Loughborough University - In Depth

Founded: 1909; university status in 1966; merged with Loughborough College of Art & Design (LCAD) in 1998.

Site: Single campus (224 acres) approx 1 mile from Loughborough town centre.

How to get there: 1 mile from M1; 1f miles from railway station; 8 miles from East Midlands airport; bus service between town, railway station and campus. Miles of cycle paths on and off campus.

Special features: Excellent business & industry links: many staff with industrial experience; number of professors seconded from business. Range of specialised centres and institutes, including management development, polymer technology & materials engineering, hazard & risk management, water engineering, computer-human interface research, construction management, landscape ecology, coaching & recreation management, consumer ergonomics, surface science & technology.

Awarding body: Loughborough University.

Main undergraduate awards: BA, BSc, BEng, MChem, MComp, MEng, MMath, MPhys.

Length of courses: 3 or 4 years; some 4 or 5 years.

Library & information services: Pilkington Library with 600,000+ volumes, 4000 serials & 800 study places. Annual expenditure on information provision, £105 per (FTE) student. Access to Internet and range of university databases from student rooms.

Study abroad: Formal exchange links with 90+ universities and colleges in Europe and overseas in many disciplines.

Student advice & services: Medical services, counsellors, advice centre, chaplains, personal tutors, disabilities and special needs unit.

Careers: Active careers service providing advice & guidance to all students.

Amenities: Purpose-built SU building with bars, cafes, shops, travel office, banks, bookshop, optician, hairdresser, launderette; performance area for 2000; day nursery/playgroup; student arts centre with darkroom, studio equipment, record and cassette library; associated music centre; drama studio with workshop; media centres; campus radio station.

Sporting facilities: Sports halls, gymnasia, swimming pools, squash courts, floodlit all-weather areas and athletics stadium, tennis courts, fitness centre, dance studio, numerous playing pitches, new olympic standard swimming pool under construction.

Accommodation: 60+% of all students in university accommodation (all 1st years guaranteed hall place). 5250 places available: full-board at £80-£103 per week (£117 ensuite), contracts 32-38 weeks; self-catering at £49-£70 (£87 ensuite), 34-50 week contracts. Students live in privately owned accommodation for 1+ years: rents £40-£80 pw for self-catering (up to £95 for single flat), £60-£75 B&B. 5% of students live at home.

Living expenses budget: Minimum budget of £7200 (excluding tuition fees) recommended by university for each 38-week year.

Financial help: Total available £500,000 government funds, £9000 own funds, 1100 students helped.

Special help: students with special needs, disabled students, those with dependants. mature students or those experiencing unforeseen financial pressures particularly finalists.

Tuition fees: Home students up to £1200 pa for first degrees (in 2005). International students pay £8600 pa (classroom), £11,100 (lab/studio).