University of York retains top 10 research ranking
Posted on 18 December 2008
It has among the highest proportion of research activity of world-leading 4* status of any UK university, and is rated eighth out of 159 higher education institutions for its research excellence.
Well over half of the University’s academic departments were ranked in the top ten for their subject.
The RAE results confirm the University’s place among the world’s leading research-intensive universities. York is rated highly for its overall quality profile, based on research outputs, research environment and the esteem in which its staff are held.
York scores highly across the board. The sciences, social sciences, and humanities, all score well, with 12 of York’s 22 departments rating in the top ten nationally. The Department of English and Related Literature was the top English department in the UK, while the University was rated joint top for both Health Services Research and Sociology.
Other top ten departments were: Nursing and Midwifery, Biology, Chemistry, Educational Studies, Social Policy and Social Work, History of Art, Music, Archaeology, Psychology and Linguistics.
The vast majority of York’s academic departments are ranked in the top 20 for research.
91 per cent (680 people) of the University’s eligible research staff were submitted for assessment in the 2008 RAE.
The Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Cantor said: "These are outstanding results which underscore the consistently high quality of research at York. They are a tribute to the academic rigour, scholarship and professionalism of our staff."
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Alastair Fitter added: "York has again shown its research strength and quality across the board with some exceptional individual results. As in previous exercises, we submitted the overwhelming majority of our staff for assessment, so this ranking is a true reflection of the quality of our research."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- In its 45 years of existence, the University of York has achieved extraordinary results in assessments of both its research and teaching quality. It is now ranked in the world’s top 100 universities.
- The new RAE scoring system is radically different to its 2001 predecessor so direct comparisons are impossible. But initial analysis of the outcome suggests that York has done at least as well in 2008 as it did in 2001, though the RAE results do not include information on the proportion of staff submitted – a measure that the University believes to be a clear indicator of quality.
- The RAE results are also a key factor in distribution of research funding to UK universities.
- The panels of eminent academics who compiled the RAE used a common set of evidence for all subjects: (1) Research active staff (2) Research outputs, such as journal articles, books, patents etc (3) Research students and studentships (4) External research income (5) Research structure and strategies (6) Indicators of esteem
- Details of the RAE results are at www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-results-uk-universities