Student support and services

Your Welfare Support team in London consists of Naomi Boyejo (Senior Support Officer) and Fran Ahtuam (Student Support Manager - Welfare). We are here to talk through any University related or personal issue you may be having. In addition to supporting you with any issue you may be having and helping you to access any other relevant support services, we are here to authorise coursework extensions and discuss mitigating circumstance claims with you. If you need anything, please email, call or come to the student service desk on the fourth floor and we’ll be happy to arrange a meeting with you.

You can also access information from the welfare team on LEARN.

At Loughborough University we pride ourselves in offering a great deal of support and guidance to our students. 

There is a range of useful online support resources for students to access. Look for the red book symbol on our Learn module. Most of our support is embedded within the curriculum focussing on academic language and academic conventions directly relevant to the module assessment. 

Further information about the University's Academic Language Support Service can be found here.

If you have any problems accessing library resources or systems, need help with doing research for your assignments or would like help with referencing then please get in contact with our librarian Laura Newman (L.newman@lboro.ac.uk). There is lots of support available to you to help you succeed in your studies.

For more information about the London library, please visit the dedicated webpage.

Careers Consultancy services are available throughout the year, and include a number of bookable sessions with our dedicated Careers Consultant, Nadine Lewis.

Their services include:

• Quick Advice - these sessions are 15 minute long sessions and are ideal opportunities for you to discuss a simple query or receive a C.V., cover letter or job application review.
• Email Advice - these 15 minute appointments enable you to receive guidance in relation to an application, a recruitment process or your career options. Once you book this appointment, you must send an email to london-employability@lboro.ac.uk with the document you would like to be reviewed or your questions. You can include your name, date and time of appointment in the subject line. You must send the email to your Careers Consultant before the appointment time. Please note that this is a 15 minute appointment and therefore only one document can be reviewed per slot.
• Career Consultations - these 30 minute sessions are available for students wanting tailored advice on their career prospects and plans.
• Interview coaching - these 45 minutes sessions enable you to take part in a mock job interview, before receiving personalised feedback on your performance.

To book a session, please visit the student service desk on the fourth floor of the campus or email london-employability@lboro.ac.uk. For more information, please see our career guidance page. 

The Loughborough Enterprise Network is designed to help our entrepreneurially minded students take their ideas and networks to the next level. Located in the Enterprise Hub, LEN run a number of events throughout the year, alongside mentoring, competitions and the opportunity to pitch for start-up funding.

Find out more on the LEN website.

General Practitioners (GPs) look after the health of people in their local community and will be the first post of call for a whole range of health problems. GPs and nursing staff also provide health education, offer advice on smoking and diet, sexual health, psychological therapies, give vaccinations and carry out simple surgical operations.

You would normally see GPs or other healthcare professionals at their premises (surgery). Some operate from more than one building. If your GP cannot deal with a problem then you’ll usually be referred to a hospital for tests, treatment, or to see a consultant with specialist knowledge. Visit the NHS website for further information.

Finding a GP

To find a GP near to the campus, you can use the NHS Choices Service. The website shows all GPs in the area, alongside their addresses and phone numbers.

For more information please go to the Welfare Learn page.

Approximately 1 in 4 people will consult their GP about a mental health-related difficulty every year. It can be difficult to talk to people when you're having difficulties with your mental health. Doc Ready helps you get ready for the first time you visit a doctor to discuss your mental health.

Mental health and well-being is concerned with how we think, feel and act and is integral to our overall health. If you feel concerned about your mental well-being it is important that you seek medical advice. You need to register with a General Practitioner (GP) as soon as possible.

Alongside medical support, we can evaluate the practical impact that mental health difficulties may be having on your studies. We can talk through the support needs you feel you may have, and address these directly or through referral to other specialists.

Postgraduate home students (residency for at least 3 years) who are self-funded or funded through the Loughborough Scholarship programme may be eligible to apply for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

For an initial appointment, contact the team by completing an appointment request form. For students who require ongoing support, we may be able to organise access to a Mental Health Advisor.

To contact the Mental Health Support Service, email mhst@lboro.ac.uk.

Loughborough Nightline is an out of office hours, confidential and anonymous listening service providing student support, by students via telephone, email and an instant messaging service. The founding concept behind Nightline is simple: students find it easier to talk to other students.

University is a time of many changes and challenges, being able to talk to a peer can, and does, make a difference. This service aims to improve student wellbeing and is open at night when no other university welfare services are available. Loughborough Nightline has been supported by Loughborough Students’ Union and the University in order to enhance the student experience.

