Loughborough University
Hazlerigg Building, Loughborough University (courtesy of Loughborough University Media Centre).
Became a university in: 1966
Student population: 19,435 (2022/23)
Location: 523 acre single-site campus in Loughborough
Subject areas: Engineering, Sciences, Business & Economics, Art & Design, Social Sciences & Humanities, and Sport, Exercise and Health.
Admissions: Generally competitive for entry. Most courses ask for AAB at A-level, though grade requirements vary from BBB for Textile Design up to A*AA for MEng and MSci courses and for Sports and Exercise Science.
📸 Snapshot
Loughborough Technical Institute was formed in 1909, and grew rapidly over the first part of the 20th Century, splitting into four separate colleges, three of which now form the present-day university.
It is located on the largest single-site campus in the UK, which stretches nearly 2 km end to end. The oldest buildings, Hazelrigg and Rutland, wouldn’t look out of place in one of the US Ivy League campuses, while most of the campus has been developed through the slightly more questionable architectural periods of the 60’s and 70’s.
But… what is Loughborough really known for?
Sport of course!
It's hard to think of a university anywhere in the world that is so synonymous with sports.
At every Olympic and Commonwealth games in recent memory there have been multiple Gold medal winners who have studied or trained at Loughborough. The university has won the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sports) overall league for 43 years in a row. And the facilities are the highest concentration of world-class sports facilities and professional sports associations to be found in a single site anywhere in the UK, probably in Europe, and perhaps anywhere in the world.
That it has been ranked no.1 in the world for sport-related subjects in the QS ranking every year since 2017 tells you that its reputation extends well beyond the performance and facilities.
And yet, sport is only a small part of the academic provision at Loughborough. Much larger are its four schools of Engineering and Sciences, which make up approximately half of the university. Meanwhile its Business School and its School of Design and Creative Arts also compete with the very best.
In common with other universities who started out as technical institutes, Loughborough retains a vocational, work-oriented focus; it's one of just a handful of universities where every course has the option of a work-placement.
I spent five fantastic years working at Loughborough, and I should be clear, I’m not the sporty type. But the Loughborough I experienced was one where you didn’t need to love sport, you just needed to embrace camaraderie and competition.
Whether it was the international students wanting to have the UK’s largest international society, or the student charity group striving to be the biggest fundraisers in the country, Loughborough always wanted to come first.
And, if there were a competition for a student population who are most vocal about theirs being the best university in the country, they’d probably win that too!
In summary
Loughborough University could be for you if…
You love sport, and are looking for a university with amazing sports facilities and opportunities.
You don’t love sport, but thrive in a competitive environment.
You are looking for a campus university with the sense of community and student focus that it offers.
You are looking for a course which gives you the chance to gain work experience.
You’ve got solid school grades and high self-motivation.
And if you like Loughborough, you might also like…
University of Bath
Brunel University
Heriot-Watt University
University of Surrey
