1. Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
  2. School of Mathematics
  3. Research degrees
  4. Our reputation

Our reputation

Student standing in front of a whiteboard

The School of Mathematics is globally renowned for its teaching, research and engagement with industry and government, with over 140 staff and 1,400 students from over 60 countries studying with us.

The quality of our research, and the funding it attracts, means we’re able to invest in world-class facilities and academic staff who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research, which means you will be taught by internationally renowned, inspirational academics working at the top of their fields.

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Academic excellence


  • The University of Leeds is ranked 82nd in the world, QS World University Rankings 2025
  • University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research
  • We are a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities
  • 98% of research activity submitted was rated as either "world-leading" or "internationally excellent", Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Gender equality

We have been commended for our strong and continued commitment to gender equality in the form of a prestigious Athena SWAN Silver award.

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Every six years, the UK’s four higher education funding bodies undertake an exercise to measure the quality of research undertaken by UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The funding bodies use the outcomes to inform the allocation of their research funding to HEIs. The Research Excellence Framework was the framework used in 2021.

Unit of assessment: Mathematical Sciences

  • 98% of research activity submitted was rated as either "world-leading" or "internationally excellent"
  • 100% of our impact case studies were “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”, with half of them identified as “world-leading”
  • 63% of our research environment is judged to be “world-leading” and the remainder “internationally excellent”
  • 97% of our research outputs are “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”, with a third rated as “world-leading”