University of Lincoln: Courses, Fees & Admissions

University profile

About University of Lincoln

The University of Lincoln is a public university in Lincoln, England, founded in 1996 on a former industrial site beside the Brayford Pool waterfront and named the University of Lincoln in 2001. It has grown from around 500 students in its first year to more than 15,000 students, with over 120,000 graduates worldwide. The university was awarded Gold overall and in both aspect ratings in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023, and in November 2023 received the Queen's Anniversary Prize for the work of the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology in support of the UK food and farming industries.

Teaching is concentrated on the city-centre Brayford Pool Campus, where around £400 million has been invested since 1996 in buildings such as the Isaac Newton Building (2017) and the Ross Lucas Medical Sciences Building (2021). The Riseholme Campus, a 200-hectare estate just north of the city, hosts agriculture-related courses and agri-food research, and the Holbeach Campus in south Lincolnshire is home to the National Centre for Food Manufacturing.

Subjects are organised into two academic colleges. The College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities contains Lincoln Business School and the Schools of Education and Communication, Law, Social and Political Sciences, Design and Architecture, Creative Arts, and Humanities and Heritage. The College of Health and Science contains Lincoln Medical School and the Schools of Agri-food Technology and Manufacturing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Health and Care Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Psychology, Sports Science and Wellbeing. Lincoln Medical School, established in 2018 in partnership with the University of Nottingham, delivers Nottingham's Medicine and Medicine with Foundation Year degrees, and the university is working towards awarding its own medical degrees from 2026/27, subject to General Medical Council approval. More than 300 undergraduate and postgraduate courses are offered.

The Great Central Warehouse Library provides access to more than 750,000 print and electronic books and 260,000 journals and opens seven days a week at key times of the year. University-managed accommodation is on or close to the Brayford Pool Campus, with halls including The Gateway, St Marks, 179 High Street, Valentine Court and Cygnet Wharf. The Students' Union runs venues including The Engine Shed, Lincoln's largest live entertainment venue, and the Towers sports bar, alongside sports clubs and societies; the Lincoln Arts Centre has a 450-seat professional theatre.

The International Office provides country-specific entry guidance, a network of education agents and Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills (PEASS) courses. The university's teaching approach, Student as Producer, involves students in research through schemes such as the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Scheme (UROS).

University information

Tuition fees

Home (UK) full-time undergraduate tuition fees for 2026/27 are £9,790 per year, and most students cover them with a Tuition Fee Loan. Means-tested Maintenance Loans of up to £10,830 per year are available for 2026/27. International (overseas) and postgraduate fees vary by course, level and mode of study and are listed on each course page.

Bursaries for UK undergraduates

University of Lincoln Scholarship: £500 a year for up to three years for students receiving a Maintenance Loan with household income below £25,000 (2025/26 entrants) or £45,875 (2016/17 to 2024/25 entrants). Awarded automatically using Student Finance data.
Blackburn Bursary for care leavers under 25; Foyer Supported Housing Bursary; Hesslewood Children's Trust Bursary for students from schools in Hull, the East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire, Gainsborough and Caistor; and George Major Bursaries for students with life-limiting illnesses. These require an application.
University of Lincoln Financial Assistance Funds (ULFAF) provide limited discretionary hardship support with living and course-related costs for enrolled students.

International undergraduate scholarships

International Undergraduate Scholarship: £2,000 tuition fee discount for each year of study for September 2026 entrants who meet the entry requirements and apply by 1 June 2026. No separate application.
Global Leaders Scholarship: 50% of tuition fees for one year for undergraduate (128 UCAS points or equivalent) and postgraduate taught (2:1 or equivalent) offer holders. Competitive, by application form; closing dates are 7 June 2027 for September 2027 entry and 18 October 2027 for January 2028 entry.
Partner Scholarship for applicants from partner institutions, and the China Advanced Entry Undergraduate Scholarship.

International postgraduate taught scholarships

Global Postgraduate Scholarship: £2,000 tuition fee discount in the first year for 2026/27 entrants and £3,000 for 2027/28 entrants who meet the entry requirements. Awarded automatically.
Africa Scholarship: £5,000 (2:1 or equivalent) or £4,000 (2:2 or equivalent) first-year tuition fee discount for nationals or permanent residents of African countries starting in September 2026 or January 2027. Awarded automatically. Country scholarships are also offered for Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, India, China, Canada, the USA, Turkey, the EU/EEA, South Asia and South East Asia.
International Alumni Scholarship for Lincoln graduates progressing to postgraduate study.
Chevening Scholarships: the university supports the UK government's fully funded Chevening programme; applications are made through the Chevening website.

Tuition fee discounts for international students

Self-funding overseas students starting in September 2026 can receive a £1,000 Early Payment Discount by paying the CAS deposit in full one month before their market's CAS deadline, or a £1,500 Advance Full Payment Discount by paying the year's fees in full by the deadline. Global Leaders Scholarship holders are not eligible.

UK postgraduate funding

The Alumni Scholarship for Postgraduate Study can reduce fees by up to 20% for UK students holding a Lincoln degree, and alumni scholarships are also offered for the Master of Architecture and pre-registration MSc programmes in health and social care. Government Master's and Doctoral Loans and research studentships are also available, and the Snowdon Master's Scholarship (up to £30,000, funded by the Snowdon Trust) supports disabled students.

All scholarships and bursaries

Global Leaders Scholarship →

Global Postgraduate Scholarship →

Africa Scholarship (including Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya) →

China Advanced Entry Undergraduate Scholarship →

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Undergraduate entry (UK applicants)

Full-time undergraduate applications for 2027 entry are made through UCAS. Part-time applications and applications to the BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene and Therapy with Gateway Year are made directly to the university through its online application system. Applications submitted before the UCAS equal consideration deadline of 13 January 2027 are considered equally. Applicants should watch UCAS Hub for offers or interview invitations, and offer holders are invited to Offer Holder Days.

