Visiting research student admissions

Visiting Students are PhD students who are currently enrolled on a Doctoral Programme at another university and wish to visit Loughborough University for a part of their PhD studies. Applications for visiting research students are handled by the Doctoral College Office.

Prospective Visiting Students should first contact the School they are interested in visiting and discuss this with them. All Visiting Students need to complete a Visiting Student Application Form and submit this to the relevant School for approval. Applications submitted to the Doctoral College without a School authorisation will not be processed.  

In many cases supporting documentation is also required. Full guidance on the process and what is required can be found in the Visiting Research Student Guidance.

Visiting Research Students can begin their visit at Loughborough University on one of the following dates:

  • 1 October
  • 1 January
  • 1 April
  • 1 July

You must submit your application in good time, for it to be processed for your desired start date. For application deadlines, please refer to the Visiting Research Student Guidance.

Application Deadlines and Timescales

You must submit your application in good time, according to the below deadlines, for it to be processed for your desired start date.

Start date Deadline to submit application to School Deadline to submit application to the Doctoral College Office
1 October 1 July 1 August
1 January 1 October 1 November
1 April 1 January 1 February
1 July 1 April 1 May

Applications Process

Visiting Research Students should complete the Visiting Research Application Form below and submit this to the School/Department in which they wish to study.

Once approved by the School the form will be sent to the Doctoral College Office to be processed.

School contact details

Completed application forms should be sent to the relevant School by email.

School Email
School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering aacme.pgr@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk
School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering abce.pgr@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk
Business School sbe.research@lboro.ac.uk
School of Design and Creative Arts sdca-pgr@lboro.ac.uk
School of Social Sciences and Humanities socsciresearch@lboro.ac.uk
School of Science sci-pgr@lboro.ac.uk
School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences pgr-ssehs@lboro.ac.uk
Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering ws.phdadmin@lboro.ac.uk
Loughborough University London londonresearch@lboro.ac.uk

 

Supporting Documentation

Visiting Research Student applications should be submitted with all required supporting evidence. Without the required documentation, the application form will not be processed.

Required documentation includes:

For all visits

  • A copy of your passport photo page
  • A Letter/transcript confirming your current registration on a doctoral programme. This should include the date you initially registered and your expected submission deadline. Please note that your visit should not extend beyond your current PhD submission deadline.
  • Evidence of your highest qualification attained. This should be a certificate or transcript from your highest qualification. These should be certified copies or certified translations in English.

For visits of more than 6 months

  • 2 academic references or the contact details for your referees. At least one reference should be from your current doctoral studies.
  • Evidence of an accepted English Language qualification. If you have not received your test results yet, indicate this on your application form.

ATAS

All visiting international students require ATAS approval (for applicable programmes). Where ATAS is required, this will be indicated in the formal offer letter.

Fees

Most visiting research students will be charged a fee. This fee will depend on the nature of the research being carried out by the visiting student and will vary between Schools and Departments. Fees will be confirmed in the formal offer letter.

Receiving an Offer

Once the School has submitted an approved application, it will be processed by the Doctoral College Office.

The Doctoral College Office will issue a formal offer letter to successful applicants confirming the details of the proposed visit and any offer conditions.

Applicants are asked to accept their offer by way of email. Applicants can request a Visa Letter (for visits of less than 6 months) or a CAS (for visits of more than 6 months) from the Doctoral College Office to support visa applications.

It is the School’s responsibility to ensure that processes are put in place to meet and welcome the student to the University when they arrive and give them adequate induction/training.

Arrival

Once the applicant has confirmed they will accept the offer, the Doctoral College Office will arrange for the Visiting Student to be registered with the University. Visiting Students are asked to collect their student ID card from the Doctoral College by appointment on arrival.  

The School will ensure that the Visiting Student is met and welcomed to the University when on arrival, and will provide an induction and any necessary training. 

Application form (PDF format)