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, then 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 centre 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 and 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 the 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 which 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 programmes 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.
24,160 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
Deadlines and Important Dates
Cost and Scholarships
(For International Students)
Types of Scholarships Available
Scholarships
Excellence Scholarships for International Students
| Total Worth | £3,000 per year |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | Students must meet the enhanced academic entry requirements for their UCLan programme of study, as detailed on the website, and choose to progress to an undergraduate or postgraduate taught programme of study at the University of Central Lancashire (not applicable to distance learning programmes; postgraduate research programmes; Pre-sessional English language programmes or the MBBS programme.). |
| Available for International Students | Yes |
| Application Deadline | -- |
Sports Scholarships
| Total Worth | £3,000-£4,000 |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | You must choose UCLan as your firm choice. You must have residency status in the UK or Europe. You must enrol on a full-time undergraduate course in September (if you defer your application you will not be eligible for a scholarship). |
| Available for International Students | Yes |
| Application Deadline | August 1 |
| Other Details | The University of Central Lancashire, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust are offering 2 scholarships for the MBBS (Bachelor Medicine Bachelor Surgery) for UK students from the North West of England. The scholarship offered jointly by UCLan and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is known as the Mackenzie Scholarship; while the scholarship offered jointly by UCLan North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, is known as the Dr Kate Granger Scholarship. |
MBBS Scholarships
| Total Worth | all tuition fees for the duration of the 5 year programme and clinical placement costs in the respective Trusts; plus a bursary for subsistence which will be equal to the maximum amount of subsistence allowance |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and Requirements | -- |
| Available for International Students | No |
| Application Deadline | -- |