Research quality
How research at University of Oxford 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
498.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
2. Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care
134.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
169.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
5. Biological Sciences
308.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
7. Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
40.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
8. Chemistry
83.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
9. Physics
171.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
10. Mathematical Sciences
171.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
99% world-class
11. Computer Science and Informatics
73.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
100% world-class
12. Engineering
168.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
14. Geography and Environmental Studies
95.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
15. Archaeology
48.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
16. Economics and Econometrics
83.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
17. Business and Management Studies
84.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
18. Law
138.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
19. Politics and International Studies
114.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
86% world-class
20. Social Work and Social Policy
26.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
92% world-class
21. Sociology
44.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
22. Anthropology and Development Studies
97.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
80% world-class
23. Education
55.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
92% world-class
25. Area Studies
88.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
90% world-class
26. Modern Languages and Linguistics
139.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
79% world-class
27. English Language and Literature
116.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
28. History
172.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
86% world-class
29. Classics
90.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
84% world-class
30. Philosophy
98.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
80% world-class
31. Theology and Religious Studies
55.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
80% world-class
32. Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
8.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
100% world-class
33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
28.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
77% world-class
Source: REF 2021 results