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Lancaster University
TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Lancaster University
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| Established: | 1964 | |
| Location: | Lancaster, UK | |
| Address: | Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster. UK | |
| Telephone: | +44 (0) 1524 65201 | |
| Website: | www.lancs.ac.uk | |
| SU/Guild website: | http://www.lusu.co.uk/ | |
| UCAS Code: | L14 | |
| Type: | Campus/Collegiate | |
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| Total students: | 17,415 | |
| Undergrad: | 13,810 | |
| Postgrad: | 3,610 | |
| Part-time: | 1,200 | |
| International: | 8% | |
| Mature: | 8% | |
| Male:female | 47:53 | |
| Staff: | ||
| Typical offers: | 260-360 | |
| Applicants per place: | 5 | |
Lancaster is located in Lancashire in north west England.
Contents |
Facilities
Lancaster University is situated in a self-contained campus about 3 miles outside of the city of Lancaster itself. The university consists of 9 individual colleges, and four faculties. The official prospectus is available here.
Collegiate Pastoral System
Lancaster University is based on a collegiate system and has 8 undergraduate colleges. The colleges provide a friendly and relaxed environment and pastoral framework outside of the academic faculty that you are studying in. This means that students typically have two main "university families" - their college and their course/ faculty.
The 8 undergraduate colleges are:
And the postgraduate college:
Libraries
The main campus library is situated just off Alexandra Square. It's a big place and it's easy to get lost whether you are new to the place or not!
As a student at the university you are issued with a library card at the start of your degree. This becomes your student identity at the university and will be required for access into certain buildings on campus. With your card you are allowed to take out upto 15 books and DVD's at a time, use photocopying facilities and top-up your print credit, for use of the printers in the library and computer labs around campus.
The library itself has 3 floors, divided into zones A, B and C, which are then sub-divided into blue, green, red, purple, and yellow zones. Maps can be found in various places in the library with each section being well signposted and labelled. Subject librarians are available to help you find particular books or journals that can be used for research and essays.
To find books yourself you use the online Library Catalogue, which details all the journals and books within the library as well as provides many online e-books and access to online journals both on and off campus. You can also keep track of your library account which informs you of your current loans, allows you to request books on hold and also lets you know of those pesky fines. Books can be checked out using the electronic systems located at various points around the library, they are really simple and easy to use.
There are reference books that are not allowed to be taken out of the library but most books can be taken out and for different lengths of time:
• ‘long loan' allows you to keep a book for 4 weeks
• 'popular loan' allows you to keep a book for 1 week
• 'short loan' allows you to keep a book for 24 hours
• 'bookable loan' which allows you to keep a book for 3 hours
Short loan and bookable loans can be found on the bottom floor of the library in the High Demand section and are usually course specific books which are likely to be in high demand. If you keep either of these types of loan for longer than you are supposed to you will have to pay a fine of £1 for every hour you are late. So make sure you know when these are due back.
Other than the academic resources there are loads of working spaces. On each floor there are computer bays and a ridiculous amount of desks and chairs for you to work at. There are individual booths which are great for concentration and revision time as well as the John Welkes study room which consists of lots of individual desks and chairs - this one fills up quickly around exam time so get there early! There are also several discussion rooms which can be used for group work where talking is required and lots of plush chairs in the foyer which are great for reading when you have time to kill between lectures. The library is currently undergoing renovation and the top floor is equipped with a modern space with sofas for reading as well as ultra sleek and modern working spaces.
Wifi is available in the library and there are power points for students to bring their own laptops.
As you go into the library there is a eating/drinking room to the left. This place gets busy during lunchtimes especially during winter when students come in to shelter from the cold and eat their lunch! Near the door is the help desk, if you've got any problems/enquiries they are there to assist with whatever help you may require.
Library opening hours are available here.
Learning Zone
Aside from the library, the Learning Zone can be found on the opposite side of the main square (Alexandra Square) on campus. The Learning Zone is a 24 hour facility open 365 days of the year that is both secure and comfortable to work in. Unlike the library the Learning Zone offers a more relaxed environment exclusively for students. Inside, it is a large, light, open air environment with a number of tables and chairs, sofas and bean bags along with 9 individual rooms, called Pods. The pods play host to a range of facilities such as touchscreen rooms, a beanbag room and even an official boardroom complete with glass panel and TV screen. Pods can be booked online for free, using the booking facility on the university website, and are great for group work as well as individual study.
