: 1979

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