Research quality
How research at University of St Andrews 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
30.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
86% world-class
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
32.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
5. Biological Sciences
59.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
84% world-class
7. Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
20.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
8. Chemistry
40.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
99% world-class
9. Physics
40.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
10. Mathematical Sciences
42.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
98% world-class
11. Computer Science and Informatics
30.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
90% world-class
14. Geography and Environmental Studies
26.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
16. Economics and Econometrics
23.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
17. Business and Management Studies
33.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
19. Politics and International Studies
41.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
22. Anthropology and Development Studies
18.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
92% world-class
26. Modern Languages and Linguistics
45.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
27. English Language and Literature
33.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
28. History
50.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
89% world-class
29. Classics
22.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
80% world-class
30. Philosophy
18.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
82% world-class
31. Theology and Religious Studies
22.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
74% world-class
32. Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
23.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
10.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
75% world-class
Source: REF 2021 results