Established as a small Technical Institute in 1909, Loughborough University is now one of the leading learning institutions in both the UK and the world, offering a high-class education and student experience to thousands of students every year. It is successful and extremely popular – winning the WhatUni University of the Year award for 2020, voted on by students.

The university's main campus is situated in the town of Loughborough, in the Midlands. It is well placed for transport links and has everything students need for an enjoyable time of study. The larger cities of Leicester, Nottingham and Derby are all within easy reach too.

Loughborough University prides itself on outstanding teaching quality recruiting a diverse multi-national academic team to ensure students have a varied education delivered by professional and experienced academic staff.

From a popular nightclub and relaxed study spaces to extensive student support services covering physical and mental wellbeing along with all parts of student life, the Loughborough Students' Union is an excellent facility. It is home to a number of conveniences for everyday use too, including a shop and a restaurant.

The university has a global reputation for sport, and has been ranked the best university in the world for sports-related subjects for five years running (QS World University rankings by subject 2021). The sporting facilities are used by international athletes and they make up the most comprehensive sporting hub in the whole country. However, it is not just known for these subjects. Loughborough University might be famous for sport, but it has exceptional technology and facilities for a huge range of schools of learning.

International students are warmly welcomed to Loughborough. The campus is one of inclusivity, while the university has extensive support facilities to help international students settle and thrive during their studies.

Loughborough also boasts a postgraduate campus in London, located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Established exclusively for postgraduate study and research, Loughborough University London combines influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators to deliver one of the best postgraduate experiences the UK has to offer.

Top accolades at the THE Awards

Loughborough University won top accolades at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards, winning Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year and Technological Innovation of the Year. The awards, which are dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the higher education sector, celebrate outstanding examples of best practice across a range of activities.

ACCT won the Technological Innovation of the Year award. Researchers at Loughborough University have developed a novel AdBlueTM conversion technology that greatly extends the temperature range at which SCR systems can operate – enhancing reduction of Nitrous Oxide emitted.

The award was said to be yet further recognition of the incredible staff and research community at Loughborough.

Collaboration with other Midlands universities

Loughborough and seven other universities in the Midlands are collaborating in technology transfer. Loughborough University has already made rapid strides in licensing, business creation and incubation. Working and partnering with other Midlands universities gives Loughborough an opportunity to take this success to a new level.

While Loughborough University is already established as one of the top learning institutions in the UK, there is still consistent development and funding to keep improving on the overall experience for students.

Funding has been announced for those students in the School of Science who wish to undertake research that may be deemed adventurous and high-risk in the schools of engineering and physical sciences. The projects, to be up to a duration of 24 months, can each receive up to £200,000.

More broadly, the university has announced a £2 million donation from a former student to support young people in accessing their education at Loughborough. The investment will help students to develop the skills needed for their academic success.

The university has also opened a new Careers and Enterprise Hub in the centre of Loughborough to help and encourage potential and existing students in learning new skills to tackle the post-COVID world, or to launch their own new business.

And as demonstration of how serious Loughborough takes its sport, it has recently appointed a former Premier League footballer to be the head coach of the Men's university football teams. Jamie Clapham played for Tottenham Hotspur in the country's top division, along with other clubs throughout the Football League, and brings a high level of experience to student sport.

Learners at Loughborough are provided with all the support, resources and the required encouragement needed for a wholesome and rewarding learning experience. Academics at Loughborough are constantly striving to come up with innovative methods of imparting knowledge and inculcating a good work ethic in their students.

Loughborough University is home to high calibre specialists from the world over who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research. Members of staff are drawn from over 75 countries, which makes for a truly multicultural learning experience for the students. The healthy student-to-staff ratio also ensures that students enjoy greater access to teaching staff.

At Loughborough, the teaching staff is empowered to function at their highest levels, thus greatly enhancing the academic experience for students. Apart from being awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), Loughborough also ranked highly for overall student satisfaction in the 2017 National Student Survey. The exceptional learning experience at Loughborough is marked by a firm commitment to addressing real-life issues in society, which helps it stay relevant and contemporary.

