The challenge to widen access, participation, progression and achievement is a central part of Lancaster’s mission.
Lancaster has long been the choice of bright students from diverse backgrounds who want to study at one of the UK’s best universities. Lancaster is consistently ranked in the top ten of UK University league tables and in the global 1 per cent.
Lancaster is distinctive among other universities in being both inclusive and research intensive. The University attracts many students of high quality and potential from state schools – in contrast to many of its Russell Group peers. Nine out of ten students at Lancaster are state educated, well above the benchmark for Russell Group universities, which on average is 60-75 per cent.
To achieve this, the University has supported students with a generous package of scholarships and bursaries and has delivered a comprehensive programme of outreach activity, as highlighted by The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) which published the outcomes of universities’ spending and progress on widening participation this week. Lancaster is also ahead of the benchmarks for universities for undergraduates who are black or from minority ethnic groups and from those students coming from low participation neighbourhoods.
An important measure of student success is the ultimate progression to work or further study. Lancaster has 93 per cent of graduates going into work or further study within six months – the highest proportion in the North West.
As one of the few collegiate universities in the UK, students are welcomed to one of eight distinctive undergraduate colleges on campus and one dedicated to postgraduate students. Colleges are independent of a student's field of study, making for a lively, welcoming and diverse community where it's easy to make new friends with students of many nationalities.
Support for students is an important component of removing barriers to effective study, preventing drop-out and maximising attainment. Lancaster has a particularly comprehensive student support network which gives every student two advisors to provide pastoral and academic support on a regular, one-to-one basis.