REF 2021 results
View the results of our submission to the Research Excellence Framework: REF 2021, published on Thursday 12 May 2022.
Table of results
Here are the results for all 25 units of assessment (UoAs).
You can view a breakdown of scores within each UoA.
| Unit of Assessment | School | FTE | 4* | 3* | 4*/3* | GPA (THE) | GPA Rank (THE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Clinical Medicine | Brighton and Sussex Medical School | 19.20 | 16 | 64 | 80 | 2.91 | 30 |
| 3 – Allied Health Professions † | Brighton and Sussex Medical School with the University of Brighton | 63.90 | 39 | 46 | 85 | 3.22 | 31 |
| 4 – Psychology Psychiatry and Neuroscience | Psychology | 53.90 | 50 | 38 | 88 | 3.38 | 18 |
| 5 – Biological Sciences | Life Sciences | 63.80 | 35 | 59 | 94 | 3.28 | 22 |
| 8 – Chemistry | Life Sciences | 18.30 | 29 | 58 | 87 | 3.16 | 28 |
| 9 – Physics | Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
42.70 | 42 | 52 | 94 | 3.35 | 26 |
| 10 – Mathematics Sciences | Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
22.00 | 35 | 60 | 95 | 3.3 | 26 |
| 11 – Computer Science and Informatics | Engineering and Informatics |
26.90 | 47 | 49 | 96 | 3.43 | 22 |
| 12 – Engineering | Engineering and Informatics |
26.20 | 11 | 74 | 85 | 2.94 | 48 |
| 14 – Geography and Environmental Studies | Global Studies (Geography) |
32.05 | 45 | 49 | 94 | 3.38 | 13 |
| 16 – Economics and Econometrics | University of Sussex Business School |
22.60 | 37 | 60 | 97 | 3.34 | 13 |
| 17 – Business and Management Studies | University of Sussex Business School |
105.85 | 39 | 47 | 86 | 3.23 | 28 |
| 18 – Law | Law, Politics and Sociology |
55.90 | 34 | 43 | 77 | 3.11 | 30 |
| 19 – Politics and International Studies | Global Studies (International Relations) |
29.25 | 44 | 47 | 91 | 3.35 | 13 |
| 20 – Social Work and Social Policy | Education and Social Work |
15.00 | 23 | 72 | 95 | 3.18 | 26 |
| 21 – Sociology | Law, Politics and Sociology |
18.50 | 45 | 40 | 85 | 3.28 | 12 |
| 22 – Anthropology and Development Studies | Global Studies (Anthropology) |
26.80 | 41 | 51 | 92 | 3.33 | 7 |
| 23 – Education | Education and Social Work |
20.60 | 57 | 31 | 88 | 3.44 | 12 |
| 25 – Area Studies | Law, Politics and Sociology (Politics) |
16.00 | 42 | 54 | 96 | 3.38 | 10 |
| 27 – English language and literature | Media, Arts and Humanities (English) |
39.00 | 58 | 36 | 94 | 3.52 | 14 |
| 28 – History | Media, Arts and Humanities (History) |
30.10 | 54 | 35 | 89 | 3.41 | 15 |
| 30 – Philosophy | Media, Arts and Humanities (Philosophy) |
12.00 | 37 | 48 | 85 | 3.22 | 14 |
| 32 – Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory | Media, Arts and Humanities (Art History) |
9.00 | 61 | 36 | 97 | 3.58 | 8 |
| 33 – Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies | Media, Arts and Humanities (Music, Drama) |
15.00 | 35 | 52 | 87 | 3.19 | 34 |
| 34 – Communication, Cultural and Media Studies | Media, Arts and Humanities (Media, Journalism & Cultural Studies; Film Studies; Creative & Critical Media Practice) | 45.10 | 51 | 43 | 94 | 3.42 | 11 |
- † = joint submission with University of Brighton: Total FTE of submitted staff for joint submission – 120
- GPA (THE) and GPA Rank (THE) data from Times Higher Education (THE)
Results by panel
View our combined overall results for the Units of Assessment within each of the main REF panels.
You can also view a breakdown of scores within each panel.
| Category | Measure | FTE | 4* | 3* | U/C | 4*/3* | GPA (THE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Sussex (All units) |
Overall | 885.75 | 40.6 | 48.4 | 0.3 | 89 | 3.28 |
| Main panel A: Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (UoAs 1, 3, 4, 5) |
Overall | 116.51 | 38.6 | 48.9 | 0.5 | 87.5 | 3.25 |
| Main panel B: Physical Sciences, Engineering and Informatics (UoAs 8, 9,10,11,12) |
Overall | 90.12 | 34.1 | 57.7 | 0 | 91.9 | 3.25 |
| Main panel C: Social Sciences (UoAs 14, 16,17,18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23) |
Overall | 197.35 | 39.9 | 47.5 | 0.3 | 87.4 | 3.26 |
| Main panel D: Arts and Humanities (UoAs 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34) |
Overall | 119.3 | 50.4 | 41.8 | 0 | 92.2 | 3.41 |
Key
- Unit of Assessment – each subject area, defined by REF 2021, to which we made a submission
- Department(s) – the primary University of Sussex Department (or School) who submitted to each Unit of Assessment
- FTE – the combined ‘full-time equivalent’ of the set of staff submitted in each Unit of Assessment
- 4* – four star: Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour
- 3* – three star: Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which falls short of the highest standards of excellence
- 2* – two star: Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour
- 1* – one star: Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour
- u/c – the percentage of research that was “unclassified”
- GPA – (Grade Point Average) – a metric calculated by the Times Higher Education, and used in its rankings.
More
View and compare results for all UK HEI on the REF 2021 website.