 Coat of arms of the university | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto | Latin:Veritate, Scientia, Labore | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motto in English | By Truth, Wisdom, and Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | 1909 – Loughborough Technical Institute 1966 – Loughborough University of Technology established byroyal charter[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Endowment | £2.54 million (2024)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Budget | £363.2 million (2023/24)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chancellor | Sebastian Coe | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice-Chancellor | Nick Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Visitor | Paul Michell[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Academic staff | 1,690 (2023/24)[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Administrative staff | 2,270 (2023/24)[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Students | 18,825 (2023/24)[6] 17,870FTE (2023/24)[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Undergraduates | 15,235 (2023/24)[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Postgraduates | 3,585 (2023/24)[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other students | 1,205FE[7] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | , England, United Kingdom 52°46′6″N1°13′43″W / 52.76833°N 1.22861°W /52.76833; -1.22861 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Campus | Suburban, single-site campus (518 acres) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scarf | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Colours | African Violet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliations | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Loughborough University (abbreviated asLough orLboro forpost-nominals)[8][9] is apublicresearch university in themarket town ofLoughborough,Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when Loughborough Technical Institute was founded. In March 2013, the university announced it had bought the former broadcast centre at theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park as a second campus. The annual income of the institution for 2023–24 was £363.2 million, of which £47.8 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £251.6 million.[3] In 2024, Loughboroughranked ninth nationally forundergraduate education.
The university traces its roots back to 1909, when the Loughborough Technical Institute was founded in the town centre. There followed a period of rapid expansion led by principalHerbert Schofield, during which there was renaming to Loughborough College and development of the present campus.
In early years, efforts were made to mimic the environment of anOxbridge college, e.g. students wore gowns to lectures, while maintaining a strong practical counterbalance to academic learning. During World War I, it served as an "instructional factory", training workers for the munitions industry.[10]
Following the war, the institute was divided into four separate colleges:
The last would become the nucleus of the present university. Its rapid expansion from a small provincial college to the first British technical university was due largely to its principals,Herbert Schofield, who led it from 1915 to 1950, andHerbert Haslegrave, who oversaw its further expansion from 1953 to 1967 and steered its progress first to a College of Advanced Technology and then to a university in 1966.[11] In 1977, the university broadened its range of studies by amalgamating with Loughborough College of Education (formerly the Training College). More recently, in August 1998, the university merged with Loughborough College of Art and Design (LCAD).Loughborough College remains a college of further education.
Herbert Schofield becameprincipal in 1915, and continued to lead the College of Technology until 1950. Under his guidance, the college changed almost beyond recognition. He bought the estate ofBurleigh Hall on the western outskirts of the town, which became the nucleus of the present 438-acre (177-hectare) campus. He oversaw the building of the original Hazlerigg and Rutland halls of residence, which are now home to the university's administration and the vice-chancellor's offices.
Frederick Annesley Michael Webster (27 June 1886 - 11 April 1949), ofBradwell Juxta Coggeshall in north-west Essex, withEvelyn Montague, an athlete who competed in the much-heralded1924 Summer Olympics, started an AAA summer school at Loughborough, from August 18, 1934. It was the first summer school for athletics in the UK. Tutors on the course included the sprinterHarold Abrahams and javelin throwerJock Dalrymple.[12][13][14] At the summer school on August 12, 1938,Lord Burghley attended, with Austrian coachFranz Stampfl, giving a hurdling display.[15]
The first Loughborough College Stadium was opened on the afternoon of Tuesday June 1, 1937,[16] byClarence Bruce, 3rd Baron Aberdare, the chairman of theNational Advisory Council for Physical Education, with Lt-Col R E Martin, the chairman ofLeicestershire County Council. The stadium was the first in the UK for all track and field events, built on eight acres, and built by students, who were paid with only a cup of tea. A new School of Athletics, Games and Physical Education would begin later in September 1937.[17] It was founded by F.A.M. Webster; his son,Richard Webster (athlete), had competed in the1936 Berlin Olympics, coming sixth in thepole vault.
An experienced educationist, Herbert Haslegrave took over as college principal in 1953. By increasing breadth and raising standards, he gained the institution the status ofColleges of Advanced Technology in 1958. He persuaded the Department of Education to buy further land and began a building programme.[11]
In 1963, theRobbins Report on higher education recommended that all colleges of advanced technology be given university status. Loughborough College of Technology was granted aRoyal Charter on 19 April 1966, and became Loughborough University of Technology (LUT), with Haslegrave as its first vice-chancellor.[10] It gradually remodelled itself in the image of theplate glass universities of the period, which had also been created under Robbins.
