Published: 11 November 2026
The overall quality profiles will show the proportion of research activity in a submission judged to meet the definitions at each starred level. The overall quality profiles will be published in steps of 1%. Table A1 shows overall quality profiles for two fictional universities.
Sample overall quality profiles
The figures are for fictional universities for a fictional UoA. They do not indicate expected proportions.
| Name of university | Volume measure | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University X | 50.45 | 18% | 41% | 25% | 16% | 0% | 0% |
| University Y | 65.2 | 12% | 32% | 45% | 10% | 1% | 0% |
The overall quality profiles will be produced through:
- the sub-panels’ assessment of three distinct elements of the assessment– Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU), Engagement and Impact (E&I), and Strategy, People, and Research Environment (SPRE) – to produce a sub- profile for each element at unit level.
- the IL SPRE Panel’s assessment of SPRE, to produce a sub-profile for SPRE at institution level.
Element weighting
The four sub-profiles will be aggregated to form the overall quality profile for the submission, with each element weighted as follows:
- CKU: 55%
- E&I: 25%
- SPRE: 20% (of which the Institution-level statement (ILS) will form 60% and the unit-level statement (ULS) will form 40%)
The rounding methodology described below will be used to produce the overall quality profiles. In recommending the final quality profiles at unit level to the main panels, sub-panels will confirm that, in their expert judgement, they are a fair reflection of the research activity in that submission, and that their assessment has taken account of all the different components of the submission.
Building a quality profile: a worked example
Overall quality profile
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassified | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 14% | 42% | 34% | 10% | 0% | 0% |
Sub-profiles for CKU, E&I and combined SPRE
The overall quality profile is informed by the three sub-profiles.
CKU (55%)
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassified | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 14.7% | 30.5% | 40.3% | 13.6% | 0% | 0.9% |
E&I (25%)
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassified | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 16.7% | 66.6% | 16.7% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Combined SPRE (20%)
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassfied | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 7.5% | 45% | 35% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
Combined SPRE sub-profile
The combined SPRE sub-profile is informed by the SPRE IL and UL sub-profiles.
SPRE IL (60%)
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassified | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 12.5% | 25% | 50% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
SPRE UL (40%)
| Quality level | Four star | Three star | Two star | One star | Unclassified | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard or to be unclassified or ineligible | 0% | 75% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
Rounding
The SPRE sub-profiles will first be combined using the weights shown under Element weighting. The CKU, E&I and combined SPRE sub-profiles will then be combined using the weights shown under Element weighting. A cumulative rounding process will then be applied to this second combined profile, to produce an overall quality profile. This methodology will ensure that the overall quality profile for any submission will always sum to 100% and avoid the unfair consequences that simple rounding can produce.
Worked example
Using the example above, first combine the UL and IL SPRE sub-profiles.
| Sub-profile | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL SPRE | 12.5% | 25% | 50% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
| UL SPRE | 0% | 75% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
| Weighted SPRE | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be unclassified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60% | 7.5% | 15% | 30% | 7.5% | 0% | 0% |
| 40% | 0% | 30% | 5% | 5% | 0% | 0% |
| Combined SPRE | 7.5% | 45% | 35% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
Then calculate the initial overall profile, that is, the sum of the weighted sub-profiles for CKU, E&I and combined SPRE.
| Sub-profile | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CKU | 14.7% | 30.5% | 40.3% | 13.6% | 0% | 0.9% |
| E&I | 16.7% | 66.6% | 16.7% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Combined SPRE | 7.5% | 45% | 35% | 12.5% | 0% | 0% |
| Weighted SPRE | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55% | 8.1% | 16.8% | 22.2% | 7.5% | 0% | 0.5% |
| 25% | 4.2% | 16.7% | 4.2% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 20% | 1.5% | 9% | 7% | 2.5% | 0% | 0% |
| Initial profile | 13.8% | 42.4% | 33.3% | 10% | 0% | 0.5% |
Cumulative rounding works in three stages
The initial profile is:
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.8% | 42.4% | 33.3% | 10% | 0% | 0.5% |
Stage 1: Calculate the cumulative totals (for example, the cumulative total at 3 star or better is 13.8 + 42.4 = 56.2).
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star or better | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star or better | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star or better | % of research activity judged to be unclassified or better | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.8% | 56.2% | 89.5% | 99.5% | 99.5% | 0.5% |
Stage 2: Round these to the nearest 1% (rounding up if the percentage ends in exactly 0.5).
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star or better | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star or better | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star or better | % of research activity judged to be unclassified or better | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14% | 56% | 90% | 100% | 100% | 0.5% |
Stage 3: Find the differences between successive cells to give the rounded profile. So, for example, the percentage allocated to 2 star is the difference between the cumulative total at 2 star or better, minus the cumulative total at 3 star or better (90 – 56 = 34).
| % of research activity judged to meet the standard for four star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for three star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for two star | % of research activity judged to meet the standard for one star | % of research activity judged to be unclassified | % of research activity judged to be ineligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14% | 42% | 34% | 10% | 100% | 0% |
Cumulating the totals the other way (rounding down if the percentage ends in exactly 0.5) gives exactly the same answer.