De Montfort University

• Location: Leicester, England,
• Year of foundation: 1870,
• Number of students: about 29,000,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of studying: mixed.

De Montfort University (DMU) is a higher education institution located in the city of Leicester.

This British university has a rich and eventful history, which began in 1870, when the Leicester School of Art was still on the site of the university. Since then, the institution has gone through more than one transformation, becoming Leicester Polytechnic College in 1969. In 1992, after more than 120 years since its foundation, the educational institution received the status of a university and a new name, which is widely known today.

De Montfort University has gained worldwide fame thanks to its programs: one of the most popular among international students around the world is the Contour Fashion Bachelor's degree course. No less popular are other creative specializations that are taught at the highest level: media, technology, fashion, product design, and so on. For example, the DMU postgraduate diploma in journalism is accredited by the National Council for Training Journalists (NCTJ). In addition, the university is accredited by the British government as a Center of Excellence in the field of teaching performing arts.

De Montfort University has a high rate of further employment for its graduates in each of the offered areas — 170 courses are accredited by organizations, most of which are ready to offer young people paid part-time jobs during their studies. About 29,000 students study at this English institution every year, including about 2,000 young people from other countries.

The university's research activities are highly appreciated: in 2008, a Research Assessment Exercise study was conducted (based on its results, government funding was allocated), during which more than 70% of scientific papers at DMU were recognized as leading research in the world. The RAE study also highlighted the high level of this university in the field of teaching English literature, which was not inferior even to Cambridge.

Valentina Nikitina

Senior Marketing and Recruitment Manager at Kaplan Pathways with a focus on students from Russia and the CIS.

What are the most popular majors among students currently?

Business remains popular, but engineering and IT are quickly gaining ground. STEM fields are seen as advantageous not only for education but also for gaining professional experience, especially with the post-study work opportunities they offer. The pandemic has also sparked increased interest in biological and chemical sciences.

Most academic programs are available for study in several forms: face-to-face, remote, and evening. For convenience and a modern approach to education, De Montfort University has developed an online platform where lectures, seminars, the full schedule of classes, individual progress of students in personal accounts and much more are stored.

De Montfort has four specialized faculties, where more than 400 higher education programs are trained:

1. Art, Design, Humanities,
2. Business, Law,
3. Healthcare, Life Sciences,
4. Technology.

There is also a department for the preparation of international students, which provides one-year programs with the study of the English language, the main courses of the profile and effective adaptation in the English-speaking society.

Internationally sensitive research topics have dominated most of DMU's projects over the past three years. They reflect a commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals – to bring more attention to global challenges and create an environment where societies can thrive even more:

• Peace, equality and social justice.
• Net Zero is a university-wide topic that will help researchers come together, share experience and knowledge, and develop fruitful collaboration between teams to strengthen interdisciplinary work. DMU leads research on social issues related to net zero through its applied work.
• Living in a digital society – The effects of digital technology are now being felt around the world, bringing many positive social benefits, but also risks that society must be prepared for. This theme aims to develop digital innovations for the future, while closely following social and ethical responsibility.
• Lifelong Well-Being – A new research topic that aims to combine strengths, diversity, and knowledge-creating potential. The vision is to promote and develop transformative interdisciplinary research in health and well-being across the four faculties, leveraging research expertise, regional, national and international collaborations.
• The Creative and Heritage Industry is a dynamic sector of the UK economy, a well-established area of research and growth potential at DMU. The overarching research theme promotes, seeks to enhance the value of interdisciplinary research across all faculties.

On the campus of De Montfort University, there is a museum built around the only surviving ruins of the medieval Church of the Annunciation. The halls tell the story of Newark, including the evolution of the university, and the two modern galleries change regularly, organizing various exhibitions of student work, university collections, groundbreaking research.

DMU has seven residences located within walking distance of the academic campus, urban public spaces and attractions; two of them belong to the university, the rest are private student houses.

On-campus options are:

• Bede Hall has 227 beds in seven, eight, nine, and ten—room apartments, each with shared showers, living rooms, and small kitchens. The bedrooms are designed for one tenant, equipped with a bed, a work area, and a wardrobe for storing things. A laundry service is available on site.,
• New Wharf Hall — 214 beds in four-, seven-, ten-room apartments. Bathrooms, laundry room, living room, kitchens are common.

