 Coat of arms | |
Former names | University of Central Lancashire, UCLan, Harris Art College, Preston Polytechnic, Lancashire Polytechnic |
|---|---|
| Motto | Latin:Ex solo ad solem |
Motto in English | "From the Earth to the Sun"[1] |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1828 (1828) - Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge 1992 - granted university status |
| Chancellor | Ranvir Singh |
| Vice-Chancellor | Graham Baldwin |
| Students | 25,300 (2023/24)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 17,525 (2023/24)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 7,775 (2023/24)[2] |
| Location | 53°45′47″N2°42′27″W / 53.7630°N 2.7074°W /53.7630; -2.7074 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colours | |
| Affiliations | MillionPlus Universities UK |
| Website | www |
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  Location in Preston city centre | |
TheUniversity of Lancashire is apublic university based in the city ofPreston,Lancashire, England. It has its roots inThe Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge, founded in 1828. Previously known as theUniversity of Central Lancashire,Harris Art College,Preston Polytechnic andLancashire Polytechnic, in 1992 it was granted university status by thePrivy Council. The university is the 19th largest in the UK in terms of student numbers.[3]
In December 2024, the university received approval from theOffice for Students to change its name to theUniversity of Lancashire, with the rebrand intended to come into effect by September 2025.[4][5]
The Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge was founded in 1828 byJoseph Livesey'sTemperance 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.[6]
The institute was housed in aclassical-revivalist building on Cannon Street, before eventually expanding under the endowment of a local lawyerEdmund 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 ofQueen Victoria'sDiamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the institute's trustees paid theVictorian/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. The foundation stone was laid in July 1895. 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 bySir 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 2012, the University of Lancashire announced a partnership with the BAE Systems, and four other north-western universities (Liverpool,Salford,Lancaster andManchester) in order to work on the Gamma Programme which aims to develop "autonomous systems". According to the University of Liverpool when referring to the programme, "autonomous systems are technology based solutions that replace humans in tasks that are mundane, dangerous and dirty, or detailed and precise, across sectors, including aerospace, nuclear, automotive and petrochemicals".[7]
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 sponsored the now-defunctWigan UTC, auniversity technical college which opened in September 2013.[8][9]
The university applied for permission to change its name to the University of Lancashire in January 2024.[10][4] 90% of respondents to the official consultation argued that the name change was confusing, particularly given the existence ofLancaster University. TheOffice for Students found that the change had "the potential to be confusing for particular groups" but ultimately approved it, citing a need to "protect the institutional autonomy of English higher education providers, and the need to encourage competition".[11]
The university is on an urban campus in Preston,[12] with sites inBurnley[13] and in Westlakes,West Cumbria (for Nursing and Medical programmes). A campus inCyprus opened in October 2012.[14]
The JB Firth building, named after forensic scientist James Brierly Firth,[15] was opened by the university in September 2011, at a cost of £12.5m. It houses the School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, which includes subjects such as chemistry andforensic science. The new building has a 4,000 m2 teaching area, which includes six laboratories.
In September 2019, the Engineering Innovation Centre opened.[16] The building contains several specialist labs and simulators, as well as teaching and exhibition space.[17]
In May 2018, the Oasis Faith and Spirituality Centre opened. The building consists of multiple faith rooms, counselling and event space as well as roof terrace. The multi faith centre replaced the existing one located on St. Peter's Court.[18]
The Student Centre and New Square opened in 2021. A new square was also built in front of the student centre. Both the new square and student centre were constructed partially on the existing Adelphi roundabout and on the land once occupied by the Fylde building.[19]
The university's Cyprus location is a branch campus of the University of Lancashire situated inPyla,Larnaka.[14] The campus opened in 2012 and is licensed and registered as a university inCyprus. It is the only British private university in Cyprus.[14] It accepts international students.
The campus is the first in Cyprus that has aMoot Court for use by the School of Law students.[14]
The university has students and researchers from over 100 countries and partnerships with 125 international institutions. The university has 98 professors, over 600 research or knowledge transfer-active members of staff, and 763 research students. There are 246 Honorary Fellows of the university.
The university has the following schools:
The University of Lancashire is the only university in the UK to run a feature film module. Results of this course includeThe Collaborators (2015), Audax (2014),[20] The Wedding (2013),[21] Wraith (2012),[22] Blue December (2011) and Needle In The Hay (2011).[23]
| National rankings | |
|---|---|
| Complete (2026)[24] | 86 |
| Guardian (2026)[25] | 98 |
| Times / Sunday Times (2026)[26] | 93 |
| Global rankings | |
| ARWU (2025)[27] | 901–1000 |
| QS (2026)[28] | 1001–1200 |
| THE (2026)[29] | 1001–1200 |
The University of Lancashire is in the top 7% of universities worldwide according to The Center for World University Rankings 2024 (CWUR).[30] The University of Lancashire is in the top 800 universities globally according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.[31]
In 2012 the university opened University of Lancashire Cyprus a €53 million branch campus inLarnaka,Cyprus.[32][33] It is the only private British university in Cyprus.[34]
University of Lancashire Cyprus offers bachelor's degrees in business administration, advertising and marketing communications, accounting and finance, hospitality and tourism management, computing, mathematics, English language studies, law, web design and development, sport and exercise science and psychology.[35] It offers master's degrees in business administration, business management, marketing management, education leadership, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) with applied linguistics, financial and commercial law, computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, sport & exercise science and forensic psychology.[14]
The nightclub and live music venue at the Students' Union, '53 Degrees', has two floors with a bar on each and occasionally hosts musical performers. Across two rooms, total capacities are 1,100 & 350 for club nights and 1,400 and 350 for all live gigs. The adjoining bar, 'Lampworks', is open seven days a week during term times. '53 Degrees' is no longer owned by the Students' Union however Freshers' Week events are still run in the venue.
There are over 35 sports clubs run by the students’ union. Many have block bookings at the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre and Sports Arena in term-time for training and matches. The sports clubs participate inBritish Universities and Colleges Sport competitions and have home and away fixtures.
The university outdoor sport facilities can be found at Sports Arena (USA) which is located two miles away and was opened in 2000 byThe Princess Royal. The £12 million[citation needed] arena provides facilities forrugby league,rugby union,football (five grass pitches),hockey (two floodlit all-weather pitches),netball, tennis (four floodlit courts), and cycling (1 mile (1.6 km) circuit), as well as an eight-lane athletics area, equipped for school, club, and county competitions.
The university's Motor Sports Engineering and Operations students run a motor racing team, UCLAN Racing.[36]
The Pulse was a student media brand at the Union. It consisted of a student newspaper which printed six times a year, and began in 1985 as theRibble Echo; Pulse Radio, founded in 1999 as Frequency Radio; and a TV station. The Pulse stopped broadcasting in 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, however efforts were taken in 2024 to relaunch the organisation.[37]
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