Entry requirements vary by course. A typical A-level offer is a minimum of 112 UCAS Tariff points from at least two A-levels or equivalent (for example BBC, or a variation such as ABC); for a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma a typical offer is Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). A BTEC Level 3 Diploma can be considered in lieu of two A-levels and a Subsidiary Diploma in lieu of one, and results in other Level 3 qualifications such as the EPQ may also be considered. Some courses require an enhanced DBS check or occupational health check.

Contextual offers

Home (UK) applicants to full-time undergraduate programmes (excluding foundation programmes) may receive a contextual offer one grade lower than the standard requirement, for example 104 instead of 112 UCAS points (BCC instead of BBC) or DMM instead of DDM in a BTEC Extended Diploma. Eligibility considers postcode (including living in a Lincolnshire local authority area), school performance, free school meals, disability and care experience. No separate application is needed. Arts and Science Foundation Years provide alternative routes for students who do not meet the standard entry requirements.

International undergraduate entry

International applicants apply online or through an approved education agent and should check academic and English requirements on the relevant country page. For students from Ghana, for example, accepted routes into year one of a bachelor's degree include the WASSCE plus an international foundation year, a recognised International Foundation programme, the International Baccalaureate with between 27 and 34 points, or three A-levels. Advanced entry to level two or three may be possible depending on prior study (contact [email protected]).

English language requirements

Programme requirements are stated in IELTS and typically range from 6.0 to 7.0. Examples of accepted equivalents: IELTS 6.0 overall (5.5 in each component) corresponds to TOEFL iBT 79 overall, PTE Academic 65 with no score below 59, and LanguageCert Academic 65 with no component below 60; IELTS 6.5 (6.0 in each component) corresponds to TOEFL iBT 90 and PTE Academic 70 with no score below 65; IELTS 7.0 (6.5 in each component) corresponds to TOEFL iBT 100 and PTE Academic 76 with no score below 70. Oxford ELLT, Kaplan Test of English, Skills for English, Password and Cambridge English qualifications are also accepted, and most test results are valid for two years. PTE Academic Online, LanguageCert IESOL and the Duolingo English Test are not accepted from Student visa applicants. For Ghanaian applicants, a WASSCE English Language grade of C6 is accepted for programmes requiring IELTS 6.0. Applicants who narrowly miss the requirement can take the university's Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills (PEASS) course. English qualifications are verified before a CAS is issued.

Postgraduate taught entry

Applications are made online by selecting "Apply Now" on the course page and registering an account. Applications for most programmes open one year before the course starts. Applicants need a personal statement, one or two references, qualification certificates and transcripts, and evidence of English proficiency where required. Entry is based on a bachelor's degree or equivalent, usually with a specified classification such as a 2:1 or 2:2; for Ghanaian applicants a 2:1 is equivalent to a 2.9/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 GPA and a 2:2 to a 2.5/4.0 or 2.8/5.0 GPA. Accreditation of Prior Learning is available (Admissions Team, +44 (0)1522 886097). Selected taught programmes also start in January.

Postgraduate research

Research degrees include the MA/MSc by Research (up to 16 months full-time, thesis of around 25,000 words), the MPhil (18 to 32 months full-time, around 40,000 words) and the PhD (usually three to four years full-time or up to eight years part-time, 80,000 words, defended by viva voce). Entry requirements and fees for each research degree appear on the course pages.

Visa and CAS

Students who need a Student visa must complete a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) request form and pay the CAS deposit by the deadline for their market.

How to apply | English language requirements | Entry requirements by country

Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln (main campus, city centre, LN6 7TS): teaching for both academic colleges and Lincoln Medical School. Facilities include the Great Central Warehouse Library; the Isaac Newton Building (computer science, engineering, mathematics and physics, with workshops, computer and electrical systems laboratories and a biofuels laboratory); the Joseph Banks Laboratories for chemistry, life and environmental sciences and pharmacy; the Ross Lucas Medical Sciences Building (lecture theatres, laboratories, clinical skills suite, prosection anatomy suite and a biomedical and health sciences library); the Sarah Swift Building (simulated clinical suites, sleep, motor and EEG laboratories); the Lincoln Arts Centre with a 450-seat theatre; a Sports Centre; the Student Support Centre; and the Multi-Professional Hub for student-run clinics at 179 High Street.
Riseholme Campus, near Lincoln: a 200-hectare estate north of the city and home to the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, Lincoln Agri-Robotics and agriculture-related courses. It includes a mixed farm with arable land, woodland, Lincoln Red cattle and Lincoln Longwool sheep, a strawberry crop research site, a walled garden with trial plots, a refrigeration research unit, an agri-robotics workshop and the Barclays Eagle Lab Farm.
Holbeach Campus, south Lincolnshire: home to the National Centre for Food Manufacturing on the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone, offering part-time study, apprenticeships and distance learning for the food industry. Facilities include analytical laboratories with a test kitchen and sensory testing suite, a technician training centre, two factory-grade food manufacturing facilities and the Digital Food Manufacturing Technologies Centre of the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology.

Accommodation: University-managed halls on or near the Brayford Pool Campus include The Gateway, St Marks, 179 High Street, Valentine Court and Cygnet Wharf, with en-suite and studio rooms. Residents have access to the on-campus Sports Centre and support from the Residence Life Team, and residences are managed under the Universities UK Code of Practice for the Management of Student Housing.

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