University of Central Lancashire

Overview

Founded in 1828, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is an international, multi-campus university leading the way in modern learning. Today, the university is one of the UK’s largest, offering an employment-focused course portfolio of over 300 undergraduate programmes and 200+ postgraduate courses.

The university’s main campus is based in Preston, with others located in Burnley (East Lancashire), Westlakes (West Cumbria), and Cyprus. They have recently invested £200m in transforming their Preston Campus, giving students access to excellent teaching facilities in bright, modern surroundings. Internationally, the university enrols students from more than 100 countries and has partnerships with over 120 institutions from across the globe.

The University has close links with more than 1,000 regional employers and enterprises, covering many industries, giving students extensive opportunities to gain practical work experience through long-term work placements, short-term internships and study abroad programmes.

UCLan is also ranked as the leading UK university for entrepreneurship, based on the number of start-up businesses they have incubated that are still active after three years of trading, according to the HEBCIS survey. The University has been named the top university in North England for producing start-up businesses and is ranked fifth overall in the UK (Tide). The University’s Propeller enterprise hub offers business start-up support to students and graduates, including skills and knowledge workshops, networking opportunities, and a business incubation space.

Services for International Students

The University of Central Lancashire offers a range of support services designed to make the transition into student life easy for new students. This includes a free orientation program and airport pickup, free English language support throughout the first year, and free membership to the International Students Society. Students are assigned a buddy who is already familiar with life in the UK, and international students do not have to move out of University accommodation during holidays.

Ranking

• 96th in the Times University Guide 2025
• 104th in the Guardian University Guide 2025

UCLan’s top performing area in REF 2021 was Physics with 90% of the research submissions rated as world-leading and internationally excellent overall (4/3-star). Social Work and Social Policy, another traditional research strength at UCLan, also performed well, with 83% of its overall research submission ranked 4/3-star.

The areas of Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy scored 79% overall for 4/3-star while Modern Languages and Linguistics scored 75% for 4-star impact. Philosophy, a first-time UCLan entrant to REF, was ranked 8th out of 35 submissions nationally for 4-star impact, with 50% of the research rated as world-leading.

Accommodation

UCLan offers students comfortable accommodation in modern halls that are safe, fun, inclusive for all and, above all, good value for money. The University offers a guaranteed place in halls for all first-year students. Self-contained flats are also available, as is private accommodation in and around the city of Preston.

Location

UCLan is based in Preston, Lancashire, on a campus just a short distance from the city centre. The beautiful scenery of the Lake District is not far away, and the city hosts numerous cafes and museums, a shopping centre, world-class sporting facilities and historic architecture.