World Leading Excellence in our Departments
The outcomes of the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) showed that 85% of research at Aberystwyth University is of an international standard or better, with “World Leading” research found in 15 of the 16 subject areas.
That means that Aberystwyth University is second in Wales and 42nd out of 120 in whole of the UK for quality of research according to Times Higher Education and the Independent.
The RAE placed research into five different grades:
- 4* - World Leading
- 3* - Internationally Excellent
- 2* - Internationally Recognised
- 1* - Nationally Recognised
- 0 – Unclassified
The findings found that almost half of all research undertaken at Aberystwyth is World Leading or Internationally Excellent and 97.4% of researchers work in disciplines where World Leading research is undertaken.
Below is a highlight of our RAE2008 results:
| Department | % Research RAE2008 Score | Ranking from RAE2008 |
|---|---|---|
| International Politics | 65% 4* or 3* & 25% 2* | 3rd in the UK |
| Computer Science | 70% 4* or 3* & 30% 2* | 1st in Wales |
| Geography & Earth Science | 65% 4* or 3* & 30% 2* | 11th in the UK |
| Welsh | 65% 4* or 3* & 25% 2* | 4th in the UK |
| Theatre, Film & Television Studies | 60% 4* or 3* & 20% 2* | 15th in the UK |
Achieving such superb Quality Profile scores while being voted the BEST University in the Country for student experience is a testament to the wonderful balance that our students find at Aberystwyth; they enjoy not only being taught by World Leading & Internationally Excellent researchers and lecturers, but also gain an award winning student experience. We know that’s a bold claim, so go see what our students have to say...