The Learning Zone has complete wifi coverage with laptops and iPads available for hire throughout the day with your library card. There are also iMacs and printing facilities. The Information Systems Services (ISS) which provides a range of IT services and facilities for the university has a staffed desk located inside the Learning Zone during normal business hours, Monday - Friday.
Unlike the library, eating and drinking is permitted within the learning zone and you will find a vending machine stocking a selection of drinks and snacks at reasonable prices. The main doors are locked at 6pm each night and then access is provided through secure doors which require your library card on entry. This 24 hour facility is a great place to pull an all-nighter, just make sure you've stocked up on plenty of food before the shops on campus shut!!
IT and Computing
As briefly highlighted above, computer support is available from the ISS Service Desk on a regular basis. Computer issues not related to the university services including Health Checkups and virus removal can get support from "The Workshop" which is operated by ISS. Most of campus is equipped with good quality wifi coverage, lots of computers to logon to use and great printing facilities. There is a professional print-shop and bindery on campus, and a small peripherals shop for ink, components etc.
If you are living on campus, access to ResNet is included in your accommodation payments and features high-speed access. The entire campus is geared up for laptops, smartphone access and other general-use wifi requirements - though not in the residential spaces that predominantly rely on cabled LAN.
Sports
Lancaster has a lot of inter-college sports alongside more formalised teams that compete with other universities, and the Students' Union has about 36 sports clubs. There's everything from football to darts to ultimate frisbee and if there's no sport for you, establish your own club! Every year Lancaster competes with York University in the Roses tournament which is always a great event (Lancaster won in 2010 =P). The tournament alternates venues and the host university choose what each sport is worth in points; whenever it's in York top points are for rowing and badminton etc. A great sport to get involved in while you're at Lancaster is AeroBall - which is almost a cross between trampolining and volleyball!
Healthcare
- Access To Doctors
There is a health centre on campus, which is a part of a surgery in Lancaster city centre. Here you can see a doctor, by appointment only (and only once you have joined the practice) between 8.30am and 6pm. There clear benefit for seeing the doctor rather than the nurse is that the doctors can give you a prescription. That said, both are available for basic medical care and advice. The practice's website is available here.
- Private Dental Surgery
There is a private Denplan accredited dental surgery on campus, which is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. NHS Services are only available by ringing Lancaster PCT, where you will be placed on a waiting list, except in an emergency where you will be referred to an NHS Dentist ASAP.
- Pharmacy
There is a pharmacy which is open 11am till 1pm and 2pm till 6pm each weekday during term time. This is located quite a distance from the health centre, behind Bailrigg House and is best accessed (if coming from the health centre) by walking along the perimeter road towards the North Drive. They often have HC1 forms available and offer a range of general items, varying from plasters to dental floss.
Restaurants & Food Outlets
[Roughly north campus to south.]
- County Diner (AMAZING and CHEAP breakfast!) - County College
- Cafe 2010 - County College - used for catered accommodation.
- Café (Coffee & Light Snacks) - Centre for Advanced Studies
- Bowland Bar (Coffee and light snacks) - Bowland College
- Wallings Ice Cream - Alexandra Square
- Gregg's Bakery (Sandwiches, Baked Goods) - Alexendra Square
- Diggles Coffee Shop (Counter Hot Food & Milkshakes) - Edward Roberts Court
- The Sultan (Takeaway/Indian snacks) - Edward Roberts Court
- Venue (Coffee) - Central Spine
- Pizzeta Republic (Pizza, Burgers, Chicken, Sandwiches & Coffee) - Central Spine
- Uni Chippi (Fish and Chip Shop) - Central Spine
- Fylde Coffee Shop (Coffee, Paninis, Sandwiches etc) - Flyde College
- Hub Café (Coffee & Light Snacks) - Management School
- Wongs Kitchen (Chinese) - George Fox Building
- Grizedale Bar (Mezze, Panini's, Snacks) - South Spine
- Wibbly Wobbly Burger Bar - South Spine
- Infolab Café (Coffee & Light Snacks) -Infolab
- Barker House Farm (Pub Food & Sunday Roast) - Cartmel College
- There are some high-quality restaurants in the Lancaster House Hotel, adjacent to the Campus.
