Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Cranfield vs Loughborough University

I have got offer letter from Loughborough University as well as Cranfield University. I want your reviews which one to go....in terms of part time jobs, low expenses, good reputation, hogh employability ratio..

Reply 1

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

Hi Mrgeniush,

Congratulations on your offer to Cranfield!

I did my masters here and am currently studying for a PhD in SATM (School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing).
What course is your offer for?

For life in general in Cranfield it is quite unique, the campus is an old RAF base so it's out in the countryside. It's lovely and peaceful and a great place to knuckle down with your studies. We're a postgraduate only university so we're not mostly teenagers like other universities, in fact students here come from all different backgrounds, with people of all ages, nationalities etc. It makes for a really interesting time, I've made great friends from countries that honestly I barely knew existed before!
As we're quite remote students tend to live either on campus, where there's a mix of traditional shared accommodation and also houses, or there's Cranfield village which is a few minutes bus ride away, where you can rent privately. There are also the nearby towns of Bedford and Milton Keynes that are more lively. Costs here are fairly average for the UK, a room in a shared house is about £500 a month including bills.

For part times jobs there are lots of options on campus. There's Cranfield Student Association (CSA) that employs students to work in their bar/café and shop. There's also an on-site conference centre that employs lots of students for service work, and the university itself employs students for cleaning.
There's also student ambassador roles like what I'm doing now! Outside of campus there are other private businesses that may hire students, such as pubs, shops, petrol stations etc.

As Cranfield is quite a specialist uni, we can really focus in on our areas of study and we're proud of the reputation we have in industry. Lots of industrial partners work with us on projects, which is great for students as they get to work on some real world problems during their studies, and also allows them to get some good contacts for their employment afterwards.

If you let me know what course you'll be studying I can get some more precise information.

Is there anything else you'd like to know?

Katherine
Student Ambassador

Reply 2

Mrgeniush

I have got offer letter for MSc Automotive Engineering... I am really concerned about jobs as I heard that International students are unable to secure jobs there due to visa constraints

Reply 3

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

I have got offer letter for MSc Automotive Engineering... I am really concerned about jobs as I heard that International students are unable to secure jobs there due to visa constraints

Oooh MSc Automotive Engineering is a really exciting course. You might get a chance to work on a project on our MUEAVI (Multi User Environment for Autonomous Vehicle Innovation), which is a really unique section of roads dedicated to vehicle research.

You can see more about the course on the blogs:
https://blogs.cranfield.ac.uk/?s=automotive+engineering

With regards to employment, it really depends on your visa type, and this will be the same wherever you study in the UK. At Cranfield the Student Advice Centre helps out students with visa applications and queries. It could be that your visa restricts whether you can work during your studies or not.
Do you know what type of visa you would be attending on?

Katherine
Student Ambassador

Reply 4

Mrgeniush

I would be having study visa which is tier 4 visa..... and some international students from Cranfield said that they were unable to secure any job due to visa constraints

Reply 5

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

I would be having study visa which is tier 4 visa..... and some international students from Cranfield said that they were unable to secure any job due to visa constraints

Hi Mrgeniush,

Sorry for late reply!
You should be able to secure part time work up to 20 hours a week on the Tier 4 visa as per the government website:
https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa

There is more detailed infomration on page 47 of the full document:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/843003/T4_Migrant_Guidance_October_2019.pdf

But of course I would get confirmation before you start any new job.

Hope this helps :smile:

Katherine
Student Ambassador

Reply 6

Loughborough University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

I would be having study visa which is tier 4 visa..... and some international students from Cranfield said that they were unable to secure any job due to visa constraints

Hi @Mrgeniush

@Cranfield University are 100% correct - you should be able to secure up to 20 hours a week on a tier 4 visa. A lot of our international students work both on and off campus with no problems at all.

If you need and information about Loughborough, have a look at our forum here https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=125 and if you can't find what your looking for just ask - we're always happy to help :smile:

Vicky

Reply 7

Mrgeniush

Actually I am talking about full time job after completing MSc.. I heard that lot of international students are not getting job and going back yo their home....
@Cranfield University
@Loughborough University

Reply 8

Loughborough University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

Hi @Mrgeniush

Sorry I misunderstood. Loughborough University is one of the recognised institutions for the international post study work visa, also known as the graduate route. You can find more information about it here https://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/graduate-route-visa/

Our Careers Network also have a dedicated team for helping international students find work after graduating.
You can find more information here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/careers/students-and-graduates/international/

Hope this helps :smile:

Vicky

Reply 9

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by Mrgeniush

At Cranfield we are exactly the same as Loughborough, students attending in the academic year 20/21 will be the first to make use of a new government scheme allowing international students to look for work for two years after graduating. It then gives you time to switch to a skilled work visa when you find suitable work :smile:

More information about this scheme and help with visa and immigration queries can be found on our website: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/about/international-students/visas-and-immigration

Katherine