Postgraduate master’s degrees. The next steps for UK, EU and International students.

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Postgraduate master’s degrees The next steps for UK, EU and International students

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Congratulations We are delighted to make you an offer to join our postgraduate community.

This booklet will guide you through the next stages of the admissions process and highlight the various opportunities available to you. We are looking forward to welcoming you to campus.

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— “I have had friends and family attend Loughborough for various different degrees, and the quality of the courses and the genuine excitement surrounding the campus really drew me in. When I decided to do my MA, this really was the only choice!”

— Emily Arts, English and Drama

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Why choose Loughborough?

Loughborough is a fantastic destination for your postgraduate studies.

Our world-class research, outstanding teaching quality and passion for student experience have enabled us to create something truly special.

You will become part of an ambitious community of students and staff who are committed to helping each other reach their full potential academically, professionally and socially.

Our outstanding facilities and friendly and supportive community will enable you to be the very best you can be, in whatever you choose to do.

— “I chose to study a master’s degree to further extend my academic knowledge. There is greater discussion and debate with lecturers and peers at this level, which has developed my abilities and enhanced my learning experience.”

— Niamh Geography

See what happens in a year at Loughborough here 03

Our achievements

AWARDED SEVEN QUEEN’S ANNIVERSARY PRIZES SECOND ONLY TO OXFORD

GUARDIAN UNIVERSITY GUIDE 2019 RANKED 4TH IN THE UK

INTERNATIONAL QS STARS SCHEME 2018 AWARDED 5* FOR RESEARCH AND TEACHING

TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES GOOD UNIVERSITY GUIDE 2019 RANKED 5TH IN THE UK

TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY 2018 1ST IN THE UK

THE COMPLETE UNIVERSITY GUIDE 2019 RANKED 7TH IN THE UK

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Your offer: what next?

CHECK THE CONDITIONS OF YOUR OFFER CAREFULLY If you have any questions please contact us.

Keep a record of your application reference number, which can be found on the top of your offer email.

Please quote this when contacting the University.

REPLY TO OUR OFFER To accept our offer return to the Application Portal and select ‘Reply to Offer’.

You don’t have to wait until you have submitted all the required documents before you accept your offer, you can accept it at any time.

After you accept our offer you’ll start to receive our e-newsletter which will keep you up-to-date on news at Loughborough, and key dates such as opportunities to visit, and when you can register for accommodation.

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PROVIDE EVIDENCE If we have asked for an academic reference please contact your referee directly. You can find reference guidance and a template on our website to assist with the process.

If you are being sponsored or are in receipt of a scholarship you’ll need to send us official confirmation.

You can upload your supporting documents at any time via the Application Portal using the View/Upload Documents tab in the Application Portal.

Once they are uploaded, we can confirm your place.

PLACE CONFIRMED Once we have received and approved your documents we will confirm your place to join us in September. If you need a student visa to study in the UK, we will issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

Approximately six weeks before the start of term we will email you with guidance how to complete online registration.

All of our correspondence with you will be by email, so please let us know straight away if your email address changes.

You can find more details regarding online registration on our Welcome to Loughborough pages.

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Fees and financial support The standard tuition fees for 2019/20 academic year can be found on our website Information about the fees for the programme you have applied for is also contained in your offer email.

Tuition fees increase annually. For parttime students continuing on the same programme, an increase of up to 4% is likely from 2019/20 to 2020/21. Therefore, if your part-time course is studied over two or more years please be aware that the fees paid in your second, and every subsequent, year of study will be higher.

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Payments for your tuition are billed in November during your first term. You can pay in full at this time or choose to pay in three equal instalments (November, January & May). You can find further details here on our How to pay pages.

UK and some EU students may be able to borrow up to ÂŁ10,609 to help fund the cost of their studies, by taking advantage of the Government Postgraduate Loan.

More information can be found here.

Scholarships and bursaries Most Schools offer scholarships of up to 20% towards tuition fees to students studying full-time and who demonstrate outstanding academic ability.

In most cases you do not need to apply for a scholarship separately – you will be assessed on the basis of your master’s application. If you are required to submit a separate scholarship application form it will state this clearly on the website.

The Loughborough University Alumni Bursary is specifically for students who completed their first degree at Loughborough, and offers 10% towards tuition fees.

There are a number of scholarships and bursaries available to postgraduate students for 2019 entry, including: • Santander Taught Postgraduate Scholarship • Academic Excellence Scholarship • School Scholarships • Loughborough Sports Scholarships • Loughborough University Arts Tuition and Scholarship For further details please visit our Master’s funding pages.

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English language requirements All applicants must have an acceptable qualification in English language before they can be admitted to a postgraduate programme.

For UK/EU students this is generally GCSE/IGCSE or O-level English as a First Language at Grade C / 4 or above. If you are from outside the UK, the equivalent school leaving qualification from your home country, or completing a degree from a UK university will usually satisfy this requirement.

A complete list of all acceptable English language qualifications is available here.

Applicants from the EU who do not meet the English language requirements may, at the discretion of the School, be admitted onto a pre-sessional English language programme as an alternative way to satisfy these requirements.

You can find information about the University’s pre-sessional English language programmes here.

The Academic Language Support Service also offers workshops and courses which students may find helps them to adapt to studying at Loughborough University.

For more information contact the English Language Support Service.

T: +44 (0)1509 222058 E: alss@lboro.ac.uk

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“The academics at Loughborough are established specialists in their respective fields. This means that the teaching is based on the latest research and right up-to-date.”

— Nicholas School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

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International students Points Based System (PBS) for visa applications

Further information about the Points Based System is available from the following websites:

If you are a national from a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) you must apply for a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK to study.

• Loughborough University website: lboro.ac.uk/international/visaimmigration

Before you can submit your visa application you will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number. The University obtains this CAS number for you but this can only be done once you have: • Satisfied all the conditions of your offer • Accepted your offer via the Application Portal • Provided us with your passport number • Been issued with your ATAS certificate (if applicable) Once you have done all of the above the University will contact you and send you a CAS statement which will include your CAS number.

You can only apply for your student visa up to three months before the start of your course.

CAS statements will be sent by email to eligible students from the start of May onwards.

and lboro.ac.uk/services/isas/visa-advice • UKCISA website www.ukcisa.org.uk • UKVI website: www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa Distance learning students who wish to attend block-taught modules should check the following website for details on obtaining a short stay visa: lboro.ac.uk/services/isas/visa-advice/outsideuk/ short-termstudyvisa

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) If you have applied for a science, engineering or technology programme, then you may need to apply for an ATAS certificate before you can apply for a student visa. If this applies to you, it will be given as a condition on your offer letter. More information about ATAS can be found at: lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/support/atas/

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Accommodation Our Student Accommodation Centre will be able to help you find suitable accommodation for the duration of your studies.

The University has a variety of self-catered accommodation for postgraduate students to suit a range of budgets. Further information, including 360° tours of the accommodation can be found on our website.

There is a wide selection of privately owned accommodation in Loughborough, suitable for singles,

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couples and families. These properties have been inspected and approved by the University. More information is available here.

If you have any questions please contact the Student Accommodation Centre on: T: +44 (0)1509 222258 E: sac@lboro.ac.uk

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