Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranks Sports and Exercise Science at Swansea as 5th in the UK for its Research Impact* and 15th in the UK for the overall quality of its research.
The REF assesses the quality of research in the UK Higher Education sector, assuring us of the standards we strive for.
World-Leading Research
The REF shows that 72% of research produced by our academic staff is of World-Leading (4*) or Internationally Excellent (3*) quality.
Research pioneered by our academic staff informs our world-class teaching, with several of our staff leaders in their fields. Find out more about the impact our research is having here.
Additional highlights of REF include our Sport and Exercise Science Research Environment** being recognised as 7th in the UK
Sport and Exercise Science UK Top 10 Ranking for Research Impact
Source: Research Excellence Framework 2014
Institution |
%4* Research Activity |
GPA |
Position in UK |
| Bristol | 100 | 4.00 | 1 |
| Liverpool John Moores | 90 | 3.90 | 2 |
| Loughborough | 75 | 3.75 | 3 |
| Bath | 73 | 3.73 | 4 |
| Swansea | 70 | 3.70 | 5 |
| Cardiff Met (joint submission with Bangor) | 67 | 3.67 | 6 |
| Bangor (joint submission with Cardiff Met) | 67 | 3.67 | 6 |
| Birmingham | 60 | 3.60 | 8 |
| Brunel | 60 | 3.60 | 9 |
| Surrey | 60 | 3.60 | 10 |
Research Excellence Framework Definitions
- * 'Impact' is any effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.
- ** 'Environment' refers to the strategy, resources and infrastructure that support research.