Research quality
How research at University of Southampton 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
180.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
87% world-class
2. Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care
13.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
3. Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy
58.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
45.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
86% world-class
5. Biological Sciences
45.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
7. Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
60.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
8. Chemistry
44.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
9. Physics
41.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
95% world-class
10. Mathematical Sciences
64.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
99% world-class
11. Computer Science and Informatics
47.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
12. Engineering
261.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
14. Geography and Environmental Studies
40.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
15. Archaeology
19.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
16. Economics and Econometrics
27.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
17. Business and Management Studies
93.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
85% world-class
18. Law
31.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
81% world-class
19. Politics and International Studies
28.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
87% world-class
20. Social Work and Social Policy
43.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
23. Education
22.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
89% world-class
26. Modern Languages and Linguistics
21.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
74% world-class
27. English Language and Literature
32.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
28. History
38.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
30. Philosophy
18.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
92% world-class
32. Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
19.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
13.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
82% world-class
Source: REF 2021 results