Analysis of the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 confirms that the University of Bristol is among the very best law schools in the UK in terms of research capacity and performance. In the most recent subject rankings published by the Time Higher Education (THE) on 1 January 2015, which take account of both REF GPA and number and proportion of staff entered from among those eligible, Law School comes 5th after LSE, Cambridge, UCL and Oxford. The University as a whole does equally well, emerging 5th behind the Institute of Cancer Research, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL. The success of Bristol in REF2014 at institutional and school level, is evidence both of the intellectual calibre of the University of Bristol staff as well as the strength and inclusiveness of our research culture. From a student perspective, studying law at the University of Bristol means being taught by a range of really able academics working at the cutting edge of their research fields, bringing world-class legal expertise directly into the classroom.
Commenting on the results, Professor Joanne Conaghan, Head of School observed: ‘We are tremendously pleased that our research has received such strong endorsement from our peers and will continue to ensure that the benefits of our research activities are enjoyed by our stakeholders, most particularly by enriching the educational experience of our students, but also by working in partnership with research user organisations to disseminate the results of our research and ensure they have an impact beyond as well as within the academic community.
For full details of REF2014 research-intensive ranking see the Times Higher website