Are my university choices good for a career in motorsport?

Hi,
I'm sending off my application soon and have chosen on these 5 universities to apply to for a career in motorsport. My predicted grades are AAB/ABB and I am eligible for a contextual offer.
Leeds (Beng auto with placement)
Loughborough (Beng auto with placement)
UofNottingham (Beng mech with placement)
Surrey (Beng mech with placement)
Brookes (Beng Motorsport)

If anyone has any opinions for or against these universities or any others I should consider that would really help! I'm also a bit unsure which of these have the best and worst connections to the industry but other than that I think they're a good mix.

Reply 1

McGinger

Coventry and Oxford Brookes are the top Unis for Motorsport.
Loughborough is good for all Engineering.
Surrey has no reputation for anything STEM.

Reply 2

UoN Students

Official Rep

Original post by Radwa.s

Hi,
I'm sending off my application soon and have chosen on these 5 universities to apply to for a career in motorsport. My predicted grades are AAB/ABB and I am eligible for a contextual offer.
Leeds (Beng auto with placement)
Loughborough (Beng auto with placement)
UofNottingham (Beng mech with placement)
Surrey (Beng mech with placement)
Brookes (Beng Motorsport)
If anyone has any opinions for or against these universities or any others I should consider that would really help! I'm also a bit unsure which of these have the best and worst connections to the industry but other than that I think they're a good mix.

Hello @Radwa.s!

All of those are great options, to be honest.

However, there are more important things than the specific university. Choose the university that suits you in other ways (accommodation, course flexibility, location). Get involved in formula student perhaps and look out for placement and voluntary opportunities in the industry. Truthfully, there's not a substantial difference between motorsport and automotive/mechanical engineering courses.

Feel free to ask us questions should you have any further questions!

All the best,
Abian.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 3

Radwa.s

Original post by McGinger

Coventry and Oxford Brookes are the top Unis for Motorsport.
Loughborough is good for all Engineering.
Surrey has no reputation for anything STEM.

Thank you, is there any other uni other than surrey that you think would be a good insurance choice? I'm not too keen on living in coventry if I'm honest

Reply 4

McGinger

Original post by Radwa.s

Thank you, is there any other uni other than surrey that you think would be a good insurance choice? I'm not too keen on living in coventry if I'm honest

Coventry is the top Uni for this subject - I suggest you go to an Open Day before you just dismiss it.

Brunel - Automotive Engineering BEng | Brunel University London
Birmingham City - Automotive Engineering - BEng (Hons) - 2024/25 Entry | Birmingham City University (bcu.ac.uk)
UCLAN - Motorsport Engineering Degree (BEng) - UCLan

Reply 5

OxfordBrookesRep

Official Rep

Original post by Radwa.s

Hi,
I'm sending off my application soon and have chosen on these 5 universities to apply to for a career in motorsport. My predicted grades are AAB/ABB and I am eligible for a contextual offer.
Leeds (Beng auto with placement)
Loughborough (Beng auto with placement)
UofNottingham (Beng mech with placement)
Surrey (Beng mech with placement)
Brookes (Beng Motorsport)
If anyone has any opinions for or against these universities or any others I should consider that would really help! I'm also a bit unsure which of these have the best and worst connections to the industry but other than that I think they're a good mix.

Hi @Radwa.s,

Your university choices sound excellent for pursuing a career in motorsport, and it’s great that you’re considering them thoughtfully! Each institution has its strengths, so you may wish to focus on factors like industry connections, research opportunities, and partnerships with motorsport teams. Placement years are particularly valuable, so it could be worth exploring which universities offer placements with leading firms in the motorsport industry.

For example, Oxford Brookes’ BEng/MEng Motorsport Engineering programme offers a paid work placement option, where students have gained experience with teams like Alpine, Mercedes, and Williams. This kind of industry exposure can really enhance your third-year projects and make your CV stand out.

All of your choices seem like strong contenders for building a career in motorsport. You may also want to consider campus facilities and the level of hands-on experience each course offers.

Good luck with your application! If you have any further questions, please drop them below!

Reply 6

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Radwa.s

Hi,
I'm sending off my application soon and have chosen on these 5 universities to apply to for a career in motorsport. My predicted grades are AAB/ABB and I am eligible for a contextual offer.
Leeds (Beng auto with placement)
Loughborough (Beng auto with placement)
UofNottingham (Beng mech with placement)
Surrey (Beng mech with placement)
Brookes (Beng Motorsport)
If anyone has any opinions for or against these universities or any others I should consider that would really help! I'm also a bit unsure which of these have the best and worst connections to the industry but other than that I think they're a good mix.

Hi there!

You might have already had a look at this, but I have to mention Surrey's Formula Student society, which helps students gain hands-on experience valuable to their CVs. Being a part of this society during your degree will open doors to a career in motorsports, as well as enhance the engineering knowledge needed for your course.

Additionally, the award-winning Employability and Careers Service at Surrey is solid and very much present in our day-to-day, offering frequent workshops which often involve industry leaders, and one-to-one appointments whenever needed. Surrey takes employability seriously and is therefore quite hands-on with students in that aspect, which is something that I deeply appreciate and count on, myself.

That said, I agree with Abian's reply above. Try visiting those unis you mentioned to get a feel for what it would be like studying at each of them. If you're happy where you are and with what you're studying, your performance can only benefit, which directly helps your employability in the form of good grades and opportunities taken.

I hope this helps 😁

Marko
Accounting and Finance BSc

Reply 7

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Radwa.s

Thank you, is there any other uni other than surrey that you think would be a good insurance choice? I'm not too keen on living in coventry if I'm honest

One thing to note is a lot of Motorsport & automotive companies are based around Coventry/West Midlands, there is also a pocket of companies in the South East (Silverstone/Northampton area) but frankly there are way more jobs in West Midlands for performance/auto/motorsport engineering (Tbf you don’t have to live in Coventry to work there) but you’ll probably have to be within reasonable commuting distance of the area. Warwick uni is also in the area nearby Coventry but not actually in Coventry.

If it is just that Coventry doesn’t particularly sound great you should at least go visit & also ask yourself what will you be doing in your student years (in my experience most students aren’t exactly heading to the opera or Natural history museum each week, most prefer to go to student bars/socials which are fairly uniform whichever city you gonto).