Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
The UK Funding Bodies have published the outcomes of the recent national research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
The REF 2021 results show Oxford’s submission had the highest volume of world-leading research. [1]
The University of Oxford made the largest submission of any Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK, submitting over 3,600 researchers (3,405 full time equivalent) into 29 subject areas, over 8,500 research outputs in a range of formats from journal articles to compositions, and 220 case studies about the impact of Oxford research beyond academia.
Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Oxford, said:
‘The REF 2021 results demonstrate once again that Oxford is a research powerhouse. The impact case studies highlight our effectiveness in putting this research in service to society by making critical contributions to global health, economic prosperity and cultural life.’
‘The REF is one of the few opportunities to see the remarkable breadth of our research and to draw together all parts of the collegiate University in a single collaborative effort, I would like to thank everyone involved for their contribution.’
Professor Patrick Grant, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Oxford said:
‘The publication of the REF 2021 results marks the culmination of the work done by staff across the University, especially in the past two years or so. Thank you to everyone involved in the submission — both those who, in a variety of ways, led and supported our research and impact activities, and also the many colleagues who coordinated the submission itself.’
‘We are pleased to have submitted work from researchers at a variety of career stages and from across the Collegiate university, thus giving us the opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of our research. Our submission also shows how through our collaborations with external partners our research is used to benefit society, across the UK and around the world.’
[1] Largest volume of world-leading research is calculated from the sum of (overall %4* x submitted FTE) across all submissions.
Full results are available at: www.ref.ac.uk
REF 2021 results
The University of Oxford’s results in REF 2021 are given below. Results are shown as the percentage of the submission achieving the following starred levels:
4* – quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour
3* – quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour, but which falls short if the highest standards of excellence
2* – quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour
1* – quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour
Unclassified (U/C) – Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work, or work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of this assessment.
The overall results for the University as a whole are given as an FTE-weighted average of the subject results. The table then shows the results for each subject area submission. We also show the total number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff submitted for each subject.
REF 2021 overall results
| REF 2021 overall results | ||||||
| FTE of submitted staff | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | U/C | |
| University of Oxford overall | 3,404.62 | 59 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
REF 2021 results by unit of assessment (UOA)
| REF 2021 results by unit of assessment (UOA) | ||||||
| Number and name (multiple submissions indicated by A,B) | FTE of staff submitted | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | U/C |
| 1 Clinical Medicine | 498.02 | 59 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care | 134.31 | 68 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience | 169.15 | 69 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 Biological Sciences | 308.94 | 61 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences | 40.75 | 63 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 Chemistry | 83.00 | 66 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 Physics | 171.28 | 57 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 Mathematical Sciences | 171.85 | 78 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 Computer Science and Informatics | 73.65 | 81 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 Engineering | 168.50 | 71 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 Geography and Environmental Studies | 95.40 | 57 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 Archaeology | 48.15 | 53 | 35 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 Economics and Econometrics | 83.87 | 51 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 Business and Management Studies | 84.20 | 59 | 29 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 Law | 138.23 | 55 | 28 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 Politics and International Studies | 114.80 | 53 | 33 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 Social Work and Social Policy | 26.35 | 62 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 Sociology | 44.20 | 63 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 22A Anthropology | 48.21 | 39 | 33 | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| 22B Development Studies | 49.15 | 52 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 Education | 55.30 | 69 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 Area Studies | 88.05 | 53 | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 26A Modern Languages | 105.60 | 42 | 37 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 26B Linguistics | 34.25 | 33 | 44 | 13 | 9 | 1 |
| 27 English Language and Literature | 116.00 | 61 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 History | 172.75 | 53 | 33 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 Classics | 90.65 | 52 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 Philosophy | 98.05 | 41 | 39 | 16 | 1 | 3 |
| 31 Theology and Religious Studies | 55.20 | 33 | 47 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory | 8.16 | 85 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies | 28.60 | 40 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 0 |
The full results, including quality profiles for outputs, impact and environment, are available on the REF website.