Edinburgh Law School is delighted with the results of RAE 2008, announced on 18 December 2008, which saw the School ranked 5th in the UK and 1st in Scotland on 4* quality by volume measure, and 8th in the UK and 1st in Scotland on 4* + 3* by volume measure.

The School has seen a gradual rise in staff from 43 staff returned in 2001 to 48.74 FTE staff returned on the 2007 census date, against a total eligible FTE of 50.24. The RAE return therefore represents a complete picture of the School’s research performance at this time.

From a baseline of a grade of 5B in 2001, the School has improved strongly. The rankings show a Grade Point Average of 2.75, making it 10th in the UK and 1st in Scotland on this measure of performance, and a quality index of 53, giving it a ranking of 7th in the UK and 1st in Scotland.

The 2008 RAE quality profile for each Unit of Assessment released by the Funding Councils on 18 December 2008 presents a picture of research performance of each unit according to four different rankings:

4* is research which is of a quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
3* is research which is of a quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour
2* is research which is of a quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour
1* is research which is of a quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour

Edinburgh Law School’s Quality Profile 2008, expressed in percentages, was:

Only three UK Universities have a greater percentage of research activity in the field of Law which is rated world-leading.