The University’s Admissions Policy summarises Lancaster University’s policy on undergraduate and postgraduate admissions to full-time and part-time degree programmes, including routes for feedback and complaints. Further information is available in the Admissions Policy and the Applicant Appeals, Complaints and Feedback Policy.
For Lancaster University Online students, you should refer to the information on this page in lieu of sections 1.1 and 8.1 of the policy.
With reference to section 7 of the policy, applications for Lancaster University Online programmes should be submitted using our Lancaster University Online application portal.
To find information about Lancaster University Online courses, you can use the University’s course searches.
The University has a Policy for the Admission of Students Under the Age of 18.
Other key admissions information is available in the ‘Your offer and next steps’ section below.
Your application
All applications are considered by a member of our admissions team. We will let you know our decision as soon as your application has been assessed.
Our decision
If you have been offered a place on your chosen programme you will receive an offer letter by email.
The offer letter will include information on your course of study, fees and deposits (if applicable), your start date, and any academic/non-academic conditions you need to satisfy. Please read the letter carefully, it will include all of the information needed to make your decision.
Your offer will be either Conditional or Unconditional:
- Conditional means that you have not yet met our academic, English language or any other entry requirements. Details of our offer conditions and how you can meet these requirements will be in the offer letter.
- Unconditional means that you meet all our academic, English language or other conditions.
Accepting your offer
You can accept the offer by signing and returning the Declaration of Intent and Statement of Acknowledgement forms outlined in your offer letter. The offer letter will include a deadline date for making a decision and if a deposit is required for your course you will need to pay this by the deadline provided.
You can accept your offer before you have met the conditions, you do not need to wait until your offer is unconditional.
We understand that deciding to study is a big commitment and we are happy to consider extending your deadline if places are still available. If you would like to extend your deadline, please contact us in advance of this date. If we have not heard from you by your deadline, we may withdraw your application.
Meeting your conditions
The deadline for meeting the conditions is in the offer letter, please let us know if you feel that you need longer. You will not be able to register for your programme if you still have outstanding conditions.
You should email us copies of your documents. Your documents will be checked and we will let you know if we need any additional information and when you have met all the conditions.
Offer conditions
You may have an offer from us that is conditional on more than one qualification, for example, you may need to complete your university studies and take an English language test. If you have met one of the conditions, but not all the conditions, please email any documents that you already have. For example, if you have achieved the required English language score, but you are still waiting for your degree results, please email your English language certificate now, and your degree results later. You do not have to meet all the conditions at the same time.
Academic conditions
Your transcript and certificate needs to be an official copy and if it is not in English you will also need to provide an official translation. Your transcript needs to state your name, the course studied, your marks for each subject, the dates you studied and confirmation that you have completed your studies.
English language conditions
If you need to sit an English Language test to meet the conditions of your offer, you should do this as soon as possible. There can be waiting lists for these tests at busy times of the year, so don’t leave it too late. When you have received your English language score you should email this to us as soon as possible.
Other conditions
If you have any other conditions to meet such as references, CV, etc. you should email these to us as soon as they are available.
Deposits
You will be required to pay a £1000 deposit to confirm your place on the programme.
After you sign and return your Declaration of Intent and Statement of Acknowledgement forms outlined in your offer letter, you will receive an email containing instructions for paying your deposit. You must pay your deposit in order to secure your place on the programme. This deposit will be applied to your first tuition payment. More information can be found on the Fees and Funding page.
Deposit Refunds
All deposit refund requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Approved refunds may be subject to an administrative charge to cover processing costs. Please see the Fees and Funding page for more information.
We are currently reviewing the Lancaster University Online Student Contract for the 2025/26 academic year. This will be made available in August 2025 ahead of student registration commencing.
Lancaster University uses third-party organisations to provide some of its information systems services for students. In some cases, this may involve sharing the minimum required personal data with these third parties to enable their provision of service to students. The Student Privacy Notice explains how the University will collect, use, disclose and protect your personal data.
The Student Protection Plan is intended to provide assurance to our current and future students and to the Office for Students that we have in place arrangements to protect the quality and continuation of study on your chosen programme of study.
Further guidance on your consumer rights as a student are on the Students' Consumer Rights webpage.
