The University of Central Lancashire is a public university situated in Preston, Lancashire, England.
The UCLan community consists of students from over 100 different nations. They have collaborated with 123 universities globally, thereby cementing its standing as an international university.
It is one of the better-known institutions in the United Kingdom, with a student and staff population of about 38,000. The career-focused course portfolio includes over 350 undergraduate programs, approximately 200 postgraduate courses, and a wide range of Continuing Professional Development courses.
Over 69% of University of Central Lancashire students graduate with distinction (score of 70% and above). Moreover, 95.5% of graduates find employment or pursue further education within six months of graduation.
The University of Central Lancashire has a lengthy and illustrious history that dates back to 1828 when it was established as the 'Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge.'
Thereafter, following a significant donation from the Trustees of Edmund Robert Harris in 1982, the university was renamed 'Harris Institute' and once again to 'Harris College' in 1956, following a re-organisation of technical education by the government.
The Harris College was approved as a polytechnic by the central government in 1973 and was renamed 'Preston Polytechnic', which got rebranded to 'Lancashire Polytechnic' in 1984, and the 'University of Central Lancashire' in 1992.
The university subsequently developed a new logo in 2007 to emphasize the initials 'UCLan’ and eventually, in September 2020, debuted its new brand that emphasized its position as a learning space where opportunity and excellence co-exist.
Location
The primary campus of the institution is located in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England. The official mailing address for the University of Central Lancashire is as follows:
Preston, Lancashire, UK, PR1 2HE.
The university also has three additional campuses in Burnley, Westlakes in West Cumbria, which is solely dedicated to nuclear and energy-related research. Lastly, it also has an overseas campus in Cyprus, which opened in October 2012.
Ranking
The University of Central Lancashire’s acceptance rate is a whopping 22.42% which is much higher than most universities in the UK.
Additionally, according to the CWUR or the Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22, the University of Central Lancashire is in the top 7% of universities worldwide (CWUR). The university has also been granted Silver in the 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework by the UK Government (TEF).
The University of Central Lancashire ranking has been prominent when it comes to the global rankings of the universities. It has consistently ranked in the range of 801-1000th on the World University Rankings by Times Higher Education and gets placed between 251-300th on the Young University Rankings 2022.
Infrastructure
The University of Central Lancashire provides exceptional student support services, including professional advice and assistance with financial difficulties, health and wellness, visas and more.
Additionally, the university offers the following infrastructural facilities:
1. It provides a variety of housing alternatives in a secure, dynamic, and inclusive community. These on-campus options are available at the Preston, Burnley, and Westlakes campuses.
2. The central campus is home to a £35 million Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC), established in 2019. It is a cutting-edge teaching and research center that provides real-world experience to students working on actual projects with industry professionals.
3. The university is also home to Oasis Faith and Spirituality Centre, a space that welcomes people across all faiths and otherwise.
4. The Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre features a large sports hall, a squash court, and two fitness studios and also houses the CardioZone, a fully equipped workout suite.
5. The institution operates a nightly bus service for students working late nights at the campus's fully-equipped library.
Academics
The University of Central Lancashire has over 550 undergraduate and postgraduate courses and several Continued Education Certifications and has fifteen academic institutions and six academic faculties.
Additionally, it provides a range of research opportunities. It has fifteen different research institutes, namely:
1. Applied Sport, Physical Activity, and Performance
2. Archaeology and Forensic Taphonomy
3. Business Management and Enterprise
4. Criminal Justice Research and Partnerships
5. Cultural Preservation Through Creative Practice
6. Digital Life
7. Engineering
8. Fire and Hazard Sciences
9. Global Development
10. Global Race Center for Equality (GRACE)
11. Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MIDEX)
12. Smart Materials
13. Sustainable Transitions
14. THRIVE Research Center
15. Translation Biosciences and Behaviour
Courses
The following are the areas in which the University of Central Lancashire offers courses:
1. Art, Design, and Fashion
2. Business
3. Community Health
4. Midwifery
5. Dentistry
6. Construction and Surveying
7. Arts and Media
8. Forensic and Health Sciences
9. Humanities and Social Sciences
10. Management
11. Language and Global Studies
12. Medicine
13. Nursing
14. Pharmacy and Pharmacology
15. Physical Sciences and Computing
16. Psychology
17. Social Science
18. Sport and Wellbeing
19. Lancashire Law School
20. Veterinary Medicine
21. Policing
22. Social Work
Admission procedures
The admission procedure is generally the same across most public universities. Nevertheless, the University of Central Lancashire’s admission process has been detailed below.