Loughborough University is recognised both nationally and globally for the quality of its teaching. It is an institution that aims to inspire innovation, hard work and a sense of participation amongst all students and staff.

The university actively recruits the best lecturers and academics from around the world. 17% of the main staff body are international, covering over 75 nationalities. By bringing in the most talented teachers from such a broad background, students are ensured of the highest quality education, benefitting from a truly diverse learning experience.

The number of staff employed by the university also contributes to this teaching quality. There is one member of academic staff to every 13.4 students, ensuring more focused development based on the individual student, with lower waiting times for support and meetings if required.

Loughborough University offers international students a whole host of study options over a wide range of subjects. Options are categorised under four main levels.

The International Foundation Programme (IFP) is designed for those students who require an additional year of study having completed 12 years. The IFP comprises study modules and tutorials, and opens doors to a wide variety of degree courses, including those on science, engineering and business. Pathways in the IFP cover a variety of subject areas, from Aeronautical Engineering and Geography to Product Design Engineering and Social Sciences.

Undergraduate programmes, leading to the award of a BA or a BSc, is for those students who have completed the equivalent of UK A-Levels or International Baccalaureate (IB) in their higher education. Courses are delivered via lectures, seminars and tutorials, and are generally between three and four years’ duration.

Postgraduate taught programmes are open to students from any subject background. Full-time programmes last for a period of 12 months, and consist of taught modules and a dissertation.

Postgraduate Research degrees, leading to the award of MPhil or PhD, are offered by all the Academic Schools at Loughborough. The University frequently ranks among the top 10 in England for the quality of its research programmes.

In addition to this, Loughborough also offers The International Exchange Programme with partner institutions, and a Study Abroad Programme.

The vast range of courses available at Loughborough University are split across 22 schools and departments on the Loughborough campus, with the Loughborough University London campus treated as its own school.

These departments are varied, some offering a wider selection of courses than those that are more specialised. However, each benefit from outstanding facilities and academic support. Loughborough may be famous for its sporting courses but any student in any department will enjoy an excellent and quality learning experience at the institution.

These range from broad departments, such as Design or the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, to more focused schools, like the Teacher Education department or the Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering school.

The London campus specialises in postgraduate study and is further split into seven institutes that deliver a range of courses for those looking to further their education after completing an undergraduate degree.

International students applying to study an undergraduate programme at Loughborough University should have completed 13 years of full-time study. Applicants to postgraduate taught programmes need to have completed their undergraduate education at a recognised institution in their country and obtained the required grade. To apply to Postgraduate Research programmes, students need to attach a research proposal along with their application.

Apart from the academic qualifications, applicants will have to demonstrate proof of English language proficiency. The minimum requirement is an overall score of 6.5 in the IELTS, with at least a 6.0 in each individual element (reading, writing, listening and speaking).

Depending on the nature of study or work, particularly for Research Degrees, some departments may require higher proficiency levels. More on entry requirements…

Students who wish to apply for Loughborough University must meet certain entry requirements to be permitted onto their chosen programme. These will usually involve the equivalent of a high school education in the applicant's home country, with certain grades needing to be achieved to qualify. Each course at Loughborough has different entry requirements, which can be found on the respective course pages on the website.

Students must also be able to demonstrate an ability to speak, understand and read English. The standard requirement of English needed is an overall 6.5 score on IELTS, with no individual element scored at less than 6.0. Some courses may require a higher score – this will be detailed in any offer made to students.

Students on some courses may also be asked to provide a portfolio, demonstrating their existing body of work in a field, in order to gain a place on the course. This is limited to only a few courses and again details will be made clear to applicants when they apply.

As Loughborough is renowned for its sporting excellence, some students who do not meet the academic criteria to qualify for a course may be accepted if they are considered an elite athlete.

Loughborough University’s wonderful 440 acre single-site campus offers not only a great setting for students but also houses superb facilities for every aspect of student life, be it just open space, sports areas, academic buildings or student accommodation.

