Research quality
How research at University of Bristol 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
94.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
2. Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care
152.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
77.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
84% world-class
5. Biological Sciences
70.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
6. Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences
31.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
7. Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
44.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
100% world-class
8. Chemistry
64.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
100% world-class
9. Physics
54.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
99% world-class
10. Mathematical Sciences
85.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
11. Computer Science and Informatics
59.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
100% world-class
12. Engineering
157.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
14. Geography and Environmental Studies
49.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
16. Economics and Econometrics
39.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
17. Business and Management Studies
76.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
18. Law
63.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
19. Politics and International Studies
32.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
92% world-class
20. Social Work and Social Policy
47.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
21. Sociology
24.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
85% world-class
22. Anthropology and Development Studies
12.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
23. Education
42.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
90% world-class
24. Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism
9.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
26. Modern Languages and Linguistics
45.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
27. English Language and Literature
40.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
89% world-class
28. History
44.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
29. Classics
15.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
30. Philosophy
23.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
84% world-class
31. Theology and Religious Studies
7.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
80% world-class
33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
28.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
Source: REF 2021 results