Grocery Stores
- Spar Mini Supermarket - Edward Roberts Court
- LUSU Central - South Spine
- LUSU Shop (Lunch snacks, hot drinks, soup) - Edward Roberts Court
- Newsagents (Snacks, Sweets, Drinks, Magazines) - Alexandra Square
Banks and Services
- There are three banks on campus, Barclays, Natwest and Santander. They are both located in Alexandra Square and have 5 ATMs between them. Other ATMs are located by the old Sports Centre, Cartmel College and inside LUSU Central.
- Post Office - Edward Roberts Court
- Hairdressers - Alexandra Square
- An on-site travel agent exists in Alexandra Square. This is an STA Travel site and you can also purchase train tickets here.
Shops
- Blackwells Bookshop - Alexandra Square
- Charity Shop - Edward Roberts Court
- Fancy dress can be bought in the Newsagent on Alexandra Square
- Cell-IT - Computer components store - Central Spine
- LUSU Shop - Lancaster University memorabilia, stationery - Edward Roberts Court
Transport
There is a regular bus service to Lancaster University from the town (journey is approximately 20 minutes, give or take). Bus numbers X1, 2, 2A, 3 and 4 all go to the uni and arrive and depart at the underpass. Some services (3 and 4) go to southwest campus - serving Grizedale, Pendle, Cartmel, Lonsdale, Furness, Fylde and Graduate Colleges. The X1 doesn't go to the bus station but the train station instead.
The 3 is the fastest bus from the campus to the town centre. Timetables are available here. Details can also be found on the site for the "UniRider" bus passes, which are sold in termly or annual increments. Without a bus pass, the cost of a return trip from the campus to the town centre is £2.30. A single ticket is £1.60. There are also night buses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. These cost the same as during the day but are less frequent. They follow the route the 3 takes.
Part-time Work
Students looking for a part-time job can join up to the university's very own "Job shop". Basically all you have to do is sign up, choose your preferences (e.g. evening/weekend work, type of sector etc.) and you'll be notified of suitable matches via email.
Some jobs are available at the student union including working in the Sugarhouse nightclub or on-campus shop etc. Ad-hoc, on-campus work is normally available as a tour-guide or representative.
Students can also make money from participating in psychologocial studies, posters/notices can normally be found around campus on the psychology department notice board. Occasionally you may receive emails requesting your help with student studies etc.
The local town has many high street stores offering jobs. However the job market in Lancaster is not particularly good and finding a job may be difficult. The best thing to do is look in shop windows, look on the jobcentreplus website or in the local newspapers for vacancies.
Religious Facilities
The Chaplaincy Centre is located near the entrance to campus. This has a Catholic Chapel and an Anglican/Free Worship chapel inside it. There are often different religious events/meetings at the Chaplaincy Centre and there's a large room with comfy chairs where you can just sit and chat/do work. There's also a special Prayer Room for meditation, worship or reflection.
There is also an Islamic Prayer Room, with separate facilitates for men and women, on the perimeter road.
There are also lots of religious societies on campus- check out the link to Lancaster's Societies in the Societies section.
Lancaster Discussions
| Latest relevant discussions | Last post/replies |
|---|---|
| Official Thread: Lancaster University Firmers 2013 |  3 Hours Ago Replies: 483 |
| Lancaster University Scholarship & Bursary 2013 |  4 Hours Ago Replies: 19 |
| Join Furness College |  6 Hours Ago Replies: 6 |
| Got a couple questions for students at lancaster :p | 8 Hours Ago Replies: 10 |
| Minor choices and prospects | 9 Hours Ago Replies: 6 |
| Official Thread: Lancaster University Applicants 2013 | 3 Days Ago Replies: 793 |
| Go to Lancaster University forum Post new thread | |
Social
Bars, Pubs and clubs
On campus there are a grand total of NINE bars! Yes, one for every college. So you are pretty much spoilt for choice.
