University Centre Peterborough: Courses, Fees & Admissions

University profile

About University Centre Peterborough

University Centre Peterborough (UCP) is the higher education provider of Inspire Education Group (IEG), the further education group formed in 2020 by the merger of Peterborough Regional College and New College Stamford. It is a small, teaching-focused institution with small classes (a typical class size is under 20 students), flexible full-time and part-time study patterns and a strong regional focus on Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. Full-time undergraduates typically attend two days a week and part-time students around one and a half days a week.

Teaching is based at the Park Crescent campus in Peterborough, a three-floor, £10 million building opened in November 2009, with a smaller group of animal and sport courses delivered at Stamford College in Lincolnshire. Both campuses offer free parking for eligible students, and the annual graduation ceremony is held in Peterborough Cathedral.

Courses span Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNC/HND), Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), foundation degrees, full and top-up bachelor's degrees, degree apprenticeships, micro-credentials and an MA in Creative Writing. Subject areas are Animal Studies, Business, Childcare and Education, Counselling, Computing and IT, Criminology and Forensic Investigation, Digital Arts, Engineering, English Literature, Psychology and Sociology, Journalism and Media, Performing Arts, Science and Sport, with Digital Marketing and Esports also offered. Degree apprenticeships include the Digital Marketer and Creative Digital Design Professional integrated degrees.

All undergraduate degrees are validated by The Open University, with which UCP became a validated partner in 2021. Education and teaching courses are run with Lincoln Bishop University and HNC/HND programmes with Pearson. UCP holds a Silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), awarded in 2023, with student engagement and the student voice judged an outstanding feature.

Specialist facilities include a broadcast-standard Media and Journalism Centre, a Crime Scene House used by Forensic Investigation students, and a sports science laboratory at Borderville Sports Centre. Student life centres on class representatives, an independent Student Council chaired by the Student Officer, funded clubs and societies, the student publication and podcast Inside the Box, a Creative Writing society and an esports lab. Students with young children can use the on-site nursery, and Taverners Hall, an independently managed block of 30 en-suite rooms, is within walking distance of Park Crescent.

Undergraduate applications for full-time study are made through UCAS under institution code P56. Courses are aimed mainly at home students, including mature learners and those progressing from Peterborough College and Stamford College; EU/EEA applicants need settled or pre-settled status.

University information

Tuition fees (UK and EU/EEA students starting in 2025/26 and 2026/27)

Undergraduate degrees: £9,000 per year full-time; £4,500 / £6,750 per year part-time
Higher Nationals (HNC/HND): £8,230 per year full-time; £4,115 per year part-time
Intensive foundation degree or intensive top-up degree: £8,500
Master's degree: £9,000 per year (£4,500 part-time)
Education, Training and Skills (Lincoln Bishop University) Professional Graduate Diplomas/Certificates: £3,000 per year part-time
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling: £7,725 for the two-year course
CBT modular: £1,500 per 30-credit module

Fees may rise each year with inflation. Self-funding students pay one third of the year's fees at enrolment and the rest in two instalments by the end of March. Employer-sponsored students need a sponsorship letter. Degree apprenticeships are funded by the employer and government, so apprentices pay no tuition fees.

Student finance

Eligible home students can apply to Student Finance England for tuition fee and maintenance loans, using institution code FFCH and the name ‘University Centre Peterborough’. Disabled Students’ Allowance, Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance and Adult Dependants’ Grant are also available to eligible students.

Bursaries and scholarships

Bursaries do not need to be repaid, and they are not capped in number, so every eligible student receives the award (except the Student Ambassador Bursary).

IEG Progression Bursary (2025/26): £500, paid after successful completion of the first year, for students who progress without a gap year from a full-time Level 3 course at Peterborough College or Stamford College, pass all first-year modules and take part in progression activities.
Low Income Bursary: £500 per year, paid at the start of the second semester, for full-time undergraduates on courses with annual fees above £6,500 whose household income assessed by Student Finance England is under £30,000 and who receive a maintenance loan. Part-time students receive a pro rata payment.
Care Leaver Bursary: £500 per year for full-time undergraduate care leavers who are new entrants, under 25 on 1 September of their first year and receiving a maintenance loan. Care leavers are also offered a one-to-one meeting with Student Support.
Student Ambassador Bursary: up to £1,000 per year, tax-free, for full-time Level 5 or 6 students with excellent attendance who are on target for a first or 2:1. Places are limited, and selection is by application and interview.
Malcolm Bradbury Scholarship for Creative Writing Students: £7,500 split across the degree for one creative writing undergraduate each year, who promotes literacy and literary engagement in Peterborough. The Malcolm Bradbury Trust also funds one £2,500 bursary per intake on the MA in Creative Writing.
HTQ Scholarships: £1,000 awards for full-time HTQ students funded by Student Finance England for tuition and maintenance, used for conference attendance (Computing and Digital Technologies HND), coaching qualifications (HNC Sport), travel, equipment and PPE (HNC/D Engineering) or resources and Forest School activities (FD Early Childhood Studies). For 2025/26 they are extended to the Digital Marketing and Communications foundation degree, the OU Diploma in Adult Social Care and HN Animal Conservation and Countryside Management.

Hardship support

The discretionary Access, Welfare and Hardship Fund helps students in financial hardship with course or living costs, emergency payments and exceptional costs. Application forms are available from the Student Support Centre or by emailing [email protected].

Bursaries | Tuition fees | Financial support

IEG Progression Bursary 2025/26 →

Malcolm Bradbury Trust Scholarship Bursary (Creative Writing) →

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Undergraduate entry

Full-time bachelor's degree applications are made online through UCAS using institution code P56. UCAS applications open on 1 September, the main deadline is 15 January, and applications received after 18:00 on 30 June go automatically into Clearing. For 2026 entry, UCAS Extra opened on 28 February 2026 (last date to add an Extra choice 1 July), Clearing ran from 2 July to 19 October 2026, and the final date for 2026 UCAS undergraduate applications was 24 September 2026.

Entry requirements vary by course and usually involve A levels, BTECs or relevant work experience. For example, BA (Hons) Criminology asks for 88 UCAS tariff points plus five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including English and maths. Mature applicants and those without the standard qualifications can contact admissions to discuss equivalent qualifications or relevant work experience.

Selection

Admissions staff review each application. Depending on the course, applicants may be invited to an interview, audition or assessment centre, or asked to submit a portfolio or writing samples. Conditional offers are made to applicants awaiting results such as A levels, and unconditional offers to those who already meet the entry criteria. Disabled applicants are encouraged to declare a disability at application so that support can be arranged.

Recognition of prior learning

Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) covers certificated study completed within the last five years and needs evidence of a final assessment; attendance certificates do not qualify. Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) awards credit for learning shown through a portfolio of evidence. Claims must be approved before the course starts and may shorten the programme.

Part-time study

Part-time applicants complete a paper application form and return it to University Centre Peterborough, Park Crescent Campus, Peterborough, PE1 4DZ, or email it to [email protected].

Postgraduate entry

The MA in Creative Writing (one year full-time or two years part-time, taught in the evenings) uses a separate application form. Admission requires UK citizenship, a first degree at 2:2 or above and/or a strong portfolio of original writing, a convincing personal statement and an interview.

English language

For the MA in Creative Writing, applicants whose first language is not English need IELTS 6.5 or above, or an equivalent English language qualification.

EU/EEA applicants

EU applicants must show evidence of settled or pre-settled status when applying, and this is a condition of any offer. Questions about EU and overseas qualifications go to [email protected] or 01733 214466.

Peterborough (Park Crescent, PE1 4DZ): the main campus, a three-floor £10 million building with a 96-seat lecture theatre, social atrium, digital suites and quiet study zones. Most degree, HNC/HND, HTQ and postgraduate courses are taught here, including Criminology and Forensic Investigation, Journalism and Media, Computing, Engineering, Business, English Literature, Psychology and Sociology. The site has lifts to all floors, disabled parking at the rear of the main building and the on-site Parcs Nursery by the Park Crescent entrance.
Stamford (Stamford College, Drift Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XA): BSc (Hons) Animal Management and Welfare (Top-Up), HND Animal Management (Animal Behaviour and Welfare), HND (HTQ) Animal Conservation and Countryside Management, and FD Sport and Exercise Science (Coaching).

Facilities

Media and Journalism Centre: TV studio and gallery with a three-camera set-up, autocue and green screen; three soundproof radio and podcast studios; free equipment hire for students.
Crime Scene House: a detached single-storey building with kitchen, lounge and bedroom scene rooms, a briefing room, CCTV, a garden used for burial excavation projects and a dedicated crime scene vehicle.
Sports Science Laboratory: part of a £2.2 million extension at Borderville Sports Centre, with gas analysis, gait analysis, treadmill and Wattbike equipment.
Libraries: Library & Digital Resource Hubs at Peterborough College and Stamford College, with print and eBooks, online databases, study spaces, PCs and laptops, printing and scanning. Course materials are on the Canvas virtual learning environment.
Nursery: open all year from 8am to 6pm, with age-specific secure gardens and funded places for eligible 2 to 5 year olds.
Accommodation: Taverners Hall at University Court, managed independently, with 30 en-suite rooms in five-bedroom flats, Wi-Fi, laundry and CCTV-secured grounds (standard rooms £560 and premium £585 per calendar month, bills included; not wheelchair accessible).
Student support: Student Support Centre offering wellbeing, disability and additional learning needs support, multi-faith chaplaincy and referral to external specialist services.

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