Thank you for applying to study Physics at Lancaster University!
Making sure you have all the information you need to choose the best university for you is important to us. We have created this page to provide answers to any questions you may have along the way. Please do not hesitate to contact us at physics-admissions@lancaster.ac.uk.
We will invite you to an online offer holder event, which will be held in May. During the event, you will have the opportunity to talk to staff and students about what it is like to study at Lancaster and learn about some of our excellent research.
You will receive your invitation by email. If you’ve already decided by May that Lancaster is the place for you, you are still more than welcome to attend! We look forward to chatting with you again.
The Physics Department rewards excellence by offering an academic scholarship of £1,000 for students on our MPhys/MSci Physics courses or £750 for those on a BSc Physics course, during their first year. This is available to applicants who place us as their firm choice, achieve an A* in both A level Mathematics and Physics, plus an A or above in a third A level (equivalent grades also accepted). The scholarship is also subject to attending an interview during the application process.
Research-led teaching means that you will be taught by academics who are experts in their respective fields. Our academics’ expertise directly feeds into your lectures, practical laboratories, and project modules through coursework problems, module content, and project topics. At Lancaster, you will get the chance to explore current hot topics and Physics and learn first-hand how fundamental concepts are applied in cutting-edge research.
It matters because you will be able to experience physics not only as a student, but as a physicist. You’ll learn how scientists push the boundaries of exploration throughout your course and discover what it means to do research.
In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework exercise (2021) 98% of our research outcomes were rated world-leading or international excellent. We’re passionate about our research and enjoy sharing that passion with our students. We’ve even had our students co-author papers in highly-ranked scientific journals!
Physics is a wide-ranging subject with lots of fascinating sub-fields. We think it’s important for you to have flexibility in your course so that you can explore what you find the most interesting. We’ve designed our courses so that you:
This means that if you cannot decide between courses, that’s ok! If you decide that you want to pursue a different course from the one that you’ve applied for, just let us know.
The only exception to this is the Theoretical Physics with Mathematics (TPM) course, which is jointly taught with the Mathematics department. Contact us for more information if you are interested in switching to or from TPM.
Our Physics department is community formed by our staff and students and we are very proud of our environment. Before refurbishing the Physics building, we consulted our students. They told us that they liked being near staff so that they could ask questions and wanted spaces to work together on worksheets and projects.
The Physics building was fully reopened in 2017 after an investment of £14 million. It contains study and social spaces for our students to use, which means that our staff and students work side-by-side. This generates an excellent community spirit and means that you are always near someone who understands physics and can easily ask questions.
We operate an open-door policy at Lancaster. This means you can drop by our offices or email us without having to wait for office hours (although we have those too). We are here to help and appreciate that not everyone works on their worksheets at the same time!
You will be assigned an Academic Advisor within the department. They are available to help when you need it and can provide guidance for academic queries and more. If they cannot directly help, they will point you in the right direction. We also have Disabilities Officers and a Careers Advisor within the department. This means that you will have multiple levels of support to make the most of your physics experience.
Now you have your offer, it's up to you to make your choices regarding which University you wish to begin your degree with. If you're waiting for Universities to get back to you, that is fine - just make sure you don't miss the UCAS deadline if you've applied through UCAS! If you already know where you want to go, that's great, you can submit your choices at any time.
Take a student-led video tour of the Physics Department and see our cutting-edge facilities that you will be able to use in your studies.
Societies are a great way to find your place and make the most out of life at Lancaster. And Lancaster University Students' Union (LUSