Research quality

How research at University of the West of Scotland 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

3. Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

32.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

69% world-class

7. Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

12.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

67% world-class

9. Physics

8.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

91% world-class

11. Computer Science and Informatics

25.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

60% world-class

12. Engineering

34.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

51% world-class

17. Business and Management Studies

34.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

30% world-class

20. Social Work and Social Policy

64.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

35% world-class

23. Education

18.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

37% world-class

24. Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism

26.1 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

71% world-class

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

16.6 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research

35% world-class

Source: REF 2021 results