In 1977, Loughborough Training College (now Loughborough College of Education) was absorbed into the university. In 1996, the university dropped the "of Technology" from its title, becoming Loughborough University.[10] The Arts College was also amalgamated with the university in 1998. These additions have shifted the technological leaning of the institution, causing it to function more as a traditional university, with a combination of humanities, arts and sciences.
The shortened name "Lboro", "Lufbra" or "Luff" is commonly used by the students' union,[18] the alumni association[19] and others.
The university's main campus is in the town of Loughborough. That campus (once the estate of Burleigh Hall) covers an area of 523 acres,[20] and includes academic departments, 17 halls of residence, the Students' Union, two gyms, gardens and playing fields.
Of particular interest are The Walled Garden, with its Garden of Remembrance, the Hazlerigg-Rutland Hall fountain-courtyard, The Old Cottage and the Bastard Gates donated by and named after William Bastard, the Chairman of College Governors, which form the official entrance to Rutland Hall.
In the central quadrangle of the campus stands a famouscedar tree of veteran status, with a girth of 5.12 m.[21] The cedar has often appeared as a symbol for the university and it was heavy snowfall in December 1990 that led to the collapse of the upper canopy which gave the tree its distinctive shape.
ThePilkington Library opened in 1980. It covers 98,608 sq. ft. (9,161 square metres) over four floors with 1375 study places – up from 780 prior to the renovation in late 2013. The library has a history of undertaking research in the field of library and information work.[citation needed]
Holywell Park Conference Centre[23] is a conference and meeting venue located on campus. It was used as the kitting out location forTeam GB[24] prior to the2012 Summer Olympics.
The £4 million[25] stadium for the university's rugby and football first teams was opened in 2012 and has a capacity of 3,000.[26] It is home toLoughborough University FC, which is one of the few university sides to play in theEnglish football league system, currently competing in theUnited Counties League.[27] The stadium includes adigital scoreboard, conference facilities and 14 changing rooms. In 2018 it hosted four matches in the group stages of theEuropean Under-17 Championships.[28]
Loughborough University is headed by a vice-chancellor and is organised into nine schools:
Each of the 9 schools has a senior leadership team consisting of deans, associate deans for education and research, and operations managers. The University Executive Board is made up of the vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellor, chief operating officer, chief finance officer, the pro vice-chancellors for equity, diversity and inclusion, education and research, director of organisational development and the 9 deans.
In May 2022, the university launched a new strategy called "Creating Better Futures. Together", which sets out to guide Loughborough's activities and development over the next decade.[29]
The official colour of the university isAfrican violet. Thecoat of arms incorporates several symbols relevant to the history of the Loughborough area, includingOffa of Mercia's cross (a symbol of the ancient kingdom ofMercia, within whose borders the town now stands) and thepeafowl from the arms of theDukes of Rutland. The motto of the university isveritate scientia labore ("with truth, wisdom and labour", or, alternatively, "with truth, knowledge and work", depending on the translation).[30]
The university has a strong tradition in both engineering and sport. From its strong engineering and technical background it has now expanded, becoming a centre of excellence in the field of sports andsports science.[citation needed] It has graduated a number of world-class athletes includingPaula Radcliffe andLord Coe. In keeping with this tradition, Loughborough students have won theBritish Universities & Colleges Sport Association (BUCS) championship every year for four decades. The university is the home of the England and Wales Cricket Board'sNational Academy, opened in November 2003.[citation needed]
The university (and Loughborough College before it) once had a "mascot" consisting of an oversizedknight's helmet with a lowered visor, commonly called "Thor". This was constructed in 1958 by students of Hazlerigg-Rutland hall in the college welding shop.[31] In the late 1980s Thor was displayed in the Students' Union foyer, but it has since gone missing.[32]
The university has 20 academic departments and over 100 research groups, institutes and centres currently divided between nine schools. Previously the departments and research institutes had been split between three faculties: Science, Engineering and Social Science & Humanities.