The campus has a wide range of shops, cafés, restaurants and bars, with food from takeaway snacks to high-class restaurants. The beautiful campus is also home to state-of-the-art lecture theatres, laboratories, an impressive library, an Arts Centre, two theatres, a conference centre, restaurants, a bank, shops, a health centre and of course, the Loughborough Students' Union.

Sports facilities

Loughborough also boasts the UK’s largest concentration of world-class facilities across a wide range of sports, and was voted 1st out of 45 participating universities globally for satisfaction with sports facilities in the Student Barometer Autumn Wave 2016. These include an indoor athletics centre and outdoor stadium, sports halls and all-weather pitches, a 50 metre swimming pool, squash, badminton and netball courts, an indoor tennis centre and outdoor courts, and state of the art fitness centres.

STEMLab is a £17 million investment in new state-of-the-art facilities and part of a wider £25 million investment in the west side of our campus. Having opened in 2017, STEMLab contains new engineering, physics, chemistry and bio laboratories for our students.

It allows us to offer new facilities previously unavailable to our students, for example a ‘drop-in’ engineering workshop, alongside a range of modern laboratories and teaching spaces. These enhanced facilities benefit our current students and allow us to expand our teaching provision in STEM subjects broadening the vital role we play in supplying skilled graduates to industry in the future.

Anyone wishing to begin a programme of study at Loughborough University must pay tuition fees. For an undergraduate course, these are currently GBP 9,250 per year for UK students, and range from GBP 19,750 to GBP 24,650 per year for international students, depending on the band of course they wish to enrol in.

To help cover these costs, there are a number of scholarships and bursaries that students can apply for to cover a portion of the fees involved. Some of these are tailored to UK students only, others are exclusively for international students and some are open to all students, regardless of their nationality.

The funding varies between each option. Exceptional musicians can claim up to GBP 500 for music tuition. Meanwhile sporting talents could be entitled to receive up to GBP 5,000 per year to support their training, providing they are at least performing at a junior international level in their chosen sport.

All international students are considered for the International Scholarships automatically, which can grant a 25 per cent discount on the first year's tuition fees depending on circumstances.

Loughborough offers international students a number of prestigious competitive scholarships, bursaries and other awards. The University invests more than GBP1M each year in scholarships and bursaries for international undergraduate students.

International applicants to Loughborough are automatically considered for a scholarship. Students who have exceptional academic records in school or college may be offered this award on the basis of their initial application. In some cases, individual academic schools and departments offer a 10% tuition fee bursary to self-funded students on certain courses. There are also postgraduate bursaries and scholarships available for international students.

Chevening scholarships

Loughborough University also offers Chevening Scholarships, which is a global programme of the UK government, to outstanding scholars with leadership potential. These are typically awarded for a one-year Master’s degree.

Loughborough's campus is equipped with some of the best facilities found in the UK. Students will enjoy a fully rounded academic, social and sporting experience during their time at university.

Every school is provided with outstanding teaching facilities to ensure that students have access to the latest equipment and knowledge, developing the leaders of tomorrow in each respective field. One example is the STEMLab, a recent addition to campus packed with advanced laboratories, workshops and learning spaces for engineering and science students.

In terms of accommodation, the university is well equipped – there are 16 halls of residence for students to choose from, all situated either on the campus or within a short distance. Students who make Loughborough their firm choice before a July deadline will be guaranteed a room in halls, either for one year as a UK national, or two years for international students.

The Loughborough Students' Union is a vibrant hub of social opportunities and student support services. The Union has a number of its own onsite facilities including a shop, a 4,000-capacity nightclub, a medical centre, a pharmacy and a Chinese restaurant. There are many clubs and societies that students can join to meet like-minded people.

Finally, no mention of Loughborough's campus can fail to cover the sporting facilities. Loughborough has the UK's largest concentration of world-class facilities for every sport imaginable, all accessible to students of all abilities.