Our reputation

The School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) is a vibrant school where academic research informs and ignites our teaching. We provide the academic tuition and theoretical training to explore the current challenges of our global society.

School of Politics and Intetnational Studies rankings

• Top 20 in the UK for Politics, Complete University Guide 2026

University of Leeds rankings

• 86th in the world, QS World University Rankings 2026 
• 6th most targeted by employers, High Fliers 2025 Report 
• 21st in the UK, Complete University Guide 
• Top 10 UK student city, Best Student Cities 2025 
• We are a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities 

Gender equality

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