It has 18,295 students; 13,885 of whom are undergraduates and 4,410 are pursuing postgraduate courses and/or research (based on 2023/24 figures).[6] Its currentChancellor is LordSebastian Coe. Loughborough's vice-chancellor and president isNick Jennings, who took up the post in October 2021 following the departure ofRobert Allison.
The university has won sevenQueen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education for work with the aeronautical and automotive industries (1994); support for developing countries (1998); for a pioneering role in developing applications of modern optics and laser technologies (2000); for its world leading roles in sports research, education and development (2002); for its world leading role in social policy in recognition of its outstanding and widely respected work in evaluating and helping develop social policy-related programmes, such as those for cared for children, social security policy, crime prevention, education initiatives and young carers (2005); for recognition of its vehicle, road and driver safety research (2007); and for its impact through research and skills development in High Value Manufacturing to create economic growth (2013).[33]
The university has the largest sports scholarship programme in the UK, with over 250 international athletes studying and training.[34]
|
| Domicile[38] and Ethnicity[39] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| British White[a] | 59% | ||
| British Ethnic Minorities[b] | 22% | ||
| International EU | 3% | ||
| International Non-EU | 16% | ||
| UndergraduateWidening Participation Indicators[38][40] | |||
| Female | 40% | ||
| Independent School | 19% | ||
| Low Participation Areas[c] | 7% | ||
In terms of averageUCAS points of entrants, Loughborough ranked 30th in Britain in 2014.[41] According to the 2017Times andSunday Times Good University Guide, approximately 17% of Loughborough's undergraduates come from independent schools.[42] In the 2016–17 academic year, the university had a domicile breakdown of 79:5:16 of UK:EU:non-EU students respectively with a female to male ratio of 39:61.[43]
| National rankings | |
|---|---|
| Complete (2026)[44] | 7 |
| Guardian (2026)[45] | 11 |
| Times / Sunday Times (2026)[46] | 12 |
| Global rankings | |
| ARWU (2025)[47] | 801–900 |
| QS (2026)[48] | 225 |
| THE (2026)[49] | 301–350 |
Loughborough was namedUniversity of the Year 2019 in The Times and Sunday Times University Good University Guide.[50] Loughborough is one of only four universities, along with Bath, Oxford and St Andrews, to have won the title twice. Loughborough also moved up to 5th overall in the Good University Guide.[51] Loughborough was also given the title of university of the year at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2018.[52]
In the 2020 ranking exercise by Times Higher Education, Loughborough was ranked 59th in the world for the Best 'Golden Age' Universities, defined as those universities established for over 50 years, but less than 80 years.[53]
In 2018 Loughborough was named best in the UK for student experience in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey for the fifth time since 2009.[54]
Loughborough kept its position as the best university in the world to study sports-related subjects in the global 2018 QS higher education league table.[55]
Loughborough is renowned in the UK for its sports provisions.[56]
Loughborough University has been ranked number 1 in the world for sport-related subjects for in the QS World University Rankings by Subject since 2017.[57]
As of the 2024 league, Loughborough is ranked first in the British Universities and Colleges Sport league table.[58]
Loughborough Sport is the brand identity for the sport-related activities and facilities at the university. The university is host to a number of sports governing bodies including England cricket, British swimming, British Triathlon, England Netball, British athletics and British weight lifting[59]
The university is home to the country's largest concentration of world-class facilities across a wide range of sports.[60] Facilities 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 two gyms.
In March 2023, the university opened an extension to its Powerbase gym.[61] The new facility spans a combined 3,200m2 and includes 46 lifting platforms, 8 fully instrumented racks and platforms with integrated VALD force plates, Output Sports velocity-based training systems, and Performance Analysis technology. It is home to the University's Boxing Centre of Excellence and the Athletic Union Boxing club.
