Frequently asked questions

When your UCAS application is received, we will automatically invite you to attend one of our departmental interview or visit days. This will allow you to see the extensive facilities and meet some of our staff and current undergraduates. You will also see the broad range of University amenities, including the sport and leisure facilities.

We strongly advise that visiting applicants attend one of the booked interview or visit days, to which you will automatically be invited.  Due to various teaching and other work commitments, we cannot guarantee that relevant admissions staff will be available for non-invited impromptu visitors.

Yes -  should you be unable to attend the interview or need to reschedule, we kindly request that you contact us. We value your interest in the degree course you've applied for and want to ensure we accommodate your needs and circumstances.

Assuming you are successful in your interview, an offer will typically be made via UCAS within a week.

Our engineering courses require a strong mathematical ability.  Where A-level maths is requested in our entry requirements, a minimum grade B is required to access our courses.  

Yes – the Loughborough English language requirements website details all acceptable English Language qualifications. However, UK applicants should generally have a minimum GCSE English Language Grade C (likewise and equivalent for SQA Higher qualifications), and non-UK applicants should have an IELTS or TOEFL qualification.

If places are available, we will automatically reconsider your UCAS application, although we cannot guarantee that we will make a concession.

It is here where your interview (if applicable) during your visit to the Wolfson School is important. The best advice is to check UCAS Track first and if you require further guidance, please contact the Wolfson School Undergraduate Admissions Team once your exam results are known, who will be able to guide you on your next available steps.

Yes – if you do better in your qualifications than expected and meet the entry requirements for your chosen degree course, we invite you to consider changing your registration from BEng to MEng where applicable.

Please consider that there will be an additional years fees and living expenses.

Everybody who firmly accepts a place at Loughborough and registers with the Student Accommodation Centre before the published deadline will receive confirmation of their place at Loughborough and is guaranteed a place in halls.

Please visit the Student Accommodation Centre website for further information and all accommodation related queries.

Details of University bursaries and scholarships can be found on the tuition fees and funding website.

The main operating system for the University is Microsoft Windows 10 and nearly all engineering software runs on Windows. Software is not available for other operating systems such as Mac OS X. Mac computers are not recommended.

Network

If you are in halls you will be able to use the network, so you need an ethernet card or wireless dongle. Wireless networking is also available in most locations on campus. If you intend to use the P.C. for e-mail or other Internet use off campus (e.g. at home) from a telephone line you will need to use a Cable Modem or an A.D.S.L. modem. You will need advice from your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Hardware

If you are going to purchase a new laptop or PC generally the specification should be OK, however, check that there is a minimum of 4GB RAM for general use, or 8GB plus if you intend to add CAD software onto your machine.  Having a Solid State hard drive is a big benefit regarding speed.

Computers Suitable for CAD Software

Notebooks are not recommended due to the screen size.  Most modern PCs and laptops should be OK to run CAD provided they have MS Windows 10, 8GB of RAM and OpenGL graphics capability.  However, there are occasionally issues with PCs and laptops which are usually to do with the graphics cards. Newer laptops will run NX OK, it is just the rendering that will need to be completed in the labs or have a Quadro graphics card in the PC.

Graphics Cards for CAD

To guarantee a computer which will work a graphics card or chip must be on the hardware certification list from Siemens PLM.  On these lists you should be looking for something like a Nvidia Quadro K610M or a K620M as the cheapest option for laptops.  However, you would probably be looking at a laptop which costs upwards of £1,500.  It is a lot cheaper to run NX on a desktop PC because you can add in a graphics card like a Nvidia Quadro k420 which should be around £100.

It is also worth noting that NX and other engineering applications can be accessed via many of the computer labs on campus of which quite a number are available 24/7.

Data

Your data is your responsibility. 

A USB memory stick of 8 GB or more is useful to have for transferring your data between your PC or laptop and the University labs. Also, ideally you may need a portable 500Gb USB hard drive which will allow you to keep back-up copies of all your work. You can also store it on the software applications which are available for you to download via LEARN or Microsoft Azure.  You should also consider a CD or DVD writer so that you can make archive copies of your work. CD and DVD writers are available in the University Computer labs. However, you will probably use your university OneDrive cloud storage. It is available on all lab PC’s and via a web browser. It comes with 1TB allowance. It is accessible anywhere, and on any device enabling you to seamlessly work on documents across all devices.

If you require more detailed advice, please email: it.services@lboro.ac.uk

The main system operating system for the University is Microsoft Windows 10 and nearly all engineering software runs on Windows.  Software is not available for other operating systems such as Mac OS X. Mac computers are not recommended.

The core software used by the University is Office 365.  This is available free via the Office 365 portal for everyone at Loughborough University via the website.

CAD Software

Siemens PLM NX is available as a download from LEARN software downloads section.

Free for registered Loughborough students.

This is world class software which is unrestricted for student use.  It is accompanied by a full set of online training material.

Materials Selection

CES Edupack is available as a download from IT Services.

Free for registered Loughborough students.

This is an excellent database which has information on all material properties and uses.

Other Microsoft Software MS Programming and Other Software, available as downloads.

Free for registered Loughborough students:

•       Visual Studio
•       Visio
•       Project etc via Azure

If in any doubt you can contact the service desk at it.services@lboro.ac.uk who will route your email into the correct IT park team. Or you can visit the PC clinic situated in the Library for a more one to one personalised help.

No - however, in our experience, all students who wish to complete a placement, have been able to obtain one. Our dedicated Placements Team will support you during the application process and it is routine for us to have over 200 students in industry every year.

More information is available on the Industrial Placements page.

The current fee for a placement year is approximately 20% of the tuition fees. This maintains your student registration and covers the cost of three placement visits to you at your company by academic staff to monitor the quality of the work and the progress you are making.

Yes - you are allocated a personal tutor when you arrive at the University, who will be a point of contact and advice for you during the first two years of your degree course.

Students meet with their personal tutors every Friday on a timetabled basis during the first year of study on their degree course. In the second year and onwards, meetings are more informal.

During the first two years, students should expect to see between 20 and 24 hours of contact with staff (lectures, tutorials, laboratories) each week, depending on the degree course, tutorial groups and laboratory groups. 

Contact time is more variable in later years depending on your optional module choices.

Yes – if you meet the progression requirements for the MEng version of your degree course. This option is available at the end of the first and second years of study.

However, you will need to discuss this with the relevant Programme Director, and there will be additional years fees and living expenses to consider.

The majority of modules are assessed with a mixture of examination and coursework. A small number of modules are assessed on a coursework only basis.

Examinations typically represent 70% to 80% of the final module mark and usually occur in June at the end of the first and second academic years.

If you are unfortunate enough not to meet the progression requirements for a module, then typically, you will be required to resit the relevant examination and / or coursework assessments in the September special assessment period.