Other residences operating under the DMU are:

• The Glassworks — 157 locations. The apartments have from four to six single bedrooms, each of which is equipped with a private bathroom. The building has communal living rooms, a gym, a large kitchen with a dining area, and a laundry room.,
• Castle Court — single classic and premium rooms equipped with private bathrooms. There are many amenities in the common area: a kitchen with a dining room, a laundry room, a small cinema room, and self-study classes.,
• Liberty Park — four- and five-bedroom apartments. The rooms are designed for one student, who will have a bed, a work area, and a storage closet at his disposal. The apartments are equipped with a shared bathroom, a living room, and outside the living areas there is a gym, a recreation room with board games.,
• Newarke Point is a residence located in the center of the campus, but is considered private. It offers residents five-room apartments, each room accommodates one person. The apartments have kitchens, living rooms, and the building has a self—study classroom and recreation areas.,
• Newarke Street — 51 beds in a four-room apartment. The kitchen, living room, and bathroom are shared by the residents of the apartments, each of them has a private bedroom with a bed, a work area, and a storage closet.

There are no strict meal plans at the university: students independently take care of cooking in the shared kitchens in the residences or visit cafeterias and dining halls on campus.

Subject list: Agriculture, Architecture, Art, biology, building, business, Business and management, communications, design, engineering, Health care, history, humanitarian sciences, Information Technology, law, maths, Medicine, Natural science, pedagogy, Pharmacology, philosophy, social sciencies, Stomatology, Veterinary science

Thanks to the modern and diverse infrastructure of the campus, students have ample opportunities to acquire not only competitive knowledge, but also to develop personal interests, be it sports, creativity, social activities, business development or any other hobby. DMU sports facilities allow students to continue their studies in a previously loved sport or try their hand in a new direction — all training sessions are conducted under the guidance of qualified specialists with not only extensive experience, but also personal achievements.

Some of the sports sections featured on campus are:

• Mini football,
• Basketball,
• Badminton,
• Table tennis,
• Netball,
• Volleyball,
• Lawn tennis.

Beaumont Park, located on the outskirts of Leicester, is home to the university's national teams. Active athletes represent De Montfort University in competitions with other universities in such sports as football, rugby, lacrosse and American football. The stadium has grass and artificial turf fields that meet the FA standard, and a newly expanded and renovated gym. The space provides sports teams with two all-weather fields for training and matches.

In their free time, students can develop their creative skills in theater, music, and art groups that regularly participate in both local and national exhibitions and events. Events are organized on the campus almost every week that bring all students together: from collective cinema watching, attending master classes to large-scale performances, lectures by invited speakers.

• One of the best universities in the UK, focused on the transfer of practical skills for a successful career,
• It is one of the TOP 15 best universities in the country and one of the TOP 100 leading universities in the world.,
• Extensive partner network with local and international organizations, higher education institutions. Students can complete internships during their studies in the UK, travel to another country to gain international study experience, and engage in active research, which even bachelors can participate in.,
• Financial, academic, psychological, linguistic and other types of support,
• With a multinational student community,
• DMU ranks second among the country's universities in terms of the number of graduate students, and full accreditation of all higher education programs.

De Montfort University is located in the city of Leicester in central England. It intersects many transport routes and passes several major highways, which can easily be reached almost anywhere in the country from north to south. A little more than an hour takes the road from Leicester to St. Pancras Station in London, where the Eurostar high-speed train station is also located. 30 minutes from the city of Leicester is the airport of the East Midlands.

De Montfort's campus is also well equipped and has excellent infrastructure. The management of the university strives to make the stay here the most convenient for its students, therefore there are fitness centers for sports (swimming pool, sauna and climbing wall) on campus, there are several eateries and cafes, various clubs and sections and even student discounts in several companies of the city.

In addition, the university hosts an excellent Kimberlin library, which has more than half a million publications and a 24-hour work schedule on studying days (access is organized through an online service). In the halls of the library there are several zones for teamwork or individually. These are comfortable workplaces with power for laptops, as well as rooms with DVD players and interactive equipment.

In order for students they can easily gain important working skills, the DMU uses the best resources and industry equipment, which is equipped with different thematic laboratories, studios and workshops.

The academic calendar of DMU students consists of three semesters per year.:

• Autumn: September-December,
• Spring: January-April,
• Summer: April-June.

Depending on the chosen degree of education, the curriculum and academic workload will vary, however, all students registered for full-day attendance attend classes from Monday to Friday. Holidays are organized on international and national holidays, weekends and vacations.

The list of additional expenses will include:

• Accommodation in the residence, meals,
• Educational materials,
• Some extracurricular activities, use of gyms, participation in student groups, trips and other leisure activities,
• Pocket expenses.

