24 Best universities for Environmental Science 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 Science. A graph of 7.82M citations received by 351K 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 Science

#1 in Africa

#176 in the World

Founded: 1874

2. University of Pretoria

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Science

#2 in Africa

#230 in the World

Enrollment: 48,174
Founded: 1908

3. University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Science

#3 in Africa

#273 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1922

4. University of Stellenbosch

South Africa | Stellenbosch

For Environmental Science

#4 in Africa

#289 in the World

Founded: 1918

5. University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Science

#5 in Africa

#290 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 2004

6. University of Johannesburg

South Africa | Johannesburg

For Environmental Science

#7 in Africa

#557 in the World

Enrollment: 49,910
Founded: 2005

7. North-West University

South Africa | Potchefstroom

For Environmental Science

#10 in Africa

#643 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 2004

8. University of South Africa

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Science

#13 in Africa

#732 in the World

Enrollment: 420,000
Founded: 1873

9. University of the Free State

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Science

#16 in Africa

#761 in the World

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

10. Rhodes University

South Africa | Makhanda

For Environmental Science

#17 in Africa

#772 in the World

Enrollment: 8,200
Founded: 1904

11. University of the Western Cape

South Africa | Bellville

For Environmental Science

#27 in Africa

#1019 in the World

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

12. Nelson Mandela University

South Africa | Port Elizabeth

For Environmental Science

#40 in Africa

#1263 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 2005

13. Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Science

#44 in Africa

#1336 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Founded: 2003

14. University of Fort Hare

South Africa | Alice

For Environmental Science

#47 in Africa

#1351 in the World

Enrollment: 11,074
Founded: 1916

15. Durban University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Science

#65 in Africa

#1686 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Founded: 2002

16. University of Limpopo

South Africa | Mankweng

For Environmental Science

#71 in Africa

#1762 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1959

17. Cape Peninsula University of Technology

South Africa | Cape Town

For Environmental Science

#72 in Africa

#1765 in the World

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

18. University of Venda

South Africa | Thohoyandou

For Environmental Science

#98 in Africa

#2169 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 1982

19. University of Zululand

South Africa | Kwadlangezwa

For Environmental Science

#101 in Africa

#2202 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1960

20. Vaal University of Technology

South Africa | Vanderbijlpark

For Environmental Science

#148 in Africa

#2967 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 1966

21. Central University of Technology

South Africa | Bloemfontein

For Environmental Science

#154 in Africa

#3045 in the World

Founded: 1981

22. Walter Sisulu University

South Africa | Mthatha

For Environmental Science

#168 in Africa

#3300 in the World

Founded: 2005

23. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

South Africa | Pretoria

For Environmental Science

#207 in Africa

#3884 in the World

Enrollment: 5,000
Founded: 2014

24. Mangosuthu University of Technology

South Africa | Durban

For Environmental Science

#230 in Africa

#4286 in the World

Founded: 1979

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