Best UK universities for chemistry research
Ranked by the share of research rated world-leading (4★) in the REF 2021 — UoA 8: Chemistry.
| # | University | World-leading (4★) | Internationally excellent (3★) | FTE staff submitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Bristol Bristol | 74.0% | 26.0% | 64.2 |
| 2 | University of Cambridge Cambridge | 74.0% | 24.0% | 77.2 |
| 3 | UCL (University College London) London | 68.0% | 32.0% | 64.8 |
| 4 | Imperial College London Kensington and Chelsea | 68.0% | 30.0% | 63.3 |
| 5 | King's College London, University of London Westminster | 66.0% | 33.0% | 19.0 |
| 6 | University of Oxford Oxford | 66.0% | 32.0% | 83.0 |
| 7 | University of Liverpool Liverpool | 64.0% | 35.0% | 43.0 |
| 8 | University of Manchester Manchester | 63.0% | 37.0% | 76.2 |
| 9 | University of York York | 62.0% | 36.0% | 56.8 |
| 10 | University of St Andrews St Andrews | 56.0% | 43.0% | 40.3 |
| 11 | The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh | 56.0% | 43.0% | 48.0 |
| 12 | University of Bath Bath | 53.0% | 46.0% | 41.6 |
| 13 | University of Sheffield Sheffield | 52.0% | 43.0% | 34.2 |
| 14 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne | 52.0% | 43.0% | 34.0 |
| 15 | University of Warwick Coventry | 51.0% | 49.0% | 46.8 |
| 16 | Queen Mary University of London London | 50.0% | 50.0% | 15.5 |
| 17 | University of Southampton Southampton | 50.0% | 47.0% | 44.4 |
| 18 | University of Nottingham Nottingham | 45.0% | 53.0% | 46.7 |
| 19 | Cardiff University Cardiff | 44.0% | 55.0% | 39.4 |
| 20 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow | 43.0% | 55.0% | 34.4 |
| 21 | University of Glasgow Glasgow | 43.0% | 50.0% | 41.0 |
| 22 | Durham University Durham | 41.0% | 56.0% | 44.2 |
| 23 | University of East Anglia UEA Norwich | 41.0% | 52.0% | 34.2 |
| 24 | University of Birmingham Birmingham | 41.0% | 50.0% | 30.8 |
| 25 | University of Leicester Leicester | 35.0% | 65.0% | 18.8 |
| 26 | University of Leeds Leeds | 35.0% | 61.0% | 40.0 |
| 27 | Queen's University Belfast Belfast | 34.0% | 59.0% | 30.3 |
| 28 | University of Lincoln Lincoln | 30.0% | 49.0% | 14.2 |
| 29 | University of Sussex Brighton | 29.0% | 58.0% | 18.3 |
| 30 | Swansea University Swansea | 29.0% | 56.0% | 19.2 |
| 31 | University of Kent Canterbury | 25.0% | 61.0% | 18.0 |
| 32 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen | 21.0% | 74.0% | 19.0 |
| 33 | University of Greenwich Greenwich | 20.0% | 51.0% | 17.2 |
| 34 | University of Reading Reading | 19.0% | 68.0% | 15.9 |
| 35 | Loughborough University Loughborough | 18.0% | 67.0% | 31.0 |
| 36 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh | 17.0% | 63.0% | 39.7 |
| 37 | University of Hull Hull | 16.0% | 77.0% | 14.5 |
| 38 | Lancaster University Lancaster | 12.0% | 73.0% | 25.0 |
| 39 | University of Bradford Bradford | 8.0% | 68.0% | 19.0 |
| 40 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield | 7.0% | 46.0% | 27.0 |
| 41 | University of Chester Chester | 4.0% | 40.0% | 12.0 |
Source: REF 2021 Overall profile — results2021.ref.ac.uk. 4★ research is "world-leading"; 3★ is "internationally excellent".