REF 2014

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 was the first research analysis to attempt to measure the impact of universities’ research as an element of overall research strength. St Andrews outperformed the UK sector on research impact, despite its comparatively small size and distance from major urban centres.

The University of St Andrews ranked 1st in Scotland and 14th in the UK for the quality of its research publications across Science, the Arts, Divinity and Medicine, according to the results of the REF 2014 published on Thursday 18 December 2014.

For overall research performance, St Andrews was ranked 2nd in Scotland and 19th in the UK. The REF assessed the quality of publications, impact and the environment in which research takes place. Over 80% of the University’s research-active staff had their work assessed by the REF 2014.

The general quality of research carried out at St Andrews has improved since 2008. The grade point average (GPA) of St Andrews’ overall research performance grew from 2.72 in 2008 to 3.13 in 2014, significantly above the UK sector average GPA of 3.03.