You can find information about the entry and English language requirements on the course information pages.
If you have studied outside the UK, we advise you to check our international qualifications list. Please get in touch with us for guidance if your country of study or qualification is not listed.
When you have completed and submitted the application form, we will determine the documents that we need to assess your application based on your provided information. This will be available shortly after submission in the supporting document section of your application. For us to consider your application, you must upload the required documents (marked with a *) to your application. We will let you know by email if we need further documentation.
If your documents are not in English, you must provide an official English translation and your untranslated copy.
Academic transcript and degree certificate
You will need to upload an official copy of your degree transcript to show that you meet or expect to meet the entry requirements. Your transcript needs to include the subjects you have studied, your marks for these and confirmation of your degree award. If you have not completed your studies, please provide an interim transcript. If you are studying outside the UK and your university’s grading scale is not detailed on your transcript, you will also need to provide this.
Personal statement
You should tell us why you are applying for the course, what you hope to gain from your studies and how it fits in with your plans. We recommend a maximum of 500 words.
References
For Postgraduate Taught applications you will need to provide one reference. Ideally this should be from someone who can comment on your suitability for academic study. For example, a tutor who has taught you during your previous studies. We may accept a professional reference if you cannot provide an academic reference.
Two references are usually required for Postgraduate Research applications.
Proof of English language ability
Depending on where you have studied and your nationality, you may need to provide a recognised English language qualification. The English language requirements vary by course and are detailed in the entry requirements and on our English language page.
You may be eligible for a pre-sessional English language course if you do not meet the requirements. You will need to upload a copy of your English language certificate so we can assess your eligibility.
You will need to submit a copy of your passport if you are an international student and need a student visa to study in the UK.
For some programmes, we need additional supporting information. If this is required, the documents will be listed in the supporting document section of your application, and if we need any further supporting information, we will let you know.
For most taught postgraduate applications, there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until you pay this fee, as our online secure payment system advises. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
You will need to pay a deposit for some of our courses to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in the offer letter if a deposit is required, and we will give you a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
If you are a current student at Lancaster, you won't need to create an account. You can log in to the postgraduate application portal using your Lancaster University username and password.
Current Lancaster students are not required to pay an application fee; for more information, contact pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk.
If you have studied with us previously and don't have a live University account, you will need to create an account on our postgraduate application portal before starting your application.
For most of our postgraduate programmes, you will not need to provide a reference, a copy of your transcript, or a personal statement. If we do need any additional documents, we will let you know.
Please visit our staying for postgraduate study page for further information about our scholarships and guaranteed offer scheme.
If you are studying at one of our partner institutions and don't have a Lancaster University IT account, you will need to create an account before starting your application.
You should log in to start your application if you have a Lancaster University IT account.
You can apply online by using our postgraduate application portal.
If you are applying for research master's or doctoral study, please ensure that a staff member at Lancaster University covers the specialist area you wish to study.
We recommend you look at the research section for your chosen study area. Please view our list of faculties and departments for further information.
Please let us know which potential supervisor you have identified in your research proposal so we can note this on your application.
Apply for 2025 entry
You should make your postgraduate application using our postgraduate application portal.
Do you need to create an account?
You must create an account before you can apply. Once your account credentials have been verified, you will able to start your application.
If you are already a student at Lancaster, you won't need to create an account and can log in to the postgraduate application portal by using your Lancaster University username and password.
If you have any issues with using your new Lancaster application account details, or have forgotten your username or password, please visit our 'Friend Account' page for further information and help.
Have you started an application?
You can log in to the postgraduate application portal to continue with your application.
When you have submitted your application
When you have completed and submitted your application form, we will ask you to upload some documents. You will find the list in the Supporting Documents section on the postgraduate application portal. It is important that you upload the required documents listed as soon as possible. If we need anything further, we will email you.
More information
Please read through our list of things to consider before you apply. We also have some useful information about the next steps after you've applied.
Please check your emails regularly. This is how we will communicate with you.
You can check the progress of your application at any time by logging into the postgraduate application portal.
Applications for entry in 2026 will open in September 2025.
If you are interested in starting your studies in 2026, please complete our web form and we will let you know as soon as our application portal opens for 2026 entry.
Contact admissions
If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.