OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
I've been at Uclan for almost six years now, and athough it's not the nicest, or the fanciest, or the most interesting, I've always...
University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
I've been at Uclan for almost six years now, and athough it's not the nicest, or the fanciest, or the most interesting, I've always enjoyed my time here. The people at Uclan tend to be really nice, both lecturers and students, and you'll meet all kinds. Preston itself isn't much as a student city, but it's improved dramatically since I started studying here in 2018. There are far more shops and restaurants that appeal to me, and new things are opening all the time. It can get a bit boring in terms of leisure, however there's a really nice park and the marina is beautiful, especially at night. I'd love to come back a few years after graduating and see how things have changed. If you're looking for a cheap city to live in with a good sense of community and don't mind having to travel a bit to get the true city experience (Manchester is 40 mins by train), then I would recommend Uclan.
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Location
Institution Location
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
Campus look and feel
Institution Campus look and feel
Student life
Institution Student life
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
Course rating
Course rating
I can't speak for every course, but if you're learning Korean and want to have a nice community around you, this is a great place for it. APS is one of the biggest courses here, and one of the only UK unis that does Korean, so you'll meet a lot of likeminded people if that's your interest. The Japanese course is also pretty significant. The lecturers are diverse and knowledgeable, and I've had some really fascinating lectures. Even though I've fallen out of love with this subject since I've been here so long and would like to move on now, I still always say it's taught me a lot, and I've gained a lot of perspective about the world that I'm really grateful for. The support here for mental health has always been really great in my experience, and if it hadn't been I wouldn't have been coming to the end of my degree right now. My only regret with this course (and one that seems to be common amongst APS grads) is that it's a bit of a useless course in terms of the job market if you aren't living abroad. A lot of APS students will move to Japan or Korea after graduation to teach English, which is a little ironic given there's a tesol course at undergrad level here too. As someone that ended up dropping my language, I find it hard to see a career path ahead of me with this course, and since I'm not moving abroad, I'm looking for generic roles right now. If you maintain a good level in your language, there are many more doors open to you. That isn't to say that there's no use you'll get out of studying here. I appreciate everything I've learned, I'm just not sure I can use it to get a job.
Course content
Course content
Work placements and internships
Work placements and internships
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
Tutor contact time
Tutor contact time
Subject facilities
Subject facilities
University halls
What do you think about the safety, condition, location and cost of your accommodation?
I've lived in three different Uclan halls, however being very poor all throughout uni, I've lived in Moor Lane twice. If you're struggling with money and you're wanting to attend Uclan, you're looking at around £75 a week for rent, however if you manage to get a deal at Moor Lane, it could be much lower. The first time I lived here, I manage to nab a deal of £50 a week. The second time (2023-24) I got the room for £65, both deals being a discount from the regular £75 rooms. Even without the deal, it's much cheaper than other halls. My only qualm is that if you're looking to live somewhere cheap, the flat won't be great, but that's understandable. This year I'm living on the 3rd floor with no lift, and there aren't any windows in the shower room, so it gets pretty gross in there (and the bathroom and kitchen are shared between 6 of us, as you can imagine). Also don't expect anything like a living room if you're paying these prices. The benefit is that, unlike some other halls on campus, Moor Lane has a little common room, gym, and on-site laundry room, so you don't have to go far and everything is really convenient. Can't say the same about Whitendale or Ribble. The only thing is that if you live in the block I do the door isn't really secure; you have to slam it in order to have it close properly, which is definitely a safety issue.
Room allocation
Room allocation
Internet/wifi
Internet/wifi
Value for money
Value for money
Property management
Property management
Have you stayed in your Universty's hall?
Yes