h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Loughborough, normally abbreviated to 'Lboro' for the University or 'Lufbra' for the Students' Union is one of the world's most prestigious centres for sport and engineering and currently has around 12000 students

It is located in Leicestershire, 12 miles from Leicester and 16 miles from Nottingham. Easily accessed from the M1, it is around 2 hours north of London by car. Birmingham is accessible in little over an hour by car.

www.lboro.ac.uk is the home of Lboro on the net. Celebrating 40 years as a University on 19th April 2006, it has actually existed in various guises since the early 1900s.

Famous for its sports, if Lboro was its own country it would have come 8th in the league tables at the 2006 Commnwealth Games. It has also won the BUSA Championships every year for the past 28 years.

Historically, however, its history lies in engineering and technology, and until 1996 was known as Loughborough University of Technology. Engineering is a key focus for Lboro, and has one of the highest rates of graduates moving into related employment upon graduation.

Average grade requirements are 300 points or more, and it now sits in the top 10 of the Uni League Tables. It is joint 1st for student satisfaction.

New Vice Chancellor Professor Shirley Pearce CBE PhD took charge in January 2006 from Professor Sir David Wallace.

The University Halls of Residence are split into three locations on Campus, one of the UKs biggest at 430 acres, and also include off-site bedrooms. Over 6000 bedrooms are provided in Halls for students. Elvyn Richards Hall, on campus and with over 600 bedrooms, is Europe's largest fully catered hall of residence.

The Students' Union is unique in the UK in that it owns its own buildings and land. It is therefore entirely independedent of the University, and can remain politically active for the students of Loughborugh University and its two constituent colleges, Loughborough College and the RNIB College Loughborough without any fear of reprisal from the University. Its overall repsonsibility lies to over 20,000 students aging from 14 years and over. It is the UK's highest capacity students' union venue, and attracts up to 4000 students on Friday nights for FND and on wednesdays for Hey Ewe, where virtually all alcoholic drinks are £1. The building contains 8 bars, two clubs and two cafes, a book store, pharacy, Union shhop and a whle host of other facilities as well as the Union's own radio station, television station, Record Label and recording studios.

Time at Loughborough is referred to as the "Loughborough Experience", a phrase that sums up one's time here. It's a fantastic University, fully supportive of each student's academic, emotional and welfare needs and provides some of the best Higher Education facilities in the world in its specialist fields. The Students' Union offers opportunities, welfare and support for all students and provides a fantastic service.

No doubt there's much more I could, and should, write, but I can't think of anything more off of the top of my head!