Loughborough University

(Loughborough University)

Overall ranking: Came 11th out of 126 in the Complete University Guide for 2016.

History: Began in 1909 as a small technical institute in Loughborough. Transformed itself into Loughborough College and then Loughborough College of Technology. Became a university in 1966.

Address: One mile west of the town, Loughborough is the largest single site campus of any UK university.

Ambience: Supremely sporty, but non-sporty types, and even couch potatoes, are welcome too. It’s a single-site campus of 433 acres with low-rise buildings, playing fields and sports facilities. Students work hard and play hard. The university has a strong reputation for engineering and science.

Who's the boss? Professor Robert Allison became vice-chancellor and president in September 2012. He has won a number of awards for his research and teaching in geographical studies.

Prospectus: 01509 223 522 or order one here.

UCAS code: L79

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Not particularly. Entry requirements vary depending upon the degree programme. Most programmes require at least AAB-ABB at A level or equivalent

Vital statistics: Over 17,000 students and 3,224 staff. Most popular subjects are engineering, sciences, design, sports science and business management. Sandwich placements are available on 65 per cent of degrees. The university claims to be one of the top 20 targeted by large graduate employers and its careers centre has been voted as one of the top ten. Phenomenally successful in sport, Loughborough has won the national student sports title, BUCS, for the last 33 years. Voted England's Best Student Experience for six consecutive years in the Times league table.

Added value: Some degree programmes are designed and sponsored by the giants of UK industry with the £10m Henry Ford College sited on campus. Has the UK's leading sports scholarship programme. Fantastic sports facilities, as you'd expect: two sports halls, a fitness training suite, a high performance strength and conditioning gym, a dance studio, a 50m swimming pool, five squash courts, three floodlit pitches, an all-weather athletics track, acres of playing fields, eight indoor and three outdoor tennis courts, an international standard hockey pitch, a badminton centre with four courts, a gymnastics research centre, the ECB's national high performance cricket centre, a netball centre with two courts and an indoor athletics training centre. A development due to open in 2015 is expanding Loughborough into London with an academic campus offering postgrad education at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Teaching: Came 9th out of 126 in the Complete University Guide.

Graduate prospects: Ranked 14th with 79.9 per cent finding graduate level employment.

Any accommodation? Yes- a room is guaranteed for all new undergrads who have made Loughborough their firm choice and applied for accommodation before the end of July. Catered rooms are from £4,702, with self-catering from £3,131 per year.

Cheap to live there? A single room in a shared house, including utilities, will set you back £1950 per year. So yes, it's pretty cheap.

Transport links: Loughborough station is two miles away and lies on the Sheffield to London St Pancras line. One mile from the M1 with good bus links to campus from the station and town. Cycling is an easy option and East Midlands Airport is a fifteen minute drive.

Fees: £9,000 for full-time home undergrads. Overseas undergrads are charged £13,750 for classroom-based subjects and £17,300 for those based in laboratories.

Bursaries: Up to £6,000 of financial support is available over 3 years with the Loughborough Scholarship Programme depending on your household income. There is also a massive sports scholarship scheme. Other bursaries including the Development Trust Scholarship, which adds up to £9,000 over three years.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: Nine bars in the union building plus theatre, concert hall, and Cope auditorium. For updates on the entertainment calendar follow @lufbraents. Everything being close together is a big plus and even though the town itself is small there are a fair few clubs to enjoy, from the popular Rain to Echo's and The Kelso.

Price of a pint: You can grab a beer for around £2.95.

Sporting reputation: Unbeatable. Refuses to budge from the top of the BUCS league.

Calendar highlight: Multiple balls throughout the year from the Freshers event to the Societies Ball and Holt Hall Summer Ball. All great opportunities to glam up for a night of extravagance.

Notable societies: A great street dance club, Rawkus, plus a Surf society for those who like to surf and party. If you're less active than the typical Loughborough student, fear not, for there's a Cartoons and Cereal Society for kicking back and relaxing.

Glittering alumni: Paula Radcliffe and Sebastian Coe, runners; Steve Backley, javelin-thrower; Sir Clive Woodward, ex-England rugby coach; Monty Panesar, England cricketer; Tanni Grey-Thompson, athlete; Tom Karen, designer; Malcolm Sayer, designer of the E-type Jaguar; Lisa Rogers, TV presenter; Ian Storey, international opera singer; Bridget Riley, artist; Mihir Bose, former BBC sports editor. The university is currently home to 250 international level athletes.

Alternative prospectus: Check out the forum for Loughborough on The Student Room here.