On course
We have a strong reputation for providing an outstanding student experience and importantly, supporting our students to achieve excellent graduate employment outcomes, as evidenced by the quantitative metrics used in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023.
We were awarded Gold Overall, Gold for Student Experience and Gold for Student Outcomes, which ‘recognises institutions that deliver consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for students and is of the highest quality found in the UK’.
Loughborough is one of the six high tariff providers (of 23 high tariff institutions that took part in the TEF), to achieve Gold Overall, Gold for Student Experience and Gold for Student Outcomes.
GOLD
Overall
GOLD
Student experience
GOLD
Student outcomes
Student Success Academy (SSA)
Our Student Success Academy (SSA) works with services across the university to provide personalised support and development opportunities for students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education.
The SSA focuses on supporting students at key transition points throughout their time at Loughborough, including settling in at the university, returning from a placement/study abroad year, and graduating and progressing to employment or postgraduate study.
Academic Success Coaching
Academic Success Coaching is the process of helping students devise a personalised approach to studying. At Loughborough, our academic success coaching initiative is designed to help students from underrepresented groups achieve academic success through identifying their strengths and increasing confidence and motivation.
304
one-to-one or group coaching sessions delivered
2,594
total hours spent in coaching by our participants
Coaching has honestly helped me a lot. It's helped me to get clearer on what my coursework is really asking for, made me more productive and motivated, and kept me accountable.
Get Ahead Together
Get Ahead Together is a group peer mentoring programme to support foundation and first-year students through their transition into life at university.
Staff and student mentors provide workshops and peer support for mentees in their own Academic School, with a choice of sessions to ensure accessibility.
Each semester features different topics, such as ‘Stepping into study’ or ‘Navigating your future success’. The programme aims to improve student retention and continuation of study by building a sense of community among new students.
127
unique participants welcomed by the Get Ahead Together programme
53%
of mentees were from black or South Asian heritage
Really useful for the mentor to be from the same school – I felt all advice was actually tailored to my studies, so was very beneficial.
Dissertation Writing Retreats
Our Dissertation Writing Retreats, run in collaboration with the Academic Language Support Service and the Library, have been designed to support final-year students at the writing-up stage of their project or dissertation.
Organised for each Academic School, they feature a half or a full-day of developmental workshops and dedicated writing time, aimed at signposting students to sources of support, raising their confidence and enabling them to make tangible progress on their dissertations. Open to all students, they have a strong focus on recruiting Access and Participation Plan eligible participants.
9
full or half-day events organised
289
students engaged
Over 95%
of attendees found the workshops informative
87%
of attendees had a better understanding of how to approach their dissertation following the retreat
The time to write sessions were great as I usually struggle with staying productive due to distractions but the environment of everyone else working helped me stay on track.
Inclusive Teaching and Learning Staff Training
We seek to continually enhance the teaching and learning experience at Loughborough by ensuring our curricula and content are inclusive, research-informed, inspiring and relevant. We want all our students to benefit from a learning environment that respects diversity and enables participation, and where teaching recognises and considers a variety of learning needs and preferences.
Our Enhanced Academic Practice (EAP) team provide advice, training and workshops to support staff in the use of inclusive teaching and assessment approaches, to encourage positive change.
23
bespoke and centralised training sessions delivered for Academic Schools and professional services
230
staff joined the keynote on racial inclusion in assessment at our Learning and Teaching Conference
280
staff attended workshops covering themes such as decolonisation, the hidden curriculum, degree awarding gaps, belonging and inclusion
74
staff and doctoral researchers completed our ‘How to be an Inclusive Practitioner’ open programme workshops
Financial Support
We have a range of scholarships and bursaries that provide financial support for students from low-income backgrounds and specific target groups.
By reducing some of the financial burden of studying, these awards aim to:
- alleviate the pressure for our students to supplement their income through part-time work;
- enable our students to take advantage of the many extracurricular activities and opportunities available and maximise their student experience.
Longer-term, our data show that students in receipt of non-repayable financial support are as likely as their peers to continue and complete their undergraduate programme at Loughborough.
Our Opportunity Scholarship, funded through donations from alumni and friends of the university, provides funding for students ‘in most need’ and who would benefit the greatest from this additional financial support.
Our Loughborough University Bursary (LUB) supports students from households with incomes below £25,000.
Our Care leaver Bursary, provides a bursary of £2,700 and a £3,000 tuition fee waiver for our students from care-experienced backgrounds.
51
Opportunity Scholarships awarded to new entrants
136
students in receipt of Opportunity Scholarships*
1782
students received the Loughborough University Bursary*
11
students supported through our Care Leaver Bursary
*across all years of study