Professional Services

External Relations Division

We are the External Relations Division (ERD). We are responsible for enhancing the University's profile and reputation, meeting our student recruitment and fundraising targets, promoting our research, supporting our international agenda through partnerships and business development, and ensuring that we engage with all University stakeholders – internally, locally, nationally and internationally.

ERD includes the Future Students Office, Marketing, Communications and Engagement, Attenborough Arts Centre, Centre for International Training and Education and Development and Alumni Relations.

Future Students Office

We are a dedicated group of teams providing advice and guidance to students, teachers, advisors and parents around the UK.

The Future Students Office consists of the Global Recruitment, the UK Student Recruitment and Outreach, the Pathways, the International Recruitment, the Admissions and Applicant Experience, the Global Business Operations, as well as the College Student Recruitment and Marketing teams.

The Global Recruitment Team supports the University’s strategic objectives relating to student recruitment, across all levels and modes of study, for UK and international markets as well as its commitment to Widening Access and responsibilities associated with meeting strategic ambitions outlined in our Access and Participation Plan. 

The UK Student Recruitment and Outreach team is responsible for delivering undergraduate and postgraduate recruitment throughout the UK, and for meeting the University’s widening access targets. We work with students of all ages and backgrounds, teachers and careers advisers, parents and carers, as well as members of the community to encourage participation in higher education and to recruit and convert undergraduate and postgraduate students to the University. 

The Pathways team work across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and is one of 29 partnerships across England funded by the Office for Students as part of their Uni Connect programme. Pathways brings together the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and De Montfort University, as well as Leicester College and Loughborough College, with the aim of supporting more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to reach their full potential through higher education.

The International Recruitment Team is responsible for all offshore student recruitment activities. Key members of the team are based overseas to ensure we can provide face-to-face support and guidance to prospective students and partners in our core markets. The team travel extensively within their region meeting students at fairs and exhibitions throughout the year.

The Admission and Applicant Experience team manage enquiries, communications and admissions to campus-based and distance learning courses at Leicester. This includes processing undergraduate and postgraduate applications, handling admissions enquiries, sending all communications, making offers, undertaking fee assessments, issuing official documentation to support our applicants’ visa applications, and managing and maintaining the University's central admissions systems, policies and procedures.

The Global Operations and Partnerships Team supports the work of all the teams within FSO and is responsible for the operational management of our Global Agent network (including commission processing), FSO finance, fee setting, recruitment scholarships, global partnership operations, and the Student Ambassador Scheme.

The College Student Recruitment and Marketing Team support academic schools within each of our Colleges, leading on College-specific marketing campaigns and activities in order to support student recruitment targets across all our channels and modes of study. The purpose is to deliver innovative and ground-breaking marketing and recruitment initiatives to ensure we grow our market share across the globe.

Kate Walewska headshotDirector

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Marketing

The Marketing division consists of the Recruitment Marketing, Creative and Video, Marketing and Insight, Digital Engagement, Corporate and Research Marketing teams.

The Recruitment Marketing team delivers key student recruitment campaigns and events to support recruitment to undergraduate, postgraduate and distance learning courses attracting prospective students to come to Leicester to study from the UK and from locations around the world.

The Creative and Video team are responsible for marketing the external profile of the University across a range of channels. This involves the development of the University’s brand identity including the creative, content and design elements, as well overseeing marketing campaigns and events for student recruitment and research reputation campaigns. The team also offer a professional design and artwork service including print and digital communications, as well as audio and video production.

The Marketing and Insight team provides vital intelligence and insights across Brand, Marketing and Digital Engagement, to achieve key institutional objectives. The team predicts market opportunities through monitoring and analysing upcoming trends, and horizon scanning. They devise data driven marketing strategies that are applied within and outside of the team across a broad range of projects including course launch. Additionally, they provide guidance and support around best practice for market research.

