24 Best universities for Oceanography 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 Oceanography. A graph of 1.08M citations received by 36.4K 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 Oceanography

#1 in Africa

#134 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Oceanography

#2 in Africa

#396 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

3. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Oceanography

#3 in Africa

#439 in the World

Founded: 1918

4. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Oceanography

#4 in Africa

#447 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

5. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#5 in Africa

#486 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

6. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Oceanography

#6 in Africa

#492 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

7. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Oceanography

#11 in Africa

#807 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

8. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Oceanography

#13 in Africa

#863 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

9. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Oceanography

#14 in Africa

#897 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

10. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Oceanography

#17 in Africa

#991 in the World

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

11. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#27 in Africa

#1115 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

12. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Oceanography

#34 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

#1219 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Oceanography

#50 in Africa

#1466 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#51 in Africa

#1506 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

16. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Oceanography

#52 in Africa

#1512 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Oceanography

#79 in Africa

#1877 in the World

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

18. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Oceanography

#92 in Africa

#2003 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

19. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Oceanography

#107 in Africa

#2213 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Oceanography

#159 in Africa

#3125 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Oceanography

#160 in Africa

#3128 in the World

Founded: 2005

22. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Oceanography

#163 in Africa

#3190 in the World

Founded: 1981

23. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Oceanography

#190 in Africa

#3582 in the World

Founded: 1979

24. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Oceanography

#231 in Africa

#4186 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

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.