Best UK universities for economics research
Ranked by the share of research rated world-leading (4★) in the REF 2021 — UoA 16: Economics and Econometrics.
| # | University | World-leading (4★) | Internationally excellent (3★) | FTE staff submitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London Westminster | 75.0% | 23.0% | 54.6 |
| 2 | University of Warwick Coventry | 69.0% | 30.0% | 55.1 |
| 3 | UCL (University College London) London | 65.0% | 30.0% | 43.3 |
| 4 | University of Cambridge Cambridge | 59.0% | 37.0% | 48.0 |
| 5 | University of Nottingham Nottingham | 53.0% | 46.0% | 34.8 |
| 6 | University of Oxford Oxford | 51.0% | 44.0% | 83.9 |
| 7 | Queen Mary University of London London | 48.0% | 50.0% | 44.4 |
| 8 | University of Bristol Bristol | 48.0% | 49.0% | 39.0 |
| 9 | University of Essex Colchester | 47.0% | 50.0% | 52.1 |
| 10 | University of Manchester Manchester | 41.0% | 54.0% | 36.0 |
| 11 | University of Surrey Guildford | 40.0% | 57.0% | 24.8 |
| 12 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham | 40.0% | 55.0% | 27.0 |
| 13 | University of Sussex Brighton | 37.0% | 60.0% | 22.6 |
| 14 | The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh | 36.0% | 57.0% | 31.6 |
| 15 | University of York York | 33.0% | 63.0% | 38.0 |
| 16 | University of East Anglia UEA Norwich | 31.0% | 61.0% | 28.2 |
| 17 | University of Exeter Exeter | 30.0% | 59.0% | 37.7 |
| 18 | University of Southampton Southampton | 24.0% | 72.0% | 27.6 |
| 19 | Birkbeck, University of London London | 22.0% | 57.0% | 26.1 |
| 20 | City (City St George's, University of London) City of London | 15.0% | 70.0% | 27.2 |
| 21 | University of Kent Canterbury | 15.0% | 58.0% | 27.9 |
| 22 | University of St Andrews St Andrews | 14.0% | 69.0% | 23.4 |
| 23 | University of Bath Bath | 6.0% | 77.0% | 40.2 |
| 24 | Brunel University of London Uxbridge | 1.0% | 60.0% | 37.6 |
| 25 | University of Northampton Northampton | 0.0% | 5.0% | 8.5 |
Source: REF 2021 Overall profile — results2021.ref.ac.uk. 4★ research is "world-leading"; 3★ is "internationally excellent".