In town there is a student or student friendly night on every single night of the week, considering Lancasters size you will be spoilt for choice! You've got the Sugarhouse nightclub which is run by the student union. This is the biggest club in town and the prices are student friendly and the music is varied. Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays, free busses run from the university 10, 11 and 11:30, and pick up students from sugar at 1am until about 4am. Be warned, they don't like it when you try get on with your cheesy chips and kebab so try get it down before trying to get on. Elements', another nightclub, is located just infront of the Sugarhouse. They play more chart music/r'n'b and dance, not so much alternative music. Lost is directly next to Elements and is a much smaller place. Revolution (Revs) is the place to go if you're a fan of Vodka and/or shots. Hustle is your typical crap nightclub, cheesy music and flashy lights and the legendary "48 shot challenge"...self explanatory! If you're a fan of cocktails, there's a really nice and fairly new cocktail bar called Mint. Lounge is another small club/bar which is a relatively new venue.
If you'd rather visit one of the local pubs, there are some great ones around, e.g. The Waterwitch which is famous for its cheese board and the White Cross, and also the Gatehouse- these three are all by the canal. More central to town there are two Wetherspoons (one at the top of town near New Look bus stop and one at the bottom near the bus station) and then you've got pubs in town like the Pendle Witch, the Litten Tree and many others.
Events
There are various events going on throughout term time, some of which are centrally organised but much of which are college based.
The Student Union hosts events at the SU nightclub in Lancaster - The Sugarhouse - including guest DJs and recently, "Friday Fury" which was a university-wide event incorporating all the college bars and the Sugarhouse itself.
Other non-college based events are put on by various societies, particularly the theatre group who stage plays quite frequently (most recently, they staged "1984").
College-based events are organised by the elected JCRs. Furness College [as an example] host a Monday night event called "Twist" (it is a combined event each week with Grizedale and Cartmel and a nightclub in the city called "Revolution") along with other events throughout the week.
At the north end of campus the University houses Live at LICA which programmes professional touring theatre, dance, music and art within the Great Hall complex. Live at LICA events run during the term time and are open to all students (regardless of subject of study), the staff and the general public. Alongside it's professional touring programme Live at LICA also plays host to various student productions from the theatre group society to the university's music society.
Clubs and societies
Like any university, Lancaster offers a wide range of clubs and societies to join. Joining a society is a great way to meet like-minded individuals and make friends.
Some more unusual societies include skydiving (freefall), role playing, American football and fencing. There is bound to be something that takes your fancy!
For a full list see here
Accommodation
Accommodation policy
You are guaranteed a room on campus if you are in your first year and apply by the deadline. They try to accommodate people for the remaining years of their degree, but this isn't guaranteed. There is often a good chance of staying in university managed accommodation, if you wish, as there is Chancellor's Wharf in the city which is for all non-first year students. However, even if you do not live in university owned accommodation, you can go through LUSU Housing, which owns various properties in the city.
If you are an international student, you are guaranteed accommodation throughout your degree.
Facilities
Computing facilities are available 24 hours a day in the ISS (Information Systems Services) run labs. All on campus rooms have 100Mbps connections to the residence network (Resnet) which has many outside services to things like Xbox live, many games, instant messengers and various other things - obviously web and email are fully supported. Video chat currently is best described as patchy. Multicast TV/radio services are available such as those provided by the BBC (google for BBC multicast).
Residences
When you join a college, you are given the option of taking up one of the college residences on campus. In other words, if you are in Fylde College, you have the option of one type of room (ensuite) whereas if you are a member of County College you have a wider choice including townhouses, standard and ensuite.
You are guaranteed a room on campus if you are an international student or a first year who applies by the deadline. They are quite good at offering accommodation for later years but this is not guaranteed. This means you could live on campus for all three years, although this should not be seen as a definite.
Most campus lets are 40 weeks, taking you from the end of September through to the end of June (including the holidays). There are some lets that are slightly shorter, as they do not include the Easter holiday.
Bowland: Offers some of the oldest residences on campus, which is why they are usually a £1 or so cheaper each week. The range includes standard and ensuite.
Cartmel: Located in the relatively new south-west campus, offering ensuite rooms.
County: The biggest college and thus dominates much of the north side of campus. The range includes newly opened townhouses (12 single study bedrooms over three floors, with one bathroom between every two. The ground floor features kitchen and living space), ensuite and recently refurbished standard accommodation (these are more expensive than the standard rooms offered elsewhere).
