Lancaster University

Lancaster University is a research-led university located in Lancaster, North-West England. Situated on a spacious green campus, the university is home to a community from around the world with students from over 120 countries. Coming to Lancaster, students will learn from world-leading staff and be part of an international community.

Lancaster is a top 15 University in UK league tables:

• 12th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
• 10th in the Complete University Guide 2025
• 11th in the Guardian University Guide 2025

Lancaster is also recognised globally:

• 5 Star rated by the QS
• In the top 150 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2025

The university has an extensive network of teaching and research links around the world, many of which provide exciting opportunities for students to study or work abroad. Lancaster has strong links with universities in the US and China and strategic teaching partnerships in China, Germany, Ghana and Malaysia.

Lancaster students can take advantage of the university's modern, green campus. Surrounded by woodland that they can explore with paths and trails, the campus has many green spaces that are ideal for moments of calm or somewhere to socialise with friends. In addition to plenty of relaxing green spaces and excellent facilities, on campus there's an art gallery and theatre, cinema, restaurants, cafes, bars, a post office and hair salons. Open 24/7 during term time, the freshly renovated library offers more than 1,200 workspace, silent and quiet study areas to suit all learning styles, and PCs and laptops are available for loan at no cost.

In addition to plenty of relaxing green spaces and excellent facilities, on campus there's an art gallery and concert hall, a theatre, cinema, restaurants, cafes, bars, a post office and hair salons.

Lancaster University is known for its teaching excellence, which was recently rated 5 Stars by the QS.

With quality academics who support their students every step of the way, as well as access to the outstanding facilities expected from a top university, Lancaster students graduate well-equipped for life beyond university.

Lancaster students from all backgrounds continuously achieve excellent outcomes. Many students continue studying and progress into professional employment, notably surpassing benchmarks.

Community - A home away from home

The university endeavours to offer a global experience, with its students and staff living and learning with people from different cultures, sharing their ideas and perspectives. The international student community is made up of people from over 120 countries.

Lancaster's college system provides a unique community experience designed to enhance and support the lives of all its students. Each of the nine colleges are based on campus, where safety is a priority and security is provided through a dedicated 24-hour team of college porters. Students are assured of a friendly environment, which includes Wi-Fi enabled social spaces, games rooms and quiet spaces.

Lancaster University is comprised of four main faculties, each with several departments, centres and institutes.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Lancaster's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is home to over 20 disciplines, with many placing in the top ten in the major UK league tables and top 100 in the world rankings. The nine departments include: Contemporary Arts; Educational Research; English Literature and Creative Writing; Global Affairs; History; Law; Linguistics and English Language; Politics, Philosophy and Religion; and Sociology.

Faculty of Health and Medicine

The Faculty of Health and Medicine's multidisciplinary research and teaching operates across three Divisions: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Health Research, and Lancaster Medical School. The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 ranks the Medical School 2nd in the UK for teaching quality and student experience.

Management School

Lancaster University Management School is one of the few business schools in the world to hold quadruple accreditation. Many of its programmes are highly ranked in the UK and across the world by leading rankings from the Financial Times and QS. Accounting and Finance, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Management Science, Marketing, and Organisation, Work and Technology make up the school's six departments.

Faculty of Science and Technology

The Faculty offers high quality education by internationally renowned academics that is delivered in top facilities. Many of its disciplines place in the top ten in the major UK league tables and top 100 in the world rankings. Its eight departments include Chemistry, Computing and Communications, Engineering, Lancaster Environment Centre, Mathematical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Physics, and Psychology.

English Language Test scores

Standard undergraduate entry level

IELTS Academic UKVI Approved / Other Centres

• 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each element

Pearson PTE Academic / UKVI / Online

• 58 overall with minimum of at least 42 in each of the four skills

Cambridge English: Advanced CAE

• 176 overall with at least 162 in each element

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

• 176 overall with at least 162 in each element

GCSE/ IGCSE/ O Level English

• Grade C / 4

TOEFL IBT /Home Edition

• 87 overall, minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 17 in speaking and 20 in writing

CaMLA ECPE

• C2

Trinity ISE

• ISE II, Distinction in each element (modules must be taken within one month of each other)

LanguageCert International ESOL

• B2 Communicator with 39 in each skill area

For students who currently have an IELTS score of 6.0 and have not achieved the required IELTS score and want a direct entry to Lancaster University, the English for Academic Purposes course can bring them up to the required level.

