Having received its royal charter in 1964, the University of Lancaster is a public research and collegiate university in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. Apart from being named International University of the Year by in 2019 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, the university has also been ranked 8th overall in the league table, being in the top ten range for the 4th year running in three major national league tables. More than this, it is reported that 89% of Lancaster graduates get professional jobs or further their education after graduation coupled with being 3rd in the UK for graduate prospects according to the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and Complete University Guide 2021.
Nine colleges including Bowland College, Cartmel College, County College, Furness College, Fylde College, Graduate College, Grizedale College, Lonsdale College and Pendle College operate under Lancaster University. The institution is fairly affordable to international students and it has close to 3000 international students currently. Lancaster is home to several eye-catching facilities such as The Nuffield Theatre, a multi-faith Chaplaincy Center, 11 different exercise stations along a 700m trail as well as Chinese and Japanese arts, twentieth-century British artists prints and arts by popular European artists like Ernst, Dürer, Miró, and Vasarely, and other antiquities.
Planning to study at Lancaster University in 2023? Checkout our video review from below
Lancaster University Rankings
Lancaster University is ranked:
- 139th in the list of World University Rankings by Times Higher Education in 2020
- 128th in QS Global World Ranking in 2020
- 7th in the list of European Teaching Rankings in 2019 by Times Higher Education
- 210th in the list of Best Global Universities in U.S. News and Global Report’s 2020 ranking
Highlights
| University Type | Public |
| Location | Lancaster, English |
| Establishment Year | 1964 |
| Campus Setting | Urban |
| Mode of Program | Full time/ Online |
| On campus accommodation | Available |
| No. of campuses | 1 |
| No. of international students | 3000+ |
| No. of faculties | 4 |
Lancaster University Campus
- The Lancaster University campus operates with a beautiful 560-acre parkland site called the Bailrigg campus, which is just three miles from Lancaster city center.
- The university houses the Peter Scott Gallery, which is home to the University's international art collection that is made up of antiquities, Japanese and Chinese art, works by twentieth-century British artists, etc.
- There is another university location called the Forest Hills which is used as a conference venue.
- There is a 25-meter swimming pool with 8 lanes that has a ‘floating floor' at the university sports facility.
- The campus has 1,300 technology-enabled workspaces that are built around a central atrium filled with natural light.
- Lancaster University offers educational services to almost 3000 international students.
- There are more than 175 student unions open to students at the university.
- Lancaster University students participate in 35 sports clubs activities.
- On the campus, there are eight tennis courts, six Association Football pitches, five netball courts, trim trail, three rugby pitches, two floodlit synthetic grass pitches, a crown bowling green, and a woodland walk.
Lancaster University Residence
- Being a collegiate university, residence halls are located within individual colleges.
- There are eight undergraduate residences and one graduate residence located within the graduate college.
- Room features include a bed (some with under-bed storage), wardrobe, desk and chair, blinds, mirror, drawers, bookshelf, and washbasin.
- Amenities include common rooms, Wi-Fi, laundry, freezer, cookers, toaster, microwave, ironing board, kettle, fridge, cupboard storage space, vacuum cleaner, 24-hour reception, and iron, etc.
- Lancaster University does provide adapted rooms for students with disabilities, medical conditions and allergies if they notify the University of any such conditions when filling the housing application.
- Students are guaranteed accommodation if the University is their first choice for admission, they have accepted the admission offer and applied before August 15.
- Lancaster University provides off-campus accommodation help and advice for students willing to live off-campus.
- The University of Lancaster has been rated United Kingdom’s Best University Halls eight times since 2010 at the annual National Student Housing Awards.
- The University’s residence halls can accommodate more than 7000 students.
Lancaster University Courses
- There are 300+ undergraduate programs and 200+ graduate programs at the university.
- The University has 4 main faculties – arts and social science, health and medicine, management school, science and technology and several departments under them.
- Lancaster University offers two MBA programs: an Executive MBA (part-time 24 months) and a professional MBA (12 months) that runs in three locations, which are Lancaster, Ghana, and Malaysia.
