What to do before you apply

All deadlines, including deadlines for applying, accepting and (for international students) paying your CAS deposit, are listed on our Key deadlines page.

The entry requirements for our postgraduate degrees are listed within the individual programme descriptions.

From here, you can select your country/region to see the equivalent grade boundaries. More information on postgraduate qualification equivalencies for international students can be found here.

If you cannot find your country/region in the drop-down list, please email us with copies of your qualifications.

All applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on our International Office website.

All students are required to meet a minimum standard of English language ability and some departments require a higher minimum level. See our list of English language requirements for more information. 

There is no need for you to have completed your English language qualifications before you apply – most students are made offers conditional on achieving particular grades in their English language test.

If you have not fully met the English language requirements asked for in your offer, it is possible that the school/department may allow you to take one of our English language pre-sessional programmes.

Not all schools/departments will allow students to take an English language pre-sessional programme, so you should check the guidance carefully.

We realise that some universities don’t hold their graduation ceremonies until later in the year. We can accept a copy of your final transcript plus a letter from your university to confirm that you have completed your degree and giving your final grade. We call this an award letter and it replaces the degree certificate.

Agents can provide advice and information on choosing a university and a programme, and help with practical aspects too, such as submitting your application and booking travel. You can find a list of the agents we work with here.

You’ll apply to the university in the same way, you just need to tick a box to confirm you are using an agent and give us their contact details.

A university may only sponsor you for a student visa (also known as the Student Route) on a second course at the same level in the UK if there is clear academic progression. To demonstrate this progression, the second course should be linked to the first and provide deeper specialisation into a subject. You should also be able to explain how the combination of programmes will support your career aspirations. If you wish to undertake a second postgraduate degree in the UK at Loughborough, your application will be carefully assessed and you may be asked to provide further information about your study and future career plans.

If you wish to progress from one postgraduate programme to another, you must be able to demonstrate that you have successfully completed your previous course before we may sponsor you under the student visa (also known as the Student Route) for the new programme. If written evidence of successful completion is not available prior to the start date of the new programme, it is unlikely that we will be able to sponsor you under the student visa (also known as the Student Route) for that year.

You should use your full name, as it appears in your passport or birth certificate. If you only have a single name, rather than a forename(s) and a surname, as is typical in the UK, you should enter this in both the forename and surname fields of your application. Further guidance can be found in our student handbook.

Along with your references, we’ll also need copies of:

• an academic transcript of your undergraduate degree showing the modules studied and marks achieved
• a copy of your degree certificate, if you have already graduated
• a personal statement

You can attach these to your application by uploading them in the application portal. If these documents are in your native language, you will need to supply copies in English language by an official translator.

The personal statement should explain your motivation for studying the programme, any relevant skills and experience you have (through studying or work), and your future career aspirations and how this programme will support you in achieving this. Remember to let your passion for the subject shine through!

No, there is no fee for making an application, although international students requiring a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies for their Student Visa will have to pay a deposit of £2,500 before this can be issued.

Yes, you can make multiple applications through the portal. You do not need to keep re-entering your personal details and once you have completed the first application, it is easy to add more. However, we recommend submitting a new personal statement that is tailored to each programme you are applying for.

We consider a range of factors when considering applications, including:

• average marks, a GPA or final grade from prior degree-level studies (whether completed or still incomplete at time of applying)
• marks or grades achieved for individual subjects or modules taken, particularly where they provide an important foundation for further study at postgraduate level
• the ranking or reputation of your previous university
• evidence of competence in English language
• your personal statement
• academic references from your current/previous university
• for some programmes, work experience or a professional qualification may be required in addition to an academic qualification
• for some programmes a portfolio, example of written work, or evidence of practical skills are required.

The grade equivalences listed should be interpreted as a general indication of the marks required to gain entry. Due to the range of factors considered when assessing an application, it is impractical to adhere to exact percentage requirements or equivalences between marks gained in different countries.

Your offer conditions may ask you to submit a satisfactory reference. This should be an academic reference, from your current or most recent place of study (if you have already graduated). If it is impossible for you to obtain an academic reference, a reference from your employer may suffice but please contact us to check if this will be acceptable. For a limited number of programmes we may ask for both an academic and professional reference, if this applies to you, it will be clearly stated in your offer email. It is your responsibility to submit your references to the University, or arrange for your referees to send them to us directly.

To help support the financial costs of further study, there are a variety of options available to you.

Firstly, we have an Alumni Bursary, offering 10% off tuition fees for self-funding postgraduate taught students who are not in receipt of any other University award and obtained their previous degree from Loughborough University.

Most schools and departments also offer a number of postgraduate scholarships to students who have applied for a taught programme, with awards of up to 20% towards your tuition fees. Please see here for the scholarships available for students studying at the London campus.

Please note that these awards are not cumulative – you will automatically be awarded the single highest value bursary or scholarship for which you qualify.

Funding may also be available from your government, such as the UK Government Postgraduate Loan, offering up to £11,570 for UK students ordinarily resident in England looking to study a master’s programme at a UK university.

Scholarships may also be awarded by external organisations.

To check whether you are eligible to apply for these or to view your other funding options, please visit our website.

Some students choose to apply for part-time work to supplement their income. One of the most popular opportunities to do this is through the University’s Student Ambassador scheme which recruits students to help out at a wide range of events. Both the University and Students’ Union list a wide range of other vacancies, whilst our Careers Network can help you find and obtain part-time work.

If you are on a student visa, please be aware that there are strict rules governing how much you can work during your studies. Details can be found on our website.

We try to reach a decision as soon as possible and you can help with this by including as much information as you can within your application. We normally aim to respond to an application within two to three weeks, although some programmes which require a portfolio or a proposal can take longer.

If we have made you an unconditional offer, we are satisfied that you have met all of the entry requirements for your programme. Whilst we will not ask for further confirmation of your qualifications, we may ask you to prove you have your funding in place.

If you accept an unconditional offer, your status will be updated to 'Unconditional Firm' and you will be guaranteed a place on your programme.

If your place to study with us is conditional, your offer email will have included any academic or non-academic conditions that you will need to meet. When you have met the conditions of your offer, you can upload evidence of these to the application portal. Once all of your conditions have been met, your status will change to unconditional.

Example conditions include:

• meet our English language requirements
• provide one satisfactory reference on official letterheaded paper
• obtain an upper second-class honours degree

You don't need to wait until you've met all of your conditions before accepting your offer - you can do this at any time in the application portal and your status will be updated to conditional provisional.

You will need to pay £2,500 to confirm you will be studying at Loughborough University and want us to issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). This is only required for students who need a CAS in order to apply for a student visa (also known as the Student Route).

You should pay your deposit through Flywire, a provider of global payment solutions. Flywire allows you to securely pay your deposit from overseas in over 140 currencies by bank transfer or international credit or debit card, and gives you the facility to track your payment from start to finish.

To access Loughborough's Flywire account, log in to the application portal, click on the programme that you wish to study with us and you will find a link to the deposit payment page.

As soon as your deposit payment details are passed to us from Flywire, we will start to prepare your CAS, provided the start date of your programme is less than four months away.

If you are not a UK national or settled in the UK and plan to undertake postgraduate study in the UK in certain science, engineering or technology subjects, you will need an ATAS certificate before you can apply for a visa or entry clearance. This will be clarified in your offer.

Find out more about ATAS certification.

Our term dates can be found in the student handbook.