Loughborough University

There is no shortage of ambition at Loughborough. The university synonymous with sporting excellence brings similar vigour to preparing students for their future careers. For more than ten years an optional year-long placement has been included in every undergraduate degree. This is taken up by around half of students, who, according to analysis by Loughborough, have the edge academically as well as being fast off the blocks in their careers. 

Loughborough is tweaking the curriculum, introducing programmes in computing, cybersecurity and law. Meanwhile, a £5.8 million investment in digital learning environments has added kit such as 3D data capture, augmented reality technologies and extended reality learning. Shared teaching and laboratory spaces for the sciences and engineering mean students can collaborate and benefit from industry-standard equipment. 

Away from the books, the university’s African violet sports kit casts a purple haze across most campus gatherings. Team Loughborough topped the British Universities and Colleges Sport table for the 45th year in a row. As well as acres of world-class sports facilities, the university’s 523-acre single-site campus is home to a high-energy students’ union with a busy schedule of social events. The town itself is walkable and offers student-friendly hangouts, while the larger cities of Leicester and Nottingham are within easy reach too. 

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

147

28

Teaching quality

86.9%

52=

Student experience

87.6%

8

Research quality

52.5%

34

First and 2:1s

83.7%

28

Continuation rate

97.7%

4=

Graduate prospects

79.5%

17=

People & Planet

55.1%

55=

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£1,905

Fees (overseas year)

£1,468

Fees (international)

£24,700-£33,000

Places in accommodation

5,975

Rent per week

£124-£224

Rent for catered accommodation per week

£168-£251

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

97

State school (non-grammar) admissions

68.2%

Grammar school admissions

13%

Independent school admissions

19.6%

Ethnic minority students

31.5%

Black awarding gap

-16.1%

White working-class males

3.3%

First-generation students

27.2%

Low-participation areas

6.7%

Low-participation areas dropout

-1%

Mature students

1.5%

Overseas students

19.4%

Disabled students

24%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

82.8%

Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering

84.4%

Anatomy and physiology

85.8%

Architecture

94%

Art and design

90.3%

Bioengineering and biomedical engineering

84.5%

Biological sciences

92.2%

Building

84.4%

Business, management and marketing

85.8%

Chemical engineering

84.2%

Chemistry

86.4%

Civil engineering

89.8%

Communication and media studies

92.2%

Computer science

84%

Criminology

89.9%

Economics

87.8%

Electrical and electronic engineering

89.7%

English

92.5%

General engineering

80.6%

Geography and environmental science

92.3%

History

90.6%

Materials technology

82.7%

Mathematics

86.7%

Mechanical engineering

91.4%

Natural sciences

87.8%

Philosophy

89.4%

Physics and astronomy

93%

Politics and international relations

87.9%

Psychology

82.5%

Sociology

89.9%

Sports science

85.3%

Town and country planning and landscape

89.7%

What is Loughborough University’s academic reputation?

The course offering covers a wide range from engineering and computer science to fine art and finance. But sporting dominance is Loughborough’s calling card. For sports-related degrees, Loughborough is peerless, leading the QS World University Rankings for sport for the tenth consecutive year in 2025. It is our Runner-Up for Sports University of the Year 2027.

Studies on sport and exercise science also got exceptional results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) in which 91 per cent of Loughborough’s work was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Overall, it ranks 34th in our research quality index. 

Loughborough’s sporting prowess is practical as well as academic. Take the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: if Loughborough were a country, the medal haul of its athletes and alumni across all events (including the Paralympics) would have put Loughborough in the top 20, ahead of Brazil, Austria, South Africa and Jamaica.

Student satisfaction remains high, our analysis of the National Student Survey puts it in eighth place for the wider student experience and 52= for teaching quality.

• The best universities in the UK: the Sunday Times league table revealed

What are Loughborough University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Standard offers range from A*AA to BBC at A-level while contextual offers are up to two grades lower and benefited ten per cent of students in 2025. Demand is high, with more than 33,700 applications for just over 5,000 places, and 12 per cent of entrants came through clearing. 

What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready?

Loughborough’s deep-rooted industry links translate into outstanding graduate outcomes. The university runs one of the UK’s largest careers fairs, and over a four-year average, 94.5 per cent of graduates who completed a placement finished with a First or 2.1, while only 79 per cent of those who did not take up a placement achieved the same results. It also runs one of the UK’s largest career fairs.

This focus on employability helps students enjoy high rates of early career success, as recorded in successive Graduate Outcomes surveys, which track the proportion of leavers employed in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate education within 15 months — ranking 17th this year. 

What is Loughborough University's campus like?

The university’s 523-acre single-site campus is known for having the UK’s largest concentration of world-class sports facilities and is the base for six national sporting bodies, including British Athletics and England Netball. Less well known is that Loughborough won its ninth consecutive Green Flag Award in 2026. Decades of investment have created an environment where all students, including elite athletes, can flourish. The world-class sports facilities are constantly improving, including a 50m swimming pool, now decarbonised — one of two British Swimming National Centres — and the Powerbase gym, one of the largest elite strength and conditioning facilities in the country, used by Olympic, Paralympic and world champion athletes. Loughborough’s human performance laboratories, nutritional analysis and sports medicine services are world-class.

The academic facilities are equally impressive, with digital laboratories featuring robotics, AI, and motion-capture technology. The university also has a postgraduate campus at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

When can I visit?

lboro.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about Loughborough University’s student life

You don’t have to be an Olympian to use the same training facilities; students can sign up for gym membership for between £35 (for limited use) a year up to £336 for full gym and swimming pool access (the most popular option). There are also indoor centres for athletics, tennis and cricket, an outdoor athletics stadium, sports halls and all-weather pitches, squash, badminton and netball courts. 

Loughborough is about more than sport. The university’s arts programme hosts live performances, workshops, artists’ talks, exhibitions and more across a range of creative forms from pottery, painting and creative writing to music, dance and drama.

For those struggling with their mental health, a duty assessment team responds in a crisis and therapy is available one-to-one or in groups.

• Is Oxbridge losing its prestige?
  

What do the students say?

“Loughborough goes above and beyond for its students. It is an inclusive community and I’ve built lifelong friendships as well as enjoying world-class facilities. I feel like I have found my place.”
Jamshid Tavallali, mechanical engineering

What about student accommodation at Loughborough University?

Loughborough has more than 6,000 rooms across 17 halls of residence and more than half are catered — a rarity on UK campuses. The university guarantees accommodation to all first-years who apply by the July deadline. Off campus, shared student housing is generally lower-cost than in big UK cities.

How diverse and inclusive is Loughborough University?

Loughborough is in the lower ranks of the top 100 (97th) for social inclusion overall with just 68.2 per cent of students drawn from nonselective state schools (101=). It has improved the share of ethnic minority students to 31.5 per cent (62nd).

• How much will a degree really cost you?
  

What financial assistance is available? 

A fifth of new students receive financial assistance.The Loughborough University Bursary pays £1,000 a year — plus a £500 pre-placement grant — to students from households with incomes of up to £30,000. Up to 50 students a year receive £3,000 a year if they complete certain access scheme requirements. Care leavers are eligible for bursaries worth £5,700 per year. 

Women in Science bursaries have been introduced to encourage greater participation, and the Future Leaders Scholarship offers a £10,000 tuition fee discount in the first year of study to students who demonstrate their leadership potential. 

Scholarships are available for those who show talent in a range of sports, paying up to £5,000 to applicants competing at junior international level.