TheECB National Academy which is also known as theNational Cricket Performance Centre has been based at Loughborough since 2003 and provides indoor and outdoor training facilities for cricketers.[62]
Loughborough was chosen by theBritish Olympic Association as the training base and official Preparation Camp for Team GB in the run-up to theLondon 2012 Games. Students and graduates of Loughborough won four bronze medals and six Paralympic medals (one gold, three silver and two bronze) in the 2012 Summer Olympics.[63]
At the2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, over 120 athletes from Loughborough represented 8 teams, across 10 sports. In total, 35 medals were won by athletes with Loughborough connections; 13 bronze, 13 silver and nine gold medals. If Loughborough was a country, the university would have finished 11th on the medal table at the 2014 Games.[64]
In 2016 over 80 students, graduates and Loughborough-linked athletes travelled to Rio to participate in both theOlympic and Paralympic Games. In the Olympic competition their athletes secured 12 medals, including 5 golds.[65] Loughborough-linked coaches also played a key role in the Games, with alumni guiding Team GB, Canada and Fiji to gold medals. During the Paralympic competition Loughborough-linked athletes secured a further 22 medals.[65]
Loughborough was connected to more than 100 athletes at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.[66] At the Paralympic Games, 21 medals – six gold, six silver and nine bronze – were won by athletes with Loughborough connections.[67]
Loughborough is home to the world's largest university-based sports technology research group, which is part of the Sports Technology Institute. SportPark, based at the university provides a home for national sporting bodies including Youth Sport Trust, British Swimming and several other national governing bodies.[68]
Loughborough has a wide range of research centres and institutes,[69] including:
In 2023, TheTimes Higher Education Impact Rankings, which assess universities against theUnited Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, placed Loughborough first in the UK and 15th globally for affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).[70]
The Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, or CREST, runs the internationally recognised masters programme in renewable energy. The Centre for Research in Social Policy is an independent research centre based within the Department of Social Sciences. It is responsible for calculating the Minimum Income Standard in the United Kingdom for theJoseph Rowntree Foundation.
The Department of Politics, History and International Relations, or PHIR, is home to researchers in European politics and international relations. It evolved from the Department of European Studies, which was established in 1972.[71]
In 2003, the department took the decision to invest in the study of Politics and International Relations and began to offer undergraduate degrees inInternational Relations. It was after this that the department had a change of name and became the Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies (PIRES). PIRES was declared aJean Monnet Centre of Excellence by theEuropean Commission. Notable alumni of PHIR includePaula Radcliffe,Tanni Grey-Thompson andJames Gibson. Academics includeRuth Kinna, Professor of Political Theory.
The Union building sits in the north-eastern corner of the campus, and offers a range of facilities for clubs and societies, retail, entertainment and other activities. The Union has five rooms, each with its own theme. Loughborough Students' Union (LSU), was awarded the International Experience Award 2011 by theNational Union of Students (NUS).
As well as representing the student body through Union Council and offering academic support through Loughborough Students' Voice, the Union has five main sections for students: the athletic union offering 56 different sporting clubs, the Societies Federation consisting of over 80 societies, Action as the volunteering section offering a range of opportunities for students, along with 45 regular projects working with young people, the elderly, special needs, the homeless or the environment.
Loughborough has a media centre, which offers the opportunity to make TV shows with LSUTV, have your own radio show with LCR, write for the student magazine Label or improve your photography with Lens.[72] The School of the Arts, English and Drama runs The Lamplight Press, the UK's first student-led publishing company.[73]
As of 2016, there are a total of 17halls of residence, many of which are named after famous scientists and engineers.[74] The halls are as follows:
| Name | Location | Open to | Catering status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Bakewell | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| Butler Court (with A Block) | East Park | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| Cayley | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Claudia Parsons | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| David Collett | West Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Falkner–Eggington | Central Park | Undergraduates and postgraduates | Self-catering |
| Faraday | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Forest Court | Off campus | Postgraduates only | Self-catering |
| Harry French Historic Hall | Off campus | Undergraduates and postgraduates | Self-catering |
| Hazlerigg–Rutland | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| The Holt | Off campus | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| William Morris | Off campus | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| John Phillips | Village Park | Postgraduates and undergraduates | Self-catering |
| Elvyn Richards | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Royce | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Rutherford | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
| Telford | Village Park | Undergraduates only | Self-catering |
| Towers | East Park | Undergraduates only | Catered |
Of these, Hazlerigg–Rutland, John Phillips, Elvyn Richards and Telford have names that were previously used for halls of residence that have since been repurposed, renamed or merged with other halls. In 2015 Loughborough University ranked first in the UK for accommodation on a university review platform StudentCrowd.[75]
Loughborough University has two main gyms, namely Powerbase and Holywell.
Loughborough University and Kazakhstan's Bolashak scholarship programme signed a cooperation agreement in 2018. The agreement enables taught master's and PhD students to study at the university's two campuses in the East Midlands and London.[77]
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