- The university offers postgraduate research training in arts and sciences, health and medicine, science and technology, business and management, postgraduate statistics center, and library training.
- The university also offers the International Foundation Year program that prepares and provides international students with a pathway to degree study at Lancaster University.
Lancaster University Application Process
Lancaster University accepts applications from both EU and overseas students. International applicants willing to study in the UK require applying for a Tier 4 student visa. The process and requirements for undergraduate and graduate applicants vary depending on choice of program. The standard requirements for admission to the university have been provided below:
How to Apply?
The process for admission to Lancaster University has been discussed below:
Application portal: UG applicants - UCAS website ; PG applicants - MyApplications
Application fee: UG applicants – 18 GBP for one program, 24 GBP for multiple programs; PG applicants – No application fee
Admission Deadlines: UG applicants – January 15, Medicine program applicants – October 15. PG applicants – Depends on program
Basic Admission Requirements: The documents will be required during the course of the admission procedure:
- A Level or the equivalent and accepted international high school certificate
- Relevant bachelor degree (for graduate program applicants)
- Interview or portfolio of work (if required)
- Proof of English language proficiency
- Academic transcript and degree certificate
- Passport
- References
- Personal statement
- Research proposal (research degrees only)
- Work experience (if required)
- CV
- GMAT (depending on program requirement)
- Lancaster Admissions Essay (if required)
English language requirements
English language requirements vary per program. However, below is the standard minimum English language requirement for undergraduates. Graduate English language requirements are program-specific. Graduate recognized English language tests are the same as for undergraduates.
| Recognized Qualification | Standard Entry Level |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall, a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
| IELTS Academic (UKVI Approved) | 6.5 overall, a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
| Cambridge English: Advanced CAE/ Proficiency (CPE) | Cambridge English: Advanced CAE/ Proficiency (CPE) |
| TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition | 87 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 17 in speaking and 20 in writing |
| TOEFL IBT | 87 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 17 in speaking and 20 in writing |
| PTE Academic | 58 overall with a minimum of 42 in each of the four skills |
Undergraduate and graduate applicants from English speaking countries are not required to submit proof of English language proficiency.
Lancaster University Cost of Attendance
- The cost of attendance for international students at Lancaster University differs from that of EU students.
- The tuition fees for programs under different faculties are different.
- The estimated cost of attendance has been tabulated below:
| Item | Amount per annum (GBP) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | |
| Arts and Social Science | 18,700 |
| Management | 19,474 |
| Science and Technology | 22,550 |
| Accounting and Finance | 20,865 |
| MBChB | 34,700 |
| Graduate | |
| Tuition fee* | 18,800 – 33,000 |
| Cost of Living | |
| Food | 2,250 |
| Books and stationery | 750 |
| Accommodation | 5,478-7,199.5 |
| Leisure/TV license | 155-1000 |
| Transportation | 350-600 |
| Telephone | 500 |
| Laundry | 250 |
*Applicants are to check with the program for the exact tuition fee.
Lancaster University Scholarships/Financial Aid
- Most institutional scholarships take the form of a partial tuition fee reduction at the University of Lancaster.
- Financial aid open to international students include grants, scholarships, and bursaries.
- The UK Government offers student loans at low interests to Master’s and Ph. D students.
- Some scholarships exclusive to international students include:
| Scholarship Name | Eligibility Criteria | Amount Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Loyalty Scholarship | This award features a reduction in tuition fees for undergraduate or graduate applicants at Lancaster who are alumni of the university; The value of the scholarship depends on the value of degree. |
For undergraduates, 1st class honors degree holders get a 20% fee reduction and 2:1 honors degree holders get a 10% fee reduction; For masters applicants, master’s with Distinction degree holders get 20% fee reduction and master’s with Merit degree holders get a 10% fee reduction |
| Lancaster University Management School scholarships (LUMS) | These awards are available for international undergraduate students from five countries in the EU and India, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. | 30 scholarships awarded each year with individual amounts varying between 2,000 GBP and 4,000 GBP (4,000 GBP for Indians only). |
| Faculty Postgraduate Scholarships | Available for international graduate program students. Awarded to students by respective faculties. |
Up to 15,000 GBP (including bursaries and maintenance grants) |
Lancaster University Alumni Network
Lancaster University alumni network involves more than 148,000 members who are entitled to several benefits that include:
- Alumni receive discounts on University programs
- Lifetime careers advice from Lancaster
- Opportunity to be part of an alumni network spread across 180 countries.
