Information for applicants from the USA

Every year we welcome students from across the United States to join our diverse community in the city of Lancaster and on our vibrant campus.

Explore Lancaster

Our UK home is based on a parkland campus, just three miles from Lancaster city. It's the perfect environment to study and live in, and is a great base from which to explore the region and the UK as a whole.

Virtual tour

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Our degrees

We offer over 280 undergraduate degrees and a wide range of master's degrees and PhD opportunities.

Admissions

Tab Content: How to apply

Undergraduate application

All undergraduate applications to the UK should be made through the UCAS website using UCAS Hub.

As part of the application, you will need to enter your personal details, previous and current qualifications, an academic reference, and a personal statement. The UCAS website provides helpful tips and videos that explain in detail the information required for each section of the application.

Please include in the application details of any AP/Honors/advanced/college-level classes that you have already taken, are taking or plan to take before graduating high school.

You cannot upload documents to your UCAS application, but you can email any supporting documents to the admissions team. Make sure you include your UCAS Personal ID so we can match your documents to your application.

Graduate application

Applications for graduate degrees are made through our online application portal – there is detailed information explaining the process and the documents required on our Study pages.

Tab Content: Undergraduate requirements

Our admissions requirements depend on the degree you are interested in, some will require a portfolio or an interview. We’d recommend looking through our degree pages before you apply.

We will consider your application as a whole, which means we will review all aspects of your application, including your personal statement, academic reference, current and previous qualifications and the grades you achieved so far.

Once we receive your application, we may request some additional details or offer you the opportunity to attend an online interview.

Applying from High School

If you are studying the US high school curriculum or an accredited US high school diploma, our conditional offers are typically based on your High School Graduation Diploma with GPA 3.2 to 3.4, plus three APs with scores ranging between 5,4,4 to 5,5,5 depending on the degree and subject requirements.

If you haven’t taken AP exams, a number of our departments* would be happy to consider your application, just make sure you include as much detail as possible about any honours/advanced/college-level classes you have taken or plan to take within your UCAS application.

*The departments participating include Linguistics and English Language, English Literature and Creative Writing, History, Lancaster Institute of Creative Arts, Politics, Philosophy and Religion, and Economics.

Other qualifications

For advice regarding any other USA qualifications please contact ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk. The team are here to help you, so please get in touch if you need any additional information or support with the UCAS application process.

Tab Content: Graduate requirements

Applying with a degree from a US college or university

For entry to our master's degrees, we would require a Bachelor's degree at least four years in length with a GPA of 3.2/4.0.

Applying with a degree from another country

We have a list of qualifications for other countries on our Entry Requirements pages.

Fees and funding

You should check our degree pages for tuition fees as these vary depending on your choice of degree. In addition to our own scholarship offering, our students may be eligible for other funding opportunities, such as Chevening Scholarships, Fulbright Awards and US Federal Aid Loans (FAFSA) or private loans (Sallie Mae).

Why study in the UK?

There are some key differences between studying in the UK and the USA.

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Three-year bachelors

A standard undergraduate degree is completed in three years.

Library study space.

One-year master's

A standard master’s degree is completed in one year.

Students in a study space putting sticky notes on a glass wall

Specialisation

UK degrees usually allow for subject specialisation from day one.

Girl reading in her bedroom.

Tuition fees and living costs

Tuition fees and living costs in the UK are often lower than private or out-of-state alternatives in the USA.

Lancaster and the community

Lancaster is at the centre of the UK and surrounded by beauty - the Lake District, Morecambe Bay, and the Forest of Bowland are all within easy reach.

The city and beyond
Lancaster Castle
  • The city on your doorstep

    It's a short ride from campus into the heart of historic Lancaster – a city full of character and culture.

  • Our campus

    Come to Lancaster and find your place. From the facilities you need on campus, to the historic city on your doorstep, Lancaster is made for learning.

  • Our colleges

    We have eight colleges for bachelor's students and one for graduate students. These become a hub for studying and socialising, as well as a place that offers support when you need it.

  • Student societies

    The Students' Union has over 170 student societies, from arts and culture to academics and charities. There are groups for anime, baking, Dr Who, circus skills, Pokémon and much more. And, if there isn't something for you, you can set one up.

  • Sports teams

    We've got a wide range of sports teams and groups, along with excellent sports and fitness facilities. Each year we also take part in 'Roses', a large, multi-sport varsity competition. It's one of the highlights of the Lancaster year!

  • Alumni networks

    Being part of the Lancaster community means being part of a global network for life. Our alumni receive special benefits and we have regional groups all over the world.

Emma Donovan Page

Realising Emma's ambitions

Coming from the USA, Emma Page studied an MA in Translation (French and Spanish) at Lancaster. Since graduating, she’s achieved her dream of having a book-length translation published. 

"Thanks to the placement I did at a translation agency during the spring term, I was well-prepared to start freelancing as soon as I graduated. We also had a course on computer-assisted translation tools that was really useful, as modern translation software is fairly complicated and can be intimidating to learn without help. 

"My literary translation career has also been successful thanks to my time at Lancaster. I used one of the translations I completed for my final project as a sample to send to publishers, which led me to sign a contract to translate the whole book. My translation of Wandering Memory (Mémoire Errante) by Jan J. Dominique was published by University of Virginia Press in March 2021. Having a published book-length translation is was a life-long dream of mine, so this is really exciting!"

Connect with us

It’s hard to research universities when you can’t visit in person. But we have lots of ways you can connect with us, from webinars and email updates to social media and chats with current students.

Connect with Lancaster
Kirsten Mingins

Get in touch

If you have any questions about studying at Lancaster or life as a student here, our friendly recruitment team are on hand to help and answer your questions. Alongside the various ways you can connect with us online, Kirsten Mingins (Regional Manager, USA) also makes visits to the US throughout the year.

Get in touch