The University has been recognised as having the best Music department in the country based on the quality of its research. According to the latest national assessment of research (REF 2014), 90 per cent of the department's research rated world-leading or internationally excellent, while 100 per cent of Research Impact activity was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
Overall, Southampton is ranked 11th in the UK based on the volume and quality of its research in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. Over 97 per cent of the University’s research environment has been assessed as world-leading and internationally excellent. Nearly 90 per cent of its research has been assessed as having world-leading and internationally excellent impact.
Professor Judith Petts, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), said: “These results are an excellent endorsement of the extremely high quality of research produced by the University and confirm our reputation as one of the most respected universities in the UK and globally.”
The 2014 REF assesses the quality of research output, the impact it has had outside of academia, and the quality of its research environment. The results will be used by the four UK higher education funding bodies to allocate research funding.