- Free online journal access
Notable alumni include:
- Ranvir Singh -Television presenter
- Toni Tones -Nigerian media personality
- James May -Television presenter
- Matthew Fort -British writer and critic
- Ralph Ineson – English actor, has played roles in Harry Potter, Game of Thrones etc.
Lancaster University Placements
- Career and employability services are available to help and assist students, alumni at this university.
- Students can book an appointment with the advisor, many part-time jobs are advertised by the employment service team. The team also helps in building a CV, cover letter writing, preparing for interviews, held many vents related to jobs and career
- Many part-time jobs, placements, and internships can be found by a student on the career portal of the university for gaining work experience, for which they also get paid
- Every year more than 200 undergraduate students participate in placement with various organizations
- Some of the recruiting agencies of Lancaster graduates are Deloitte, Loreal, IBM, Body Shop, Unilever, Intel, EY, Morgan Stanley, Tesco, Renault, and many others
- 89% of graduates go further and get placed within 6 months of graduation. The average placement salary of the graduates in 207-2018 was 18,000
Average annual salaries of graduates and alumni of the university by jobs are tabulated below:
| Job | Average Salary in USD |
|---|---|
| Financial Services | 76,678.88 |
| Project Management | 57,330.00 |
| Legal and Paralegal | 49,447.12 |
| IT and Software Development | 44,430.75 |
| Accounting, Consulting | 43,711.68 |
| Degree | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| LLM | 76,678.88 |
| MBA | 74,518.60 |
| BBA | 71,652.50 |
| Doctorate | 62,337.67 |
| Masters in Finance | 66,636.82 |
*Data above from PayScale and Emolument
Lancaster University FAQs
Ques. Is Lancaster University a prestigious university?
Ans. Lancaster University is a top-ranked university in the world and is ranked by global agencies where it holds top positions. It is among the top 200 in the world and the student’s satisfaction rate is 87%. It is 7th for teaching excellence in Europe and for accommodation it is an award-winning institution for the last 10 years.
Ques. What does Lancaster University specialize in?
Ans. The university specializes in pure mathematics and statistics for the first two years of an undergraduate degree.
Ques. Which are the top-ranked subjects at Lancaster University?
Ans. The ranked subjects at the university ranked by US News are Arts and Humanities, Chemistry, Clinical Medicine, Computer Science, Economics, Business, Electrical Engineering, Environment/Ecology, Physics, Geosciences, Plant And Animal Science, Social Science, and Public Health.
Ques. Is Lancaster University a Russell group university?
Ans. No. Lancaster University is not a member of the Russell group but its performance is more strong than most of the universities in the Russell group. It is a highly ranked global university without being a Russel group member.
Ques. How long does it take to send the admission decision?
Ans. Usually, the admission team decides within 3 weeks of receiving the UCAS application but for some of the courses, the team may take more time for a decision to be made.
Ques. Does Lancaster University offer scholarships?
Ans. Yes. The university provides many scholarships and bursaries for students from the UK, Europe, and South America at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. But it doesn’t offer many scholarships to students from other countries. Some scholarships available to international students are the Lancaster University Global Scholarship(Africa), The Peer Trust Scholarship, British Council fundings, and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Doctoral Scholarships 2021.
Ques. Are international students permitted to work while studying at the university?
Ans. Students with a study visa are permitted to work 20 hours a week. Part-time options on-campus are also available.
Ques. How many courses are offered at Lancaster?
Ans. At the university, 300 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate programs are offered across 4 departments.