1. Students can apply through UCAS or apply directly through the university portal.
2. One must complete the online application form, submit the application fee, and then provide all of the required documents, including those indicating English proficiency and academic transcripts.
3. After one has applied, one may start looking for housing and applying for scholarships and funding.
4. Acceptance letters may take four to six weeks to arrive. After accepting the offer and submitting the semester fees, one can apply for their visa.
However, the admission process for MBBS is slightly different as the applicant goes through four rounds of thorough screening before being accepted by the university. These include an initial application screening, a panel review, multiple rounds of mini-interviews, and the final occupational health screening on offer.
Lastly, the university’s application deadline for September 2022 intake for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees closed on the 30th of June 2022.
Admission requirements
The University of Central Lancashire admission requirements differ between regular courses and the MBBS degree. Given below are its requirements for all full-length programs.
1. An undergraduate applicant needs to provide the following academic scores to qualify for admission at the University of Central Lancashire:
a) Must clear 10th standard with a 65% average score.
b) Must clear 11th standard with a 50% average score.
c) Must clear 12th standard with an average score of 40%.
2. For a three-term extended program, applicants must have at least a 4.5 IELTS score or equivalent, with no one element being less than 4.0.
3. If an applicant does not yet have the requisite English language skills, they can opt for a university-provided course. The curriculum lasts four terms and comprises an English language module (ELM) and three terms of foundation necessary to apply for admission to the first year of undergraduate study.
4. A candidate must hold a bachelor's or an equivalent degree from a recognized institution to undertake a postgraduate program.
On arrival, a student needs to complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine followed by the submission of the following documents:
1. ATAS Certificate (if applicable)
2. Biometric Residence Permit (if applicable)
3. Confirmation of acceptance
4. Original academic qualification certificates
5. Passport, birth certificate, or driving license
6. Visa letter from the UK Home Office
Extracurricular and diversity
The University of Central Lancashire provides a culturally diverse environment for students to grow in. It offers a wide range of amenities to its students and employees that make up the UCLan community.
Every student has access to experienced therapists, wellness advisers, and mental health advisors. A separate team provides inclusion guidance and assists students with disabilities or learning difficulties.
UCLan's Financial Support Team also provides over £1 million in loans to students who require additional financial assistance and oversees several bursaries available to students, particularly student caretakers and estranged students.
Additionally, the University invests in a dedicated ‘Welcome Team’ twice a year to ensure new students have all the necessary assistance and information. These include students leaving the family for the first time or older students returning to college.
Lastly, the pre-school center allows students with children to attend academic sessions. The university also provides free late-night transport to all students who live near the Preston Campus and ensure that the ‘Safety and Security Team’ is accessible 24/7/365.
Career and professional opportunities
The UCLan Careers Team provides lifetime support to assist students in advancing in their desired career field. Additionally, the ‘Careers Graduate Support’ consists of many facilities, including access to the alumni community, trained professionals, and several career-building technological tools such as CV builder, CV360 online tools, and Interview360, to name a few.
It also conducts career seminars, mock interviews, and industry updates on major graduate recruitment topics and offers CV, cover letter, and personal statement assistance.
