After this, Coltart enrolled at the University of Cape Town in 1978. At UCT he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Law as well as his LLB (post-graduate law degree). While at UCT Coltart first became involved in politics when he was elected as Chairman of the Zimbabwe Students' Society. In 1981 he was threatened with deportation by the then apartheid government who did not like his activities promoting the new independent Zimbabwe. Shortly after this, Coltart received a telegram from then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe stating the new Zimbabwe government's commitment to building a multiracial society and encouraging Coltart to return home after his studies. Whilst at university, Coltart was also elected to serve on the Law Students' Council and was director of the Crossroads Legal Aid clinic, which provided services to indigent black South Africans.