University of Central Lancashire

The Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge was founded in 1828 by Joseph Livesey's Temperance Society. The society was born from a pledge made by seven Preston working men (whose names can be seen on a plaque in the university's library) to never again consume alcohol. The institute was housed in a classical-revivalist building on Cannon Street, before eventually expanding under the endowment of a local lawyer, Edmund Robert Harris, who died in 1877. The expansion brought with it several new buildings and houses in the nearby Regent Street were purchased and demolished as a consequence. The institute became a regional centre for the arts and sciences. As part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the institutes trustees paid the Victorian/Edwardian architect Henry Cheers to design the "Victoria Jubilee Technical School" (later known as the Harris Institute and now known as the Harris Building), to be built on Corporation Street. Its goal was to provide local youths with a technical education in all areas. The building was progressive for the period, being powered entirely by electricity. The institute existed in this state until 1932, when it changed its name to become the Harris Art College. It underwent further expansion and in 1952, and became the Harris College. In 1973, this became Preston Polytechnic, then the Lancashire Polytechnic in 1984. In 1992, full university status was awarded, and the University of Central Lancashire came into existence. The first chancellor of the university was Sir Francis Kennedy, and he was succeeded in 2001 by Sir Richard Evans. In 2016, Ranvir Singh became the new Chancellor of the University. The journalism division, now part of the School of Journalism and Media, is one of the oldest in the country, opening as part of the Harris College in 1962. In 1991, it became one of the first to teach journalism undergraduate degrees, with a strong emphasis on practical work. In 2013, the School of Dentistry and the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education merged to create the School of Medicine and Dentistry. The university sponsored the now-defunct Wigan UTC, a university technical college which opened in September 2013.Leading the way in modern learningToday we’re one of the UK’s largest universities with a staff and student community approaching 38,000. Our employment-focused course portfolio with over 350 undergraduate programmes, nearly 200+ postgraduate courses and rich array of CPD courses means we offer you the skills and experience that industry needs.​Building on last year's impressive rise of 27 places, we’ve climbed a further 5 places in the Complete University Guide 2021 and are now ranked 70th out of 130 institutions. And we’ve been ranked first for the money invested into student wellbeing services according to the 2020 Student Welfare League Table.We have been awarded Silver in the UK Government’s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Our TEF Silver rating is based on high quality teaching, excellent teaching facilities and the good careers that our graduates go on to discover.Our graduatesWe’ve always believed in helping people to seize every opportunity to flourish in education, at work and for life. Through the combination of academic excellence and real-world teaching, we inspire people to transform their lives by seizing opportunities and achieving things they never thought possible.Our graduates achieve outstanding results and are highly employable. Over 69% of our students graduate with a First or 2:1 while 95.5% of our graduates enter employment or further study within six months of graduating (​Higher Education Statistics Agency 2018). Discover what our talented graduates are doing now.A global UniversityOur community is made up of students from more than 100 countries around the world. And we are partnered with 123 institutions across the globe making us a truly international University.We are ranked in the top 7% of universities worldwide (Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22).Multi-campus UniversityWe started life in Preston and have since grown the number of our UK campuses. As well as Preston, we are also based in Burnley (East Lancashire) and Westlakes (West Cumbria). We were honoured to establish the first British University in Cyprus in 2012 having been granted an academic license by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture.Our ambitious Campus Masterplan vision is to create an attractive and inviting, world-class campus compatible with our status as one of the UK’s largest universities. A core principle of our plan is to integrate our campus seamlessly with the rest of the City, benefitting current and future generations of students, staff, visitors and the wider community.The university is on an urban campus in Preston; others in Burnley, Westlakes in West Cumbria (for nuclear and energy related research programmes) and a €53 million campus in Cyprus opened in October 2012. The university has students and researchers from over 100 countries and partnerships with 125 international institutions. It has a base in China's Shenzhen Virtual University Park, conducting collaborative research with some of China's leading universities into nanotechnology with applications in drug delivery, water purification and fire toxicity. Within the School of Language and Global Studies, staff speak 30 languages and represent 22 nationalities. UCLan has 98 professors, over 600 research or knowledge transfer-active members of staff, and 763 research students. There are 246 Honorary Fellows of the university.

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