Visit the university's course pages for specific entry requirements.

Standard postgraduate entry level

IELTS Academic UKVI Approved / Other Centres

• 6.5/7.0 minimum scores in each component required

Pearson PTE Academic / Online

• 62/70 minimum scores in each component required

Cambridge English: Advanced CAE

• Grade C

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

• Grade C

TOEFL iBT / Home Edition

• 93/100 overall, with a minimum of 20/22 in each skill

CaMLA ECPE

• C2

The university offers a range of pre-sessional English language courses for students who don't meet minimum entry requirements. These are designed to help students bridge the gap between their current English language score and the normal minimum entry requirement of their degree programmes. The courses are between four and 10 weeks in length, depending on the level of their English when they apply.

Visit the university's course pages for specific entry requirements.

Accommodation

Lancaster University has made significant investments to provide students with high quality, well equipped and comfortable accommodation. The university offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit all preferences and budgets. The university has been named as having the Best University Halls in the Global Student Living Awards (formerly the National Student Housing Awards), eight times since 2010.

Library

Lancaster's campus is home to a variety of study and social spaces. The library provides a flexible, inspiring, technology-enabled environment with individual and group workspaces to support different learning styles. Open all day, every day during term-time, it is built around a central atrium filled with natural light and is home to a real living tree.

Students' Union

Lancaster University Students' Union provides a variety of support services for students.

Its Education and Support service has a dedicated team who supply students with free and confidential advice. They assist students with any issues they may have while at Lancaster, including financial, academic, housing, employment and consumer issues. The service assists students on campus and online, all year round and even during holiday periods.

The Union has over 175 clubs and societies for students to get involved in, including a vibrant community of international, cultural and faith societies. There are also over 80 sports clubs, some based in the GBP 20 million sports centre which features the very latest in top of the range facilities. These clubs and societies are a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, have fun and develop skills that are beneficial to students when looking for a job.

Undergraduate study

International students studying an undergraduate course at Lancaster University will pay tuition fees from one of three bands. The amount of fees also depends on the chosen subject area.

Scholarships may be available from specific academic departments with most awards offering a tuition fee discount.

Students can find out more information by visiting the university website.

Postgraduate study

The tuition fees for postgraduate study depend on the students' choice of specific course and subject area. Most awards offer a tuition fee discount. Visit the university's fees and funding pages for more information.

Living costs

Students at Lancaster can benefit from a campus university positioned in North West England, which offers a lower cost of living in comparison to many other areas of the UK. The UK Government website also provides information about cost of living in the UK.

Scholarships

Lancaster offers a range of fantastic scholarships and bursaries at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Students can find out more about these on the university's scholarships page.

Lancaster believes that funding concerns should not stop any student with the talent to thrive. In 2021 Lancaster awarded almost GBP 6m for scholarships and bursaries, helping over 5,000 students from over 50 different countries with fees and living expenses. Each year the university offers a variety of generous scholarships, including the Lancaster Global Scholarship.

Five stars awarded by prestigious, global rating

Lancaster University has been awarded five stars for overall performance by the prestigious QS rating. QS Stars is a rating system that assesses universities against best practices and was developed by leading higher education insight specialist QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Lancaster's QS Stars evaluation features five-star ratings for all seven individual categories – teaching, employability, internationalisation, research, facilities, subject ranking and environmental impact.

Lancaster's Research Excellence

The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality and impact of research in UK universities across all subjects. 91 percent of Lancaster's research has been independently rated as 'internationally excellent' or 'world leading' with 46 percent rated in the highest category of 4*.

Lancaster is 21st overall out of 157 institutions in the REF when ranked by Times Higher Education. This places Lancaster above eight Russell Group universities for research quality. These results, combined with Lancaster's strengths in teaching and investment in the student experience, reflect its ability to excel in teaching and research.