Fylde: Located at the heart of campus, offering ensuite rooms in blocks built in the last 5 years.
Furness: At the heart of campus offering ensuite rooms in newly built blocks and standard rooms in blocks built in 1992.
Grizedale: Offers a range including townhouses, ensuite and standard rooms. Currently having massive amounts of building work carried out.
Lonsdale: Located in the relatively new south-west campus, offering ensuite rooms.
Pendle: Spread out over the south spine and south-west campus. Offers ensuite, standard and self-contained studio rooms.
Graduate: The original college for the south-west campus. Offers a wide range of accommodation including en suites, studios and houses. Some buildings being refurbished over the summer of 2010. 51 week lets available, en suites are cheaper than the undergraduate ones and most are less than five years old.
Private sector
LUSU Housing: This is a company operating through the Student Union to provide housing in the city. They have houses with three plus bedrooms and the rent is similar to campus (roughly about £70 a week including bills). These houses are managed by LUSU so you have direct access to them should things go wrong. Link
Yellow Door Lets This is a major letting agency in the city, whose houses all have a yellow door (hence the name). The prices are similar to LUSU Housing. Link
Other There are lots of independent landlords in the city, some of which offer some very good deals Link. Make sure they are accredited landlords and that any promises they make are written into the contract. Be sure that you are clued up on the requirements as some, less than recommended, landlords will try to convince you that they need not be accredited etc - don't be fobbed off!
Student union
Prices
LUSU (Lancaster University Students Union), have a huge presence on campus and have a shop next door to Spar at the side of Alex Square. The shop stocks stationary, sandwiches, drinks, food, uni clothing and memorabilia.
Price List Pens from 25p Notepads from 65p Postcards from 15p University Hoodie = £25
Full price list available at: http://shop.lusu.co.uk/index.html
Environment
Architecture
Campus There is a range of architecture styles on campus. The centre of campus is in a 1960s design (although many of the interiors have been refurbished and brought up to date) which isn't to everyone's taste but it is surrounded by cultivated flower beds and water features. The more recent additions to campus are ultra modern - glass and steel type buildings.
The City Located three miles away from campus (the distance filled with countryside and the quiet suburbs), it is a historic centre which is reflected in the beautiful Georgian architecture.
Local area
Lancaster University is situated just outside the City of Lancaster. Although named a City, Lancaster is infact more like a town. It has City status due to the presence of a Castle and a Cathedral.
Lancaster is a few miles from Morecambe, a relatively quiet seaside down. The sea front are of Morecambe is somewhat rundown, however they are currently redeveloping the area. It is home to an indoor market, a reasonable selection of high street shops and some lovely coastal walks. Near Morecambe is also the village/small town of Heysham. There's not much to do, but there's a nice little beach cove spot next to a pretty church and there's a really cool playground! Both are accessible on a direct bus from campus, with a day ticket currently costing £4.30.
Lancaster is surrounded by fields and countryside, there are plenty of places to take a stroll or have a summer picnic (if it ever stops raining, of course :p) The canal, which can be joined at various points between Lancaster and Galgate, offers a flat but interesting place to walk, and can be followed to Glasson Dock or Garstang.
Another tourist attraction is the Ashton Memorial, based in Williamson Park at the highest point of Lancaster- another nice place to have a picnic if it's not raining!
Further up the coast from Morecambe, you come to Bolton-le-Sands and Carnforth (where Brief Encounter was filmed). Both are easily accessible by bus or along the Lancaster coastway (good for cycling and walking along).
A bit further up North (about half an hour or so on the motorway, give or take) and you're in the beautiful Lake District, which you can get to by train and is a really nice day out- try the chocolate shop in Ambleside or the gingerbread shop in Grasmere- and there are also loads of lovely walks to go on.
From campus, you can also get a direct bus to Garstang. This lovely town holds regular specialist markets and is host to some wonderful, quirky shops. The buses continue onto Blackpool - the wonderful, if a little tacky, seaside town - or Preston. Currently, it costs just over £6 for a day ticket along these routes, which makes them a cheap and convenient option for a day out.
Teaching quality
Applying to Lancaster
Thinking of applying to Lancaster? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?
