Information for applicants from the USA

Undergraduate admissions

Students will usually apply to university in their final year of high school and all applications should be made through UCAS the centralised application portal used by all UK universities. You can apply for up to five programmes (which can be at up to five universities).

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

For advice regarding any other USA qualifications please contact ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk.

Applying from High School

Typically our offers are based on your High School Graduation Diploma with GPA 3.2 to 3.4 depending on the programme, plus three APs* with scores of 5,4,4 to 5,5,5 depending on the programme.

If you previously took SAT subjects tests we can consider these in place of AP scores at 700/650/650 to 700/700/700 depending on the programme.

For any degree with a specified subject requirement, we require an AP exam in this subject with a score of 4 or 5.

AP Calculus BC is always required where A-Level Mathematics is specified. For some programmes we will consider on a case-by-case basis a combination of Advanced Placement tests with the following qualifications:

• Honors or College-level class at B+ or better taken in Grade 11 or 12 (junior or senior year). This could be used to substitute one AP score.
• International Baccalaureate Higher Level Subjects at 6 or higher
• SAT II Subject Tests at 650 or higher

*New for 2023 - Pilot programme for Non-AP takers

Within the University, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is piloting a new scheme to offer a more flexible route to Lancaster for high-performing applicants who have not had the opportunity to take 3 AP exams. Programmes within the scheme will consider applicants substituting honors/college-level classes in place of the AP scores on a case-by-case basis.

We look for grades of A or B in honors/college-level programmes on your high school record. We would expect college-level programmes to be three units/credits or one semester in length and in an academic subject. As part of the application process, you may be asked for:

• Evidence of high school achievements to date
• Details of current studies and pending achievements
• A copy of curriculum for any honors/advanced or college-level classes
• A copy of your School Profile
• An example piece of written work and attend an online interview

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

Applying from college/university

For students transferring from a US university, we would look for a minimum of one year of study with a GPA of 3.2 - due to the difference in education system we may not be able to consider applications for Year 2 entry/ Advanced Standing. We will also consider applicants with an Associate Degree with a minimum GPA 3.0 to 3.2.

Graduate admissions

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

Applying with a degree from a US college or university

For entry to our Master's programmes, 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 programme pages for tuition fees as these vary depending on your choice of programme. 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 Loans (FAFSA).

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.