Fees and Accommodation
Financial Support and Fees
When you apply, you will need to indicate your likely source of financial support during your studies. You should therefore investigate possible sources of finance as soon as you can. See funding opportunities for details of current scholarships and bursaries available in the department. Many students have been supported by their employing institutions. Several overseas students have received scholarships from the British Council or the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Some British students have received grants from the Overseas Development Administration, the British Academy, the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) or local education authorities. If you are from an overseas country you should, where possible, contact your local British Council office concerning the procedure for applying for relevant awards. A high proportion of students in the past have supported themselves from personal savings or from loans.
Details of fees and charges for residence on the university campus are usually finalised in February for the following academic year. For details of fees see http://www.lancs.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-fees-and-funding/
If you are applying for the MPhil or PhD, it is very strongly recommended that you seek possible sources of financial support for the full period of your study. A local library or institution of higher education, or the British Council should be able to advise you on the addresses of the various bodies that offer grants and scholarships for research study. You will need to be able to find out the application procedures for such awards and the likely closing dates by which your application should be submitted. It is important that you devote time to this now because we sometimes have to reject worthy applicants because there is doubt about financial support during their period of study.
Accommodation During your Studies
As the Department cannot be responsible for your accommodation while you are studying with us, please see the University’s Postgraduate Prospectus for advice on the alternatives available to you. You can obtain a copy of the Postgraduate Prospectus from:
Graduate Studies Office
University House
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YW
New students are usually guaranteed accommodation on the university campus for their first year of study.
Once you have been offered a place, and if you have firmly accepted an offer, the university will send you an application form for on-campus accommodation. If you have not received this form by late August of your year of entry - and assuming you have written to the Graduate Studies Office before this time - write at once to the Residence Officer (see address above). Details of off-campus accommodation are also available from
LUSU Housing Office
Slaidburn House
Edward Roberts Court
Tower Avenue
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YA
UK
Telephone from overseas: +44 1524 592170
Telephone within UK: 01524 592170
Fax: 44 1524 846732 or 01524 592170
E-mail: housing.office@lancaster.ac.uk
Web: http://housing.lusu.co.uk/
Whether you intend to study full-time or part-time, you will need to make your accommodation arrangements well before you arrive in Lancaster. The campus accommodation at Lancaster is in great demand, and, since Lancaster is a small university city, available rented accommodation in the city is also scarce. If you come from overseas and you notify residential services of your particular requirements in good time, you are entitled to campus accommodation for your first year. You are most likely to get the kind of accommodation you seek if your period of time with us coincides with the university’s academic terms and especially if you are at Lancaster from October to September each year.
If you plan to study with us on a part-time basis, finding accommodation can be more difficult. As noted above, part-time researchers are normally expected to be in Lancaster for more intensive periods of work and contact with supervisors during each year of study. You are strongly advised to agree a mutually convenient period of residence in Lancaster with your supervisor each year and you should try to make this time coincide with periods when accommodation is likely to be available. If you come in mid-term for shorter periods than a term, you are likely to find it more difficult to find accommodation. Whatever your plans, once you have been offered a place to study with us and you have a clear idea of your likely period (or periods) of residence, you will need (i) to agree this time with your supervisor, and (ii) to obtain a firm offer of accommodation through one or other of the two university offices referred to above.