Next steps: a guide for international students who have applied for a master's degree

www.lboro.ac.uk

Postgraduate Master’s Degrees The next steps for International students

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Congratulations from the International Office We are delighted to make you an offer to join our postgraduate community.

We have a long history of welcoming international students. There are around 3000 students from outside of the UK, from more than 130 countries, currently studying with us.

The International Office at Loughborough is a friendly, experienced and knowledgeable team.

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We are here to provide the highest-quality experience for international applicants and students.

To find out more please visit the International Office website at www.lboro.ac.uk/international or contact the office by email at international-office@lboro.ac.uk

— “It’s a good place to study and live; you can makea lot of friends from different countries. Here at Loughborough I have been able to experience using state-of-art technology. The lecturers and other students are so friendly and willing to help.”

— Shaxiaosi MSc Construction Management

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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 (www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply), and select ‘Reply to Offer’. You don’t have to wait until you have completed your qualifications to accept.

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 direct. We are unable to contact referees on your behalf.

If applicable, you’ll also need to send us official confirmation of sponsorship or any scholarship you have received. If you need us to confirm with your sponsor that you have been firmly accepted to the University please let us know.

You can upload your supporting documents at any time via the Application Portal, and the sooner you send them to us, the sooner we can confirm your place.

Use the View/Upload Documents tab in the Application Portal.

PLACE CONFIRMED Once we have received and approved all the relevant documentation and your place is confirmed, we will email your registration documents to you approximately six weeks before the start of term.

All of our correspondence with you will be by email, so please let us know straight away if your email address changes. This is particularly important to Distance Learning students as your IT credentials will enable you to access your virtual learning environment (LEARN) as well as your student email address.

More detailed guidance on these steps can be found at: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply

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Why choose Loughborough?

Loughborough is a fantastic destination for your postgraduate studies.

We offer the full package of internationally renowned research, excellent teaching quality, outstanding facilities, and a friendly and supportive community that enables our students to be the very best they can be, in whatever they choose to do.

• Innovative and dynamic courses at our Loughborough and London campuses • 6th in the Guardian 2018 • 7th in the Times and Sunday Times 2018 • 10th in the Complete University Guide 2018 • Britain’s Best Student Experience over the last 10 years, 2007-2017 • Awarded 5* Plus rating in the QS Stars scheme 2018 – one of only nineteen universities in the world to get this • 95% of our students satisfied with the University overall, Student Barometer Autumn Wave 2016 • Graduate House: dedicated study and social facilities for postgraduate students • e-Learning Excellence Award in 2015, for our established part-time and distance learning courses in engineering 05

— “Loughborough is one of the few Universities which have an optical engineering research group, the laboratories are equipped with state of the art instruments – I didn’t think twice when I was offered a PhD.” — Rahul PhD Optical Engineering

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Fees and financial support The standard tuition fees for 2018/19 academic year can be found on our website at: www.lboro.ac.uk/students/finance Information about the fees for the programme you have applied for is also contained in your offer email.

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.

Tuition fees increase annually. For part-time students continuing on the same programme an increase of up to 4% is likely from 2018/19 to 2019/20. Therefore, if your part-time course

Further information can be found on our website. Students studying by distance learning should contact their academic School or Department for tuition fee information.

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“The study experience at Loughborough is really special and unforgettable. I would recommend my course to other students, because it teaches practical skills that can be used in the future.”

— 07

Jingxue MSc Business Analysis and Management

Scholarships and bursaries Scholarships are awarded to students 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 degree application. If you are required to submit a separate scholarship application form, it will be clearly stated on the website below.

There are a number of scholarships and bursaries available to full-time international postgraduate students for 2018 entry including:

Further information about these awards and other external sources of funding can be found at: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/ finance/international

• International scholarships: up to 20% of tuition fee

• Loughborough University Development Trust Africa Scholarship: 100% of course fee

• Santander Postgraduate Scholarship: value of £5,000 • Loughborough University International Alumni Bursary: 10% of course fee • Music Award: Value of £500 • Sports Scholarship: value of up to £5000 08

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

The University’s standard minimum English requirement is IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 minimum in all sub-tests, or equivalent. Some programmes have a higher requirement. For a complete list of all acceptable English language qualifications, see: www.lboro.ac.uk/international/applicants/english Applicants 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.

For more information about the University’s pre-sessional English language programmes, please see: www.lboro.ac.uk/elss/pre-sessional The English Language Support Service also offers an optional study skills course which international students may find helps them to adapt to studying at Loughborough University.

For more information contact the English Language Support Service.

T: 01509 222058 E: elsu@lboro.ac.uk

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“Apart from the academic training, Loughborough has also provided me with the opportunity to develop other skills that I need in a real working environment. The University listens to its students and finds every possible way to help and guide them.

There’s no limit to what we can do.”

— Arbee MSc Design and Innovation for Sustainability 09

Accommodation live, study, enjoy 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.

For further information, including 360° tours of the accommodation available, please see: www.lboro.ac.uk/accommodation If you have any questions please contact the Accommodation team on: T: +44 (0)1509 222258 E: sac@lboro.ac.uk

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Tuition fee commitment deposit Loughborough University does not have a compulsory tuition fee deposit, but we do offer students the option to make a minimum tuition fee commitment deposit of ÂŁ2,500 in advance of registering at the University.

Payment of the commitment deposit enables you to show early commitment to the University and may help you with your student visa application. The commitment deposit is non-refundable, the only exception to this is if your visa application is refused, and you will need to provide a copy of your refusal notice.

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You should only make a payment once you have met all of the conditions of your offer and been firmly accepted by the University.

For more information and details of how to make a payment please visit our website at: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/ postgraduate/deposit

Points Based System (PBS) for visa applications 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.

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.

Distance learning students who wish to attend block-taught modules should check the following website for details on obtaining a short stay visa: www.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: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/ postgraduate/atas

Further information about the Points Based System is available from the following websites: • Loughborough University website: www.lboro.ac.uk/international/visaimmigration and www.lboro.ac.uk/services/isas/visa-advice • UKCISA website: www.ukcisa.org.uk • UKVI website: www.gov.uk/tier-4general-visa

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Campus map

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Postgraduate Taught Admissions Office Rutland Building, Loughborough University Leicestershire LE11 3TU

@lborouniversity

T: +44 (0)1509 222496 E: pgtaught@lboro.ac.uk

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Don’t forget to have your application reference number to hand when contacting us.

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www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply

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If you have any questions or require further information about your offer, or anything contained in this booklet, please contact: