Overview
The University of Central Lancashire (abbreviated UCLan) is a public university based in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. It has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge founded in 1828. Subsequently, known as Harris Art College, then Preston Polytechnic, Lancashire Polytechnic, in 1992 it was granted university status by the Privy Council. The university is the 19th largest in the UK in terms of student numbers.
The Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge was founded in 1828 by Joseph Livesey’s Temperance Society. The society was born from a pledge made by seven Preston working men (whose names can be seen on a plaque in the university’s library) to never again consume alcohol.
The institute was housed in a classical-revivalist building on Cannon Street, before eventually expanding under the endowment of a local lawyer, Edmund Robert Harris, who died in 1877. The expansion brought with it several new buildings and houses in the nearby Regent Street were purchased and demolished as a consequence. The institute became a regional center for the arts and sciences.
As part of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the institutes’ trustees paid the Victorian/Edwardian architect Henry Cheers to design the “Victoria Jubilee Technical School” (later known as the Harris Institute and now known as the Harris Building), to be built on Corporation Street. Its goal was to provide local youths with a technical education in all areas. The building was progressive for the period, being powered entirely by electricity.
The institute existed in this state until 1932 when it changed its name to become the Harris Art College. It underwent further expansion in 1952 and became the Harris College. In 1973 this became Preston Polytechnic then the Lancashire Polytechnic in 1984. In 1992, full university status was awarded and the University of Central Lancashire came into existence. The first chancellor of the university was Sir Francis Kennedy and he was succeeded in 2001 by Sir Richard Evans. In 2016, Ranvir Singh became the new Chancellor of the University.
The journalism division, now part of the School of Journalism and Media, is one of the oldest in the country, opening as part of Harris College in 1962. In 1991, it became one of the first to teach journalism undergraduate degrees, with a strong emphasis on practical work.
In 2013 the School of Dentistry and the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education merged to create the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The university sponsors Wigan UTC, a university technical college that opened in September 2013.
The university is on an urban campus in Preston and others in Burnley, Westlakes in West Cumbria for nuclear and energy-related research programs and a €53 million campus in Cyprus opened in October 2012.
The university has students and researchers from over 100 countries and partnerships with 125 international institutions. It has a base in China’s Shenzhen Virtual University Park, conducting collaborative research with some of China’s leading universities into nanotechnology with applications in drug delivery, water purification, and fire toxicity.
25,000 Students
Location
Learning
TEF Rating
Courses Available
- Accounting, Business, Management and Marketing
- Architecture, Building, Planning and Design
- Biology and Biomedical Sciences
- Computer Science and Information Technology
- Engineering
- Foreign Studies (Language, Literature and Linguistics)
- Health Professions
- Hospitality and Culinary
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Law and Legal Studies
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Natural Sciences
- Recreation, Sports and Fitness Studies
- Theology
- Veterinary, Agricultural and Food Sciences
- Visual and Performing Arts
Applying
How to Apply?
For International Students
(in lieu of IELTS)
Deadlines and Important Dates
Cost and Scholarships
Types of Scholarships Available
Scholarships
Sports scholarships
| Total Worth | up to £5000 |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | 1) The scholarships are available to UK, EU and International students. 2) The student must be studying on a full-time or part-time (studying 60 or more credits per year) undergraduate or postgraduate course at the University, in the academic year 24/25, at either the Preston, Burnley, Westlakes or Myerscough Campuses to be eligible for a sport scholarship. Part-time students will be awarded on a pro rata basis. 3) Normally scholarships are awarded to students studying at the University’s main campus in Preston as this is where the performance sports infrastructure is based. However individual sport students may be able to represent the University in Championship competitions without the need to be based at the Preston campus; such instances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Our Golf team also primarily operates from our Myerscough campus 4) If any of the information provided in the application for a scholarship is inaccurate, the University reserves the right to withdraw the scholarship offered. |
| Available for International Students | Yes |
| Application Deadline | -- |
Estranged student support
| Total Worth | £1,000 |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | Must be UK student. |
| Available for International Students | No |
| Application Deadline | End of may |
Financial Bursary
| Total Worth | £500 a year for Year 0, Year 1 and Year 2 of study and £750 for Year 3 |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | 1) Paying the maximum tuition fee 2) Studying at our main or Burnley Campus sites 3) Studying full-time on an eligible undergraduate degree programme 4) Have an assessed household income of under £20,000 from Student Finance England / Northern Ireland / Student Awards Agency for Scotland (Not available in Wales) 5) Fully enrolled and in attendance at the time of each payment |
| Available for International Students | No |
| Application Deadline | -- |