Set within 250 acres of beautiful parkland, Lancaster University offers a safe, lively and friendly campus environment. This page provides details on a number of important practical issues and offer key information about the benefits of coming to Lancaster:
- Over 1500 international students representing 110 different nationalities
- 53% of postgraduates and 14% of undergraduates are from outside of the UK
- Easily accessible by air, road and rail with direct links to all major UK cities
- Low cost of living
- A great social life without the impersonality of a large city
- Excellent atmosphere for academic achievement
- The University
- Housing
- City and Region
- Climate
- Important Dates
- Location and Arrival in the UK
- Immigration and Visas
- Health care and Student Support
The University
The campus offers a community environment providing a wide range of facilities for international students. All your daily needs are catered for, from health care to hairdressing!
- Comprehensive library collection
- *Wide range of food shops and restaurants – catering to every taste
- Bars and coffee shops
- Banks and post office
- Academic bookshop
- **Healthcare facilities
- Childcare Day Centre
- Supermarket
- Travel agent
- Theatre, art gallery and concert hall
- Multi faith Chaplaincy Centre, Muslim Prayer room
- Dedicated International Student Advisor
*including vegetarian and halal foods
** EEA & International students studying in the UK for longer than 6 months may register for free treatment (exc. dental care)
A virtual Tour of the campus available at Virtual campus Tour and watch videos about life at Lancaster at Video downloads
Housing
Significant investment has been made to provide students with high quality, well equipped and comfortable accommodation. Set within the campus environment, you are never more than a few minutes away from academic and social activities.
- We guarantee students on-campus, single accommodation for their first year, subject to the application form being submitted by the 15th August.
- Internet and telephone access in every room
- En-suite facilities available in most rooms
- Shared and en-suite kitchen facilities available
- Dedicated areas (colleges) for postgraduate and undergraduate students
Further details on Lancaster’s accommodation can be found in the web pages of the
College and Residence office
The city and region
The historic city of Lancaster is just ten minutes by bus from the University. It is a friendly, bustling city which has all the amenities of a large city without having lost its charm and character.
With a population of 50,000 (within a district population of 130,000) the city has plenty to offer in the way of entertainment. The Duke's Playhouse is home to a professional repertory company and regularly presents films and live theatre throughout the year, including outdoor productions during the summer season in Williamson Park. There is a commercial cinema, nightclubs, including the Students' Union nightclub ('The Sugarhouse') a variety of restaurants and eating places - and numerous pubs in and around the city centre.
For a change of atmosphere, the large metropoli of Manchester and Liverpool are within easy reach and Lancaster’s location offers the opportunity of taking advantage of big city attractions without having to worry about the insecurity of living in such places.
The following link offers further information about Lancaster and its many facilities and tourist attractions:
back to topThe climate
The famous UK weather is unpredictable – that’s why we like to talk about it so much! There are four distinct seasons and each has its benefits and drawbacks. You will most probably arrive in September or October when average temperatures will be around 10 degrees Celsius (50 F). In the Winter this is likely to fall to close to 0 degrees C (32 F) and then rise again through the Spring and Summer. June, July and August have average temperatures in the mid 20’s Celsius and frequently higher (70 to 80 F).
One thing is for certain – Weather in the UK is changeable! Rain is fairly common at all times of the year so a waterproof jacket is always useful.
In general the UK benefits from a climate which is comfortable – not too cold in the Winter and not too hot in the Summer. Maybe it will become your favourite topic of conversation too?!
The BBC has an excellent website with up-to-date weather information:
Important dates
Lancaster’s academic year is divided into three terms. The dates for the current academic year can be found at Term Dates . The corresponding admissions offices will let you know when you should aim to be arriving at the University once your place has been confirmed. This is normally about one week before the first day of the Michaelmas term but may well be different for research (PhD) students, depending on the beginning of your programme.
Location & arrival in the UK
If you are flying to the UK, we strongly recommend you should arrive at Manchester’s International Airport which is within easy reach of the University by train and taxi. The University also runs special buses from the airport to the campus at the beginning of each academic year. Information about this pick-up service will be provided to you in the pre-arrival information guide produced by the University’s Student Services.
Lancaster is also on the main West Coast train line with direct connections to Euston station in London (approximately 3 hours). The train station is a 15 minute taxi ride away.
Further information about location and maps of the local area can found in our
maps and travel section.
Immigration and visas
It is vital that you obtain the necessary immigration documentation before travelling to the UK.
As a general guideline you will need the following documents ready to present to the UK immigration official on arrival:
- A current and valid passport
- A letter of acceptance from the University
- The relevant visa required by the UK Border Agency please see the link below
For frenquently asked questions please visit the International Student Advisory Service pages
The official University representative dealing with the immigration enquiries from international students is Kirsty Ibbitson, the International Student Adviser. She is a member of International Student Advisory Services
Health care and student support
One of Lancaster’s strengths is the support offered to students on a wide number of levels. While you study at Lancaster, you will be a member of one of nine Colleges. These Colleges offer a more personal and direct support mechanism rather than being just a member of the larger University’s student population. There will be people to help you settle in to your accommodation, resolve any problems you may have, provide counselling where necessary and make sure that your time at Lancaster is as comfortable and happy as possible. You will also have an academic and personal tutor and have access to the Student Union facilities that are there to represent your rights as a student.
The University’s Student Based Services coordinate orientation activities, welfare and immigration advice and they will be happy to talk to you whenever you need to. They are located on A floor of the University’s central administration building and their web page is: Student Services
The National Health Service (NHS) offers free medical treatment for students who are studying on a course lasting more than six months. You will be told how to register for this support as part of your orientation.
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