Loughborough University

Founded in 1909 as a small technical institute. Became Loughborough College and then Loughborough College of Technology.In 1966 became Loughborough University of Technology, the UK's first technological university. Renamed Loughborough University in 1996. Land acquisitions in 2003, 2006 and 2010 have made Loughborough one of the country's largest single-site campuses, with over 438 acres of land. n autumn 2015, the University will open a second campus, Loughborough University in London, on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offering postgraduate teaching, research and enterprise opportunities. Located on the edge of the market town of Loughborough. The cities of Nottingham, Leicester and Derby are easily accessible. London is 90 minutes away. A safe, single-site campus provides plenty of open space, gardens and sports areas interspersed with academic buildings and student accommodation. Loughborough railway station is 3 km (2 miles) away, the M1 1.6km (1 mile), and East Midlands Airport 14.5 km (9 miles). A shuttle bus operates between campus and the town/railway station.

Every undergraduate course offers the opportunity of a year-long paid work placement in business, industry or the professions in the UK or overseas. We actively encourage international study exchanges from between 3 and 12 months. Alongside core modules, our courses are offer a range of optional modules, enabling students to tailor their courses to their individual interests and career aspirations. The University-wide Language Programme offers a range of modules in French, German, Spanish or Chinese that can be taken alongside your degree programme. 89% of students said they were satisfied overall with the quality of their course in the 2014 National Student Survey. We were rated top three for teaching quality by the Quality Assurance Agency. Students are taught by leaders in their field, who are at the forefront of current research. Every undergraduate courses offers a year-long placement option. Loughborough is one of the top 15 universities targeted by large, graduate employers – 94% of graduates are in employment or further study six months after graduating.

In the latest research assessment, the Research Excellence Framework 2014, Loughborough consolidated its position in the premier league of research universities. It was ranked 14th in the UK and 9th among universities in England for research intensity in the Times Higher Education Magazine. The University has over 40 research centres and institutes and six interdisciplinary research challenges, which accelerate the delivery of distinctive solutions to regional, national and international issues. Awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education.

Long-standing collaborative research links with many blue chip companies including adidas, Caterpillar, JCB, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce.

Among the nationally-significant organisations based on campus are the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre, the Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre, the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health and the National Cricket Performance Centre. In the National Student Survey 2014, Loughborough was rated top for Business Studies and Information Services. 15 subjects in total were ranked in the top ten for overall satisfaction. Loughborough is the UK's premier university for sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. In the latest Research Excellence Framework, Loughborough had the largest concentration of world-leading research in sport and exercise sciences, and six other subject areas featured in their national subject top ten. 

The Disability Office offers support, advice and guidance for students with a wide range of disabilities, including physical disabilities, Asperger’s Syndrome, sensory impairments and medical conditions. It provides support and tuition for students who have dyslexia, dyspraxia and other specific learning differences. It also supports students who face barriers affecting their ability to study as a result of mental health issues. Ranked top students' union in the What Uni Awards 2014. Successful student fundraising organization raised over £1.4 million for charity in 2013–14. Offers a wide range of support services, over 100 clubs and societies and a programme of professional entertainment and social events. The Students’ Union Action Group was awarded the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award in 2013, in recognition of its work to harness the volunteering power of students to help community groups. More than 2,000 students volunteer each year.

University of South Wales

The University of South Wales was created in April 2013 after a merger between the University of Wales, Newport and the University of Glamorgan. The University is one of Britain’s most exciting new universities and a major player in higher education. One of the top ten campus universities in the UK by student number, it attracts a cosmopolitan mix of students from 122 countries and all backgrounds.

The University’s main campus was founded in 1913 as a School of Mines while parts of the Institution’s Newport campus date back to the creation of a mechanics institute in 1841. The Institution gained University status in 1992.

The University has five campuses across the South Wales region including new state-of-the-art campuses in Cardiff and Newport city centres. Rail and road links are excellent across all campuses.
The University of South Wales is unusual in the UK in bringing together the broadest range of provision and the widest access to education.  It offers a full range of qualifications from further education level to degrees and PhD study.

As a major university it delivers the full range of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), from engineering and mathematics to computing and surveying as well as being an experience provider of teacher’s training courses. Lecturers range from award-winning poets, authors and historians to computer scientists, engineers, and journalists. Because many of them are still active in their professions, they bring a real understanding of the world of work into the classroom.

Students learn how their profession works in real life, exploring their field through courses taught in unique hands-on environments including in their own airliner, moot court room, TV studios, stock exchange trading room, simulated hospital ward, and scene of crime house.
Sports students train and play on facilities used and endorsed by world champions such as the All Blacks. 

The University is a powerhouse in applied research used to shape major decisions. 
As a major public policy think-tank, it offers independent advice to government, industry and employers across the UK on health, education, economic growth, social policy, and governance.
It provides a partnership platform for ideas and debate with major think-tanks such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and NESTA. 

As a member of the St David’s Day Group, the University of South Wales is recognised as one of Wales’s major research universities in key areas of specialist research, such as sustainable energy, educational development, health, creative industries and the arts, mobile communications, humanities, sports injury and performance, new business incubation, and innovation for technology and start-up companies.

The University of South Wales is renowned for its partnerships with major employers, from British Airways to the National Health Service. Its relationship with employers as a leading university for careers is reflected in the high employment rate of its graduates, with 93% of students in employment or further study within six months of graduating.

The University is a major player in the arts, with an internationally acclaimed film school, industry-standard animation facilities, broadcasting studios, one of the UK’s oldest photography schools, a strong reputation for theatre design, award-winning poets, scriptwriters and authors, and the national music and drama conservatoire, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, within its group.