Swansea University ranked 36th of 132 UK Universities by Times Higher Supplement's analysis of RAE 2008 data.

What is the RAE?

The “Research Assessment Exercise” (RAE) is conducted on behalf of the UK Government to assess the quality of academic Research undertaken in UK Universities.  The most recent exercise was conducted in 2008 – with results released in December 2008.

How did Swansea University do?

Using the RAE results, the Times Higher Supplement has compiled a “Power Table” providing a ranking for Universities. Across all subject areas, Swansea University ranks 36th of 132 Universities – placing it comfortably in the top one-third of all UK Universities. Considered alongside our Sunday Times Ranking of 44th of 140 Universities, students can be assured they are considering an excellent University which is research-led with strengths in a wide range of subject areas.  ICWS therefore provides an excellent pathway for international students to attend one of the leading UK Universities.

The RAE has also complied tables ranking Universities by subject area – again Swansea University has performed extremely well – most notably 2nd in the UK in Civil Engineering.  Full tables for each subject area are available on the RAE website (link below).

Swansea University says,  “[we have] demonstrated an extraordinarily strong performance against other UK universities in the disciplines of Engineering, Medicine and Computer Science, where almost all staff were classed as producing world-leading or internationally excellent research in the RAE 2008 results announced today.  The results also highlight outstanding internationally recognised research excellence in Geography, Economics, Welsh, History and English.”

Read more here.

Why is this important to you?

Many of the “League Tables” (for example the Guardian and the Times) use the RAE scores as one of the key indicators when collating their annual league tables.  Many top employers consider the University you have studied at when making decisions about employing you.

What other league tables are there?

The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times are the main league tables used by international students.  A further independent table is also compiled by Push, where Swansea are ranked 19th out of 136 Universities.

Are the RAE results really that useful?

There is debate within the UK University sector regarding the merits of any league table – given the size of UK Universities, a single ranking indicating a University’s position does not provide sufficient insight into each separate subject areas.  Many Universities have strengths within specific areas – for example an excellence in teaching, or in graduate employment, or placement opportunities. These strengths are not reflected within the RAE assessment – as RAE only measures Research.

However, as the RAE league tables do exist and are considered by employers, it is wise to be aware of them - along with any other data and opinions you can get – when considering your choice of UK Universities.

What do the results mean?

Within the new system used by the RAE in 2008, individual subject areas (for example Civil Engineering) are assessed according to the proportions of staff undertaking research of international quality according to the following marks:

4 = World-leading

3 = Internationally Excellent

2 = Internationally Recognised

1 = Nationally Recognised

Where can I find out more?

PUSH League Table

Times Higher Supplement RAE Results

Official RAE 2008 website