Research quality

How research at King's College London, University of London was rated in the REF 2021 — the UK's official assessment of university research quality.

4★ research is world-leading; 3★ is internationally excellent; 2★ is internationally recognised; 1★ is nationally recognised. Each bar shows the percentage of research at each quality tier, broken down by subject area (Unit of Assessment).

  • 4★ World-leading
  • 3★ Internationally excellent
  • 2★ Internationally recognised
  • 1★ Nationally recognised
  • Unclassified

1. Clinical Medicine

181.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

94% world-class

2. Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care

38.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

94% world-class

3. Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

224.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

95% world-class

4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

310.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

90% world-class

5. Biological Sciences

30.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

83% world-class

8. Chemistry

19.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

99% world-class

9. Physics

33.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

95% world-class

10. Mathematical Sciences

47.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

100% world-class

11. Computer Science and Informatics

48.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

98% world-class

12. Engineering

98.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

95% world-class

14. Geography and Environmental Studies

48.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

94% world-class

17. Business and Management Studies

107.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

93% world-class

18. Law

74.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

84% world-class

19. Politics and International Studies

171.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

86% world-class

21. Sociology

27.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

84% world-class

23. Education

42.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

90% world-class

24. Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism

14.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

96% world-class

26. Modern Languages and Linguistics

48.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

88% world-class

27. English Language and Literature

58.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

91% world-class

28. History

84.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

86% world-class

29. Classics

31.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

88% world-class

30. Philosophy

29.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

86% world-class

31. Theology and Religious Studies

22.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

91% world-class

33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies

34.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

97% world-class

34. Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management

52.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

93% world-class

Source: REF 2021 results