What is a placement?

A placement is a period of professional-level work experience that is, typically 10 to 12 months long and forms part of your overall degree.

Here in LUMS, our degrees with a placement year take four years and you will complete your placement in your third year.

A placement year offers you a perfect opportunity to ‘trial’ both a job and organisation before you make a permanent commitment. It gives you the opportunity to become familiar with a certain kind of company and decide for yourself if this suits your own career goals. It is also important to note that many employers use placement opportunities to recruit into their graduate positions, with 42% of placement students returning to their placement provider after their final year of study. (Institute of Student Employers 2017).

Research shows that students who completed a placement year received a higher overall degree grade because they have a more enhanced skill set and proven commitment to completing work to strict timelines.

How to get a placement

It is your responsibility as a student to secure your own work placement; however, our Placements and Internships Team and wider Careers Team in LUMS are here to support you through the entire experience. We will regularly update you on interesting placement positions through our social media and weekly newsletters.

While you are applying to positions during the second year of your degree, you will be supported by the Placements and Internships Team and have access to a variety of bespoke events and professional guidance.

Support from the Placements and Internships team

Our dedicated Placements and Internships team offers support through every year of your degree.

Year one

• 'Preparation for Placement' module
• Insight from fourth-year placement students, alumni and employers
• Mock interview and assessment centre

Year two

• Regular placements newsletter promoting opportunities, including exclusive opportunities created especially for LUMS students
• Workshops and bespoke events, including Placement Peer Panels, networking and skills workshops
• One-to-one guidance appointments and drop-in sessions.
• Employability module focused on helping you assess your skills and career development

Year three

• Continuous support and monitoring from our Placements and Internships Team while you are on placement

Year four

• Celebration event as you return to the University
• The flagship Placement Student of the Year awards, judged by a panel of employers and industry experts

Where can I do my placement?

The LUMS Careers Team are here to help you connect with some of the world's most renowned companies in the world and with small to medium enterprises which are interested in recruiting our students.

Our students have recently completed placements at L’Oreal, IBM, Body Shop, The Walt Disney Company, Deloitte, Unilever, Intel, Renault, Tesco, Rolls Royce, Aldi, EY, M&S, Morgan Stanley, GE Capital, Johnson and Johnson, Peugeot, Adobe, and Lloyds Banking Group.

You are also encouraged to create your own opportunity with support from our team. Past students have created placement opportunities for themselves in charities, hospitality, education, and retail industries.

How much does a placement year pay?

The average placement salary in 2021/22 was £21,000. The pay received by placement students varies and is very much dependent on the sector, organisation and role which you are recruited into. At Lancaster University, we are committed to only promoting paid placements to our students.

Placement year fees

For the year in which you are on placement, you will be required to pay 20% of your annual tuition fee. This ensures you remain a student throughout the year and have access to all the resources and support of the university.

You are entitled to apply for student loans as in any other year and will also continue to receive any bursary you have been awarded.

Related content

• LUMS Careers service
• Why Lancaster? Careers and employability information

Current student? Visit Careers Connect where you can book events about LUMS placements and appointments with careers advisors.