Honorary Degrees

Our vision for Honorary Degrees is to team up with changemakers across the globe.

Eligibility

Loughborough University bestows Honorary Degrees on high-profile individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to fields the University has close links with.

Areas of contribution could be any academic, business or professional service area, or of particular relevance to the University’s values and strategic vision.

Criteria

Criteria would include:

  • High profile, exceptional candidates who have made a substantial contribution to their chosen field whether that be industry, education, research, culture, Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI), sustainability, society or other public service.
  • An outstanding and inspirational example of achievement to the University entire community.  
  • Enhance the University's academic or general reputation; and
  • Have the potential to act as a champion and supporter of the University in an ongoing capacity.
The deadline for the next round of nominations is 12 April 2024.

Making an Honorary Degree Nomination

  • Nominations can be made using the online form. If you would prefer to provide a nomination via other means e.g. by video or through a short interview, please contact the Committee Secretary and arrangements will be made.
  • Nominations received before the deadline will be considered for Committee review. It is not guaranteed that all nominations received by the deadline will be reviewed at the very next Committee meeting. If there is a time sensitive element to your nomination, please notify the Committee Secretary.
  • The online form poses five questions:
    1. Why are you nominating this individual for a Loughborough University Honorary Degree?

      Suggested word count: min – 150 words, max – 500 words.

      Please do not include weblinks in lieu of providing specific information about an individual’s key achievements. Your nomination should specifically reference how the nominee meets the award criteria.

    2. Which area of the University Strategy does your nomination support?

      Select tick box(es) that are relevant.

    3. Can you detail (if any) the connections to the nominee that you or the university already have?

      Nominations can be people in your field who you admire, great leaders or anyone who is striving to create a better future. It is not essential for nominees to have existing connections with the University, although in some circumstances, this may strengthen the case.

      If you do know of specific individuals within the University and its networks that are linked with the nominee, this can be helpful to us when trying to make contact with successful nominees.

    4. Please can you give examples of the potential to act as a champion and supporter of the University in an ongoing capacity.

      Suggested word count: min – 150 words, max – 500 words. 

      Examples might include acting as a mentor or ambassador for the University, providing guest lectures or joining an advisory board.

      A system is now in place to facilitate ongoing engagement with our Honorary Graduates.

    5. Have you discussed this nomination with your line manager/Dean/Head of Service?

      Yes/No answer.

      Whilst not essential, in order to achieve a degree of coordination with nominations, it is recommended that nominations are discussed within your School/Professional Service.

If you have any further questions about the nomination process or would like to see previous, exemplar nominations, please contact the Committee Secretary.

Please note, we cannot accept nominations for currently serving politicians. For more information on the committee structure please see our committee pages.