Lastly, the Propeller Student Enterprise aids students, staff, and graduates by offering them business advice. This service provides skill workshops, online resources, one-on-one help from business mentors, and engagement with a network of local businesses based at the Propeller Hub.
Alumni
The University of Central Lancashire alumni includes many well-known and established names. Some of them are
1. Bryan Talbot, renowned comic book artist, and writer
2. Estelle Asmodelle, Australian model and campaigner
3. Kerry Wilkinson, bestselling author of the Jessica Daniel series in the United Kingdom
4. Mary Fitzpatrick, a photographer and visual artist who won the Liverpool Art Prize
5. Nina Hossain, ITV News presenter
6. Reni Eddo-Lodge, journalist and author of ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’
7. Waqar Azmi, EU ambassador and former Chief Diversity Adviser to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Office
Financials
The University of Central Lancashire Fees are standard across all subjects, except for MBBS. The table below provides a comprehensive insight into the fee structure.
Standard Fees
Fees in GBP & INR
Foundation Course
GBP 10,000 (INR 9,97,900)
Undergraduate
GBP 14,250 (INR 13,97,100)
Postgraduate taught
GBP 14,500 (INR 14,46,900)
Postgraduate research
GBP 14,500 (INR 14,46,900)
Sandwich year
GBP 2,000 (INR 1,99,600)
Non-standard fees (Only MBBS)
GBP 46,000 (INR 45,90,900)
The university awards a degree based on a 20-credit module system where one module equals 20 credits.
Given below is the breakdown of the number of credits that make up one module in each degree.
What is the University of Central Lancashire acceptance rate?
One of the best colleges in England, UCLAN has a demanding admissions process. With a 22.4% acceptance rate, the University of Central Lancashire is not that tough to get into.
What are the popular courses at the University of Central Lancashire?
UCLan has been at the forefront of developing degrees in emerging disciplines like fashion and forensic science, of which it is the largest higher education provider in the world, to more recent additions. The University's programme portfolio includes about 230 undergraduates and nearly 200 postgraduate courses.
What is the University of Central Lancashire known for?
In addition to emphasising practical skills, the institution also receives excellent marks for its research, with the 2014 Research Excellence Framework judging all 16 of its academic areas to be "world-leading." Maximizing student employability, equipping them with useful skills, and creating course material that meets industry demands are among UCLan's top aims. One of the largest universities in the UK, UCLan is based in Preston, Lancashire, and offers over 200 postgraduate and 400 undergraduate degrees across 20 academic schools. UCLan offers a bustling, energetic environment and a student-staff community of over 38,000, with 2,000 foreign students among them.
Where is the University of Central Lancashire situated?
In addition to its main campus throughout Preston, UCLan also has campuses in Cumbria and Lancashire, as well as one abroad in Cyprus, which opened its doors in 2012 and made history as the first British university to do so.
How to get admission to the University of Central Lancashire?
The University of Central Lancashire's "how to apply" page must be visited first by students. The students must then select the "Undergraduate" option after logging onto the UCAS portal. They must now click the "Apply" button to continue with their application. Students must choose Non-UK/International from the drop-down option and press the "Next" button to proceed. Students can now submit their applications by logging in with their username and password after finishing them. While the UCAS application costs 25 GBP, the online UCLan application is free. UCAS Online Application or UCLan Online Application is utilised for undergraduate applications, however, UCLan Online Application is the only one accepted for postgraduate applications.
When was the University of Central Lancashire founded?
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) was founded in 1828 as the Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge.
Where is the University of Central Lancashire ranked in the world?
Owing to the university’s academic prowess UCL is ranked #801-1000 in QS World University Rankings 2023 according to the QS Top University World Ranking. Moreover, As per the THE Time’s Higher Education the University is placed 1001–1200th in the World University Rankings 2023.
Is the University of Central Lancashire public or private?
The University of Central Lancashire is one of the top public universities in Preston, United Kingdom.
University of Central Lancashire: Rankings, Courses & Admissions
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