Our Digital Engagement team is responsible for the performance and effectiveness of the University’s digital engagement channels, including our website, apps, social media channels and other emerging digital platforms. The team offers in-house expertise in user experience, digital accessibility and optimisation, architecture and system management, as well as user support and training. Read our use of social media guidelines for more information.

The Corporate and Research Marketing team is responsible for showcasing the University’s world-changing research portfolio to build reputation and profile and to develop and delivers key campaigns to showcase the education, teaching and student experience here at Leicester.

Victoria Bell headshotDirector

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Communications and Engagement

We are responsible for telling stories to our internal and external audiences. Together we produce communications plans, promote positive messages about the University, organise high-profile events, avoid crisises, and much more.

The Communications and Engagement office consists of the Internal Communications, Corporate Communications, Press and Events teams.

The Communications teams are responsible for external and internal communications, including corporate, student and staff communications across an array of channels.

The Press team provide a central source for media enquiries, both proactively by contacting journalists about our latest news and research and also reactively by providing expert commentary on a daily basis.

The Events team is responsible for a range of high-profile, public facing corporate and student engagement events. These include lifecycle welcome events and Graduation ceremonies every year. The team also deliver various lecture series’, staff awards, building openings, ministerial visits, summertime and Christmas on campus activities, alongside providing expert guidance to students and staff on delivering events.

Liz Cass headshotDirector

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Attenborough Arts Centre

We are the University of Leicester's public arts venue, engaging more than 100,000 people including students and staff annually with our cultural programme. We receive public funding from Arts Council England as one of 987 National Portfolio Organisations nationally.

Attenborough Arts Centre is Leicester’s contemporary arts hub and one of the UK’s leading university arts centres. We promote inclusive culture and creativity for everyone, with socially- and civically-engaged visual arts, live performance, learning and community programmes. We are a hub for student culture and a centre for research and innovation, connecting artists with the University’s work across research, teaching and public engagement programmes. 

Andrew Fletcher headshotDirector

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Centre for International Training and Education

As a truly global university, we provide support for everyone who comes to Leicester, from asylum seekers to exchange students. The Centre for International Training and Education (CITE) consists of the English Language Teaching Unit, the International Professional Development Unit, the Sanctuary Seekers’ Unit and the Study Abroad Unit.

The English Language Teaching Unit offers a wide range of English language and study skills courses to students who are studying, or who want to study, at Leicester. These include presessional, insessional, short courses and credit bearing modules. The team also offers several teacher training programmes such as CELTA.

The International Professional Development Unit specialise in the development and delivery of professional development courses and consultancy for international clients.

Our Sanctuary Seekers’ Unit provide a range of opportunities by which students and staff across campus and beyond can contribute to ensuring that we are a genuinely welcoming place for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.

The Study Abroad Unit support students coming to Leicester on an exchange or Study Abroad programme from one of our international partner universities (including Erasmus+). The team also manage outgoing exchanges and summer school placements for Leicester students.

Phil Horspool headshotDirector

  • Philip Horspool, Director of the Centre for International Training and Education: ph25@leicester.ac.uk

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Development and Alumni Relations

We are responsible for building strong links with our graduates and securing philanthropic support for charitable projects.

The Development and Alumni Relations Office consists of the Engagement and Philanthropy teams, incorporating the Alumni Relations programme and all of the University’s fundraising activity.

The Alumni Engagement team is responsible for building strong links with graduates, friends and supporters of the University of Leicester. Alumni are able to keep up-to-date through our regular communications and via our alumni social media channels. Our programme of events and volunteering opportunities is a popular way for graduates of all generations to stay connected.

The Philanthropy team is responsible for working with our donors and supporters, encouraging and stewarding philanthropic gifts of all sizes for the benefit of the University. At the University of Leicester, philanthropy has driven impact for nearly 100 years. We are one of only two universities in the world to be founded as a living memorial to those who served and lost their lives in the First World War. Without philanthropy we would not be here and thus we are uniquely aware of the impact philanthropy has on our students, infrastructure, research excellence, community and society.

Steve Corbett headshotDirector

Key contacts

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