Find out more about this organisation at their main website: loughborough.nightline.ac.uk. Here you'll find all you need to know about ways to get in touch with the service.

The Centre for Faith and Spirituality, based in Loughborough, organises religious, spiritual and faith-based activities for both of the University’s campuses. Chaplains from the major world faiths offer support and guidance to all the University’s students, whatever their religious or spiritual beliefs.

The Student Support Team can signpost places of worship off-campus. On campus, room LDN 2.09 is utilised as a nondenominational quiet room for prayer. Other rooms may be available on request. If you have any questions, please visit the Student Support desk on the second floor of the campus.

We also work with faith groups situated close to Loughborough University London to ensure our students feel part of the community networks of people who share their faith.

Loughborough University London works with a social model of disability. This means that we acknowledge that students are disabled by the social barriers which they face, barriers which can be removed.

The Equality Act 2010 defines a disability as a long-term condition, which lasts, or is likely to last, over 12 months and which has a substantial and adverse effect on someone’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. The Act gives disabled students protection from discrimination and the right to request reasonable adjustments as a result of their disability.

The Disability Office works to support students with difficulties which have a disabling impact on their studies. This might include, but is not limited to, Asperger’s Syndrome, visual or hearing impairments, medical conditions (including for example, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer and HIV), specific learning differences (i.e. dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia), AD(H)D and physical disabilities. (See above for mental health support).

• The Disability Office facilitates support, advice and guidance for disabled students, including students with medical conditions
• Recommending appropriate assessment arrangements, for example extra time in exams
• Arranging one-to-one support specific to students' needs
• Assisting students in applying for the Disabled Students Allowance.
• If you are a UK home student we can liaise with Social Services department to help arrange funding for personal care needs

If you require a screening for dyslexia or a similar specific learning difference, we can arrange this via Skype in the first semester of the year in which you are studying. If you require an assessment of specific support, equipment or software needs as part of your Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), we can provide you with details of local Assessment Centres.

For more information about support during your time at Loughborough University London and to speak to an adviser, contact the Disability office by telephone on 020 38051351 or email London-welfare@lboro.ac.uk

The Disability Rights Commission has a student helpline for over 16s studying in England. Their advisors can be contacted on freephone 0800 328 5050, on Tuesdays 11:30 to 13:30 and Thursdays 13:30 to 15:30. Email Disability Rights UK.

If you are in crisis and need immediate support, please contact Samaritans, Befrienders International, the GP you are registered with or your local Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.

Loughborough University London also has an agreement with the University of Westminster Student Counselling Service to provide confidential counselling for Loughborough University London students. When contacting the University of Westminster Counselling Service, you will be asked to fill out a short form. This can be done via email and on receipt of this, an appointment will be arranged for you. Counselling is confidential and personal names and reasons for seeking counselling are not disclosed.

University of Westminster Student Counselling Service

• Phone: 020 7911 5000 (extension 66899)
• Opening times: 9.30am - 4.30pm
• Address: The Luxborough Suite, Marylebone Site, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW15LS (Nearest tube - Baker Street)
• Travel information: You can use the number 30 bus to/from Hackney Wick to the Counselling Service. Alight at Madam Tussauds, which is 2 minutes' walk to the building.

The Hardship Support Fund is available to all postgraduate students who experience unanticipated and serious financial difficulties. We understand the stress and worry these can cause, and various sources of hardship support may be available to help you through a difficult period.

For further information about the Hardship Fund, please see here.

If you have experienced serious or acute problems or events beyond your control which have adversely affected your performance in an assessment, or have prevented you from completing an assessment, you may ask for your circumstances to be taken into account by the Programme Board.

The University will take account of genuinely exceptional serious and acute problems or events that affect your performance in your assessments. You should declare all problems or events that affect your performance when making a claim.

For more information on claims which might be considered and to download the claim form for the Special Assessment Period (SAP), visit the LEARN website. Alternatively, contact the London Welfare Support team on London-Welfare@lboro.ac.uk. You can also check the Mitigating Circumstances page in your student handbook here.

As an international student, we know that there’s a lot for you to do, both before you arrive and once you are here. Our staff can help every step of the way, with advice on immigration, applying for a visa and what to expect when you arrive in the UK.

Telephone the Student Advice and Support Service on 01509 222765 or email advice@lboro.ac.uk.