Summary of our 2025-26 to 2028-29 Access and Participation Plan

Key points

Loughborough University is a medium-sized, research intensive university with 14,842 full-time Home and International undergraduate students (Facts and Figures, Dec 2023).

Our students are engaged in a range of subjects across Business and Economics, Social Sciences and Humanities, Design and Creative Arts, Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and we have an outstanding reputation for sport and sports-related subjects.

We are committed to a whole-provider approach and our Loughborough University Strategy 2030, Creating Better Futures. Together sets out our purpose, values and our aims.  Integral to this is our broader institutional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategic aim that ‘we will be more diverse, equitable and inclusive’.

Through an analysis of our data and student consultation, we have identified the following priority areas:

• Access to Loughborough University for students from less advantaged backgrounds;
• Continuation and Completion for mature students and students with a mental health condition;
• Degree Outcomes for students from black and Asian heritage backgrounds and students from less advantaged backgrounds;
• Progression for students from less advantaged backgrounds and Placement uptake among students from black and Asian heritage backgrounds.

Fees for full-time Home undergraduates are set at the maximum level permitted by the government and any annual increases are subject to government fee caps. The maximum tuition fee in 2025/26 is £9,535 for standard full-time courses (subject to Parliamentary procedure).

View a full list of our tuition fees.

Financial help available

We offer financial support to students from underrepresented groups to support their transition to Loughborough and their study experience throughout the student journey. These include:

Loughborough University Bursary (LUB) offers £1,000 per year of study (with additional £500 pre-placement grant) for students from household incomes up to £30,000.

Opportunity Scholarship provides £3000 per year for three years of study for up to 50 students who complete an eligible post-16 programme and have a household income up to £30,000. Any remaining scholarships will be assigned to Access Loughborough offer holders and prioritised for those students from the lowest household incomes.

Care Leaver Bursary is available for students who have been in care for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14. Eligible students will receive £2700 per year for three years of study (with additional £500 pre-placement grant).

Loughborough Bursary for Unpaid Placements (LBUP) offers up to £3,667 for the placement year for students from household incomes up to £30,000 and students from Black African, Caribbean and South Asian heritage.

We regularly review our financial support and further details about our scholarships and bursaries, and eligibility criteria, are available on our undergraduate study web pages.

We are committed to the provision of clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and existing students, teachers and school staff, and parents and guardians.

We also provide relevant information to UCAS, the Student Loans Company and other relevant bodies to ensure they too can provide all necessary information to students.

We deliver a wide range of information including via:  

• Our website and myLboro digital guide (official app);
• Published materials such as our undergraduate mini-guide; 
• Events on- and off-campus, in schools, colleges, community venues and with employers;
• Personal Academic Tutors who signpost students to personal and academic advice;
• Our Student Advice and Support Service which provides guidance and advice for both current and prospective students.

We aim to ensure that all students can thrive during their university experience and beyond. We have therefore committed to 9 objectives and 4 targets in our plan to:

• increase the proportion of students at Loughborough from less advantaged backgrounds;
• ensure that continuation and completion gaps for mature students and students who have a reported mental health condition do not increase;
• reduce the gap in the awarding of Good (First or 2:1) degrees for black heritage students and ensure the gap for students from Asian heritage background students does not increase, in  comparison to white students; 
• reduce the gap in the awarding of Good (First or 2:1) degrees between students from less advantaged backgrounds and those from the most advantaged backgrounds;
• reduce the difference in the placement year uptake (Part I registrations) between students from black and Asian heritage backgrounds, in comparison to white students;
• ensure that the gap between students from less advantaged backgrounds and those from more advantaged backgrounds in progression to graduate level employment or further study does not increase.

We have designed and will deliver and evaluate a range of activities to tackle the risks to equality of opportunity and help us achieve our objectives and targets, including:

Access

• Providing tailored information to increase applications and awareness of support;
• Removing barriers for underrepresented groups and review targeting measures to ensure underrepresented students can access Loughborough University;
• Delivering programmes for post-16 students providing skills development and support with university choices and applications.

Success

• Providing coaching and peer mentoring for underrepresented students;
• Increasing the inclusivity of our teaching and assessment practices;
• Providing financial support to students to reduce financial concerns and enable participation in student life;
• Working collaboratively with employers to support more inclusive recruitment practices.

Culture and belonging

• Expanding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) education and training for staff;
• Enhancing academic tutoring, by supporting staff to develop knowledge of the needs of different student groups;
• Providing an online programme to support students in the transition to Loughborough University.

We work in genuine partnership with our students to ensure their views, needs and interests are fully represented and remain at the forefront of all developments aimed at enhancing their university experience.

We are proud of our strong and long-standing partnership with Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU) who have been an active co-creator of this plan.  LSU Elected Executive Officers and other representatives of the student body sit on all key decision-making groups relating to access and participation at the University.

Our students contribute extensively to our access, success and progression work, through ambassador, mentoring and peer support roles. We will continue to engage with the Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU) and a diverse range of student stakeholders during the implementation, delivery, and evaluation of this plan.

Evaluation is embedded in our work, and we aim to understand what works, why and how, for whom, and in what context. Our evaluation strategy and commitments are to:

• Ensure our activities build on the latest research, evidence and data;
• Improve staff confidence with evaluation through training and support;
• Ensure a minimum standard and quality of evaluation, using a range of methods.

We will share our findings and results, internally and externally, through our Annual Impact Report website and sector networks.