The admission procedure consists of several stages, most of which can be completed online:

• Choosing a course, specifying dates, requirements and deadlines for admission,
• Filling out the application, providing documents,
• Receiving a decision from the admissions committee with an invitation to the entrance exams,
• Passing interviews, possible tests,
• Receiving an official letter of the university's readiness for admission,
• Payment of the cost of the program,
• Arrive at the campus to stay in a residence, attend orientation events, and begin training.

The DMU Admissions Office welcomes all applications, regardless of the applicant's experience. The main goal of the university is to help everyone who wants to achieve academic goals, to provide modern higher education. To ensure fair and equitable access to programs, when reviewing an application, staff consider not only grades —they take into account any problems the candidate may have faced in their education and the potential impact this may have had on their education.

Admission is subject to the availability of vacant places in academic groups, if the student fully meets the admission criteria and based on the results of the interview.

De Montfort University has a high rate of further employment of its graduates in each of the proposed areas - 170 courses are accredited by organizations, most of which are ready to offer young people paid part-time work during their studies. Graduates who hold a DMU diploma have an almost 100% employability rate.

Among the graduates of DMU, a huge number of people have reached the heights in their careers - they have become employees of the world's leading organizations, directors of Oscar-winning films, designers who create shoes or outfits for such celebrities as Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

In order to successfully pass the entrance examinations and be enrolled at De Montfort University, international students are advised to pre-qualify for the International Year Zero course when enrolling for a bachelor's degree program and the International Incorporated Master's Upon admission to the magistracy.

Conditions for admission to different programs for international students:

• International Year Zero - high school diploma with a high average score;
• Undergraduate - successful passed International Year Zero, which will allow students to attend the first course at De Montfort University. In addition to this program, the qualifications of A-Levels, IB or APs are suitable.
• Master's Degree - Bachelor's Degree Specialist, Bachelor's Degree by the specialized program (Pre-Master's.).

You must provide the following package of documents (only copies are needed) for admission committee of the university:

• Copy of the first page of the passport of the candidate (name and photo)
• 2 recommendatory letters - characteristics from the place of study and work (there must be two academic recommendations if the lack of work)
• A copy of the school certificate, or a report card with grades for several years of study (from 15- 16 years) + a certificate confirming the high level of the student's English language, for example, IELTS or Cambridge certificate. If you only plan to take the test, you must specify the deadline, after which immediately send the results to the admissions office.

One of the significant advantages of the De Monfort University for international students is the academic scholarships offered by the university:

• Scholarship for Masters or Postgraduate Students at Leicester Castle Business School . Such a bonus that fully covers the tuition on these higher education programs can be obtained by one foreign student whose name is determined on a competitive basis. To do this, they need to fill out an application, document their academic achievements before the end of June this year. In addition to paying for the educational course, the scholarship includes £ 5000 for accommodation and daily expenses.
• Principal's Scholarship (£ 4000) for programs that start in January - MSc Business Management in Sport, MSc Business Management in the Creative Industries MSc, MSc Global Banking and Finance, MScGlobal Finance and Investment.
• International scholarship Square Mile. This scholarship can be obtained by one student who wants to work as a volunteer on the project Square Mile, which specializes in helping local people living in the campus of an educational institution. A volunteer scholarship will cover all expenditure items on any De Montfort University Degree Program - from air tickets in both directions to the cost of the course and housing costs. The holder of a scholarship is determined on a competitive basis, so applicants must demonstrate high academic achievement and the desire to help people.
• Scholarships for students from some countries. In DMU scholarships are provided for foreign students from certain countries, and Russia is among them. So, our student can get 2 types of bonuses: a scholarship for a master's program (3000 £) or a discount of 1000 £ for an early payment of a tuition fee of not less than 3000 £. The applicant can get a scholarship to the magistracy with excellent points and an offer for admission to the course from the university, and the discount is the first few people who will make the payment first.
• Discount on tuition fees. At the University of De Monfort there is another discount for students who timely pay for the curriculum - if all necessary payments are made within 4 weeks from the date of enrollment, then the student will pay less by 500 £.
• International alumni scholarship . The £ 2,000 discount is intended for DMU graduates who graduated from university not more than two years ago, and this year they are going to continue their studies here. If a graduate holds a degree of upper second or 1st class degree, then the discount increases to 5000 £.

Also on the campus for students is the Unitemps agency, in aim of search of work-earnings, which can be combined with study. This can be done by representatives of the university who conduct excursions on campus for visitors and help at university events, or students can apply for university vacancies, and there is always a variety of work in the city - from part-time work in the office to work in the store, a cafe or bar. Such a program helps young people to gain work experience that will be relevant in real life.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision