University of Cumbria: Courses, Fees & Admissions

University profile

About University of Cumbria

The University of Cumbria is a public university in the North West of England, created on 1 August 2007 from the merger of St Martin's College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts and the University of Central Lancashire's Cumbria sites. It describes itself as a university for and from Cumbria and its localities, with people, place and partnership at its heart. It is a member of the Cathedrals Group of universities, and its Chancellor is the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

Teaching takes place across seven campuses: Carlisle Fusehill Street and Carlisle Brampton Road, Lancaster, Ambleside in the Lake District National Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Workington (the Energus building) and London (East India Dock Road). The Ambleside campus sits within the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is the base for forestry, conservation and outdoor studies.

Courses are organised in five academic institutes:

Institute of Health (Lancaster, Carlisle and London)
Institute of Education, Arts and Society
Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership
Institute of Science and Environment (Carlisle and Ambleside)
Institute of Engineering, Computing and Advanced Manufacturing

Distinctive strengths include teacher education (with a long record in QTS training and PGCEs), nursing, midwifery and allied health professions, policing, outdoor studies, the National School of Forestry and the Centre for Wildlife Conservation at Ambleside, and the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS). In partnership with Imperial College London, the university hosts the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine in Carlisle, a four-year graduate-entry medical programme leading to an Imperial degree. The university offers a growing range of degree apprenticeships with employers including the NHS, BAE Systems, Sellafield Ltd and police forces, and around 10 further education college partners deliver University of Cumbria degrees to over 3,500 students.

Halls of residence are available in Carlisle (Fusehill Street, Brampton Road and Denton Holme), Lancaster, Ambleside and Barrow-in-Furness, with halls guaranteed for first-choice applicants; London students find housing through StudentPad. Each main campus has a Students' Union presence, cafés and study spaces, and the Carlisle and Lancaster campuses have sports centres. International students are supported by a dedicated International Team, pre-sessional English courses and the University of Cumbria International College.

The university holds taught degree awarding powers, approved by the Privy Council in 2006, and was rated Silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023. It took part in REF2014 and REF2021 and the Research Assessment Exercise 2008.

University information

Tuition fees

Home students (full-time, 2026/27): bachelor's degrees, DipHE/CertHE and foundation degrees £9,790 a year; integrated foundation year £5,760 (classroom-based) or £9,790 (non-classroom-based); sandwich or placement year £1,955. For 2025/26 the bachelor's fee was £9,535.

International students: bachelor's degrees £14,900 (2025/26) and £16,000 (2026/27); Social Work and pre-registration health degrees £16,900 and £17,800; Masters (MA/MSc) £14,900 and £16,000; MBA and pre-registration health Masters £16,900 and £17,500; PGCE with QTS £14,900 and £16,000. Fees can be paid in full at registration or in five instalments. International fees | Undergraduate fees

International scholarships 2026/27

Cumbria International UG Scholarship: up to £4,500 (£1,500 a year for a three-year degree) for self-funding overseas-fee students on eligible programmes at Ambleside, Carlisle and Lancaster; applied automatically when conditions are met and the deposit paid by 19 August 2026 (16 December for January 2027).
Cumbria International PGT Scholarship: £2,000 towards taught Masters fees, applied automatically on the same terms.
Cumbria Global Excellence UG and PGT Merit Scholarships: up to £7,500 (UG) or £5,000 (PGT), up to 10 awards each, competitive on academic performance, English and a personal statement; 2026 applications closed on 5 July 2026.
Cumbria Global Business Excellence MBA Scholarship: £2,500 for eligible full-time MBA programmes, applied automatically.
Cumbria Health and Wellbeing Scholarship: up to £12,000 for self-funding overseas students on UG and PGT nursing and the MPH Public Health at Carlisle and Lancaster.
European Excellence Scholarship: reduces fees for eligible EU/EEA students to the UK home rate, applied automatically.

Pre-registration health courses (except under the Health and Wellbeing Scholarship), distance and blended learning, and research degrees are excluded. The university also points students to external awards such as Chevening, Snowdon, Marshall, GET and the CTBI Hardship Fund. International scholarships

Bursaries and scholarships for home students

Cumbria Bursary: £1,000 a year full-time (£500 part-time) for first-year home undergraduates starting in 2026/27 with household income below £25,000; no separate application, allocated by priority scoring using Student Finance data assessed before 2 October 2026. Details
Cumbria Business and Tourism Scholarship and Cumbria Law Excellence Scholarship: £1,500 a year (up to £4,500) for home students on eligible business, tourism and LLB Law programmes, paid each March.
Future Talent Award (sponsored by BAE Systems Submarines): up to £8,000 with a paid summer placement for mechanical engineering and computer science; the MOD Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship is also available.
PGCE Alumni Scholarship: £1,000 cash plus up to £1,000 off university accommodation for Cumbria graduates enrolling on university-based PGCEs in Lancaster or Carlisle.
Student Support Fund: help for students in financial hardship, plus interest-free emergency loans of £400 (or £800 for students with children) when funding is delayed.

Other support includes the Student Opportunity Fund, the Sanctuary Scholarship, Turing Scheme placement funding, teaching bursaries, and the NHS Learning Support Fund and Social Work Bursary. Scholarships and bursaries

Cumbria International UG Scholarship →

Cumbria Bursary →

Cumbria Business and Tourism Scholarship →

Cumbria Law Excellence Scholarship →

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Undergraduate applications

All full-time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS, where applicants can choose up to five courses and submit a personal statement and academic reference. For September entry, applications should reach UCAS by the Equal Consideration deadline towards the end of January; later applications are still accepted while courses have places. Decisions are usually made within three weeks. Some courses, including health, teaching and arts, require an interview or portfolio, and professional courses in teaching, healthcare and policing always include an interview.

Typical offers

Entry requirements are expressed in UCAS Tariff points, with some courses asking for specific subjects. Where a range is shown, the typical offer is at the top of the range. Example equivalents:

104 points: A levels BCC; BTEC Extended Diploma DMM; T Level Merit; Access to HE Diploma 45 Level 3 credits (for example 9 at Distinction and 36 at Merit).
96 points: A levels CCC; BTEC Extended Diploma MMM; T Level Pass (C+); Access to HE Diploma 45 Level 3 credits at Merit.

A minimum of two A levels or equivalent is needed (one for Integrated Foundation Years). IB, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, Irish Leaving Certificate, Welsh and European Baccalaureates, CACHE and Open University credits are also accepted, and IB HL Grade 5 may be required in specific subjects. Many courses ask for GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, and some require DBS clearance or fitness to practise.

Contextual offers and mature applicants

Applicants from POLAR4 quintile 1 postcodes, care leavers, estranged students, young carers, those who received free school meals, and those who complete the Masterclasses, Summer Schools or the Future Teachers Scheme receive offers at the bottom of the tariff range. Applicants over 21 with at least three years of relevant work experience who do not meet the standard requirements may be assessed through interview and written work, and Integrated Foundation Years are available. Recognition of Prior Learning can exempt students from part of a programme.

International undergraduate and postgraduate entry

International students apply directly online for undergraduate and postgraduate courses (PGCE applicants use the Department for Education service). The steps are: choose a course, check country-specific entry requirements, apply, receive an offer, meet conditions and pay the deposit, receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), then apply for the Student visa and accommodation. New international students must book accommodation before travelling and live within one hour of their campus. The University of Cumbria International College offers pathway study.

English language requirements

The general requirement is IELTS Academic (or the university's own Password English Test) 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each skill for undergraduate study, and 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each skill for taught postgraduate study. Other accepted tests include TOEFL iBT, LanguageCert Academic, Cambridge English, Oxford Test of English, Trinity ISE and Oxford ELLT, valid for two years. Higher levels apply to some programmes: IELTS 7.0 with 6.5 in each skill for Physiotherapy, Diagnostic Radiography, MA Social Work and MSc Advanced Clinical Practice; 7.0 with no skill below 7.0 for Biomedical Science, Midwifery, BA Social Work, MSc Nursing and Medical Imaging (Ultrasound); 7.0 with 6.5 for Occupational Therapy; and 6.5 with 6.0 in each skill for PGCE and BSc Nursing. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries listed by UKVI are exempt, and online pre-sessional English courses are available.

Postgraduate taught and research entry

Masters degrees and PGCEs usually require a degree, which for some programmes must be in a relevant subject or at a minimum classification. Most postgraduate course pages have an online Apply button, and professional, art and performance courses include an interview, audition or portfolio. Postgraduate research degrees (PhD, MRes, DBA and professional doctorates) are applied for through the Graduate School; enquiries go to Research Student Admissions ([email protected]).

Carlisle Fusehill Street (Fusehill Street, Carlisle CA1 2HH): health (including the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine), science, conservation, education, business, law and policing; science labs, the Grade II listed Skiddaw Building, the three-floor Learning Gateway with a 150-seat lecture theatre, The Cube café, a sports centre, multi-faith chapel, Students' Union and on-site halls.
Carlisle Brampton Road (Brampton Road, Carlisle CA3 9AY): creative and media arts; graphic design and life drawing studios, games design labs, ceramics and metalwork workshops, a TV studio and production suite, a photography darkroom, halls and a student village.
Lancaster (Bowerham Road, Lancaster LA1 3JD): education, health, sport and business; sport performance labs, an x-ray and ultrasound suite, training wards, ambulance simulators, teacher training rooms, the Business Incubation Centre and nearby student housing.
Ambleside (Rydal Road, Ambleside LA22 9BB), in the Lake District National Park: outdoor studies, forestry, conservation, business, leadership, tourism and sustainability; the Barn Library and Charlotte Mason Building study space, science labs, a bouldering wall, outdoor equipment hire, Stockghyll Gym, The Barn café, Rigg Cottage Students' Union and on- and off-campus accommodation.
Barrow-in-Furness (Buccleuch Dock Road, LA14 2SW): the newest campus, part of the Barrow Learning Quarter, offering mechanical engineering, adult nursing, computer science and school-based PGCE, with student accommodation.
Workington (Energus Building, Lillyhall Industrial Estate, CA14 4JW): industrial leadership and project management in a business and training hub overlooking the Solway Firth.
London (58 East India Dock Road, Tower Hamlets, E14 6JE): education, business and health courses near Canary Wharf, with smaller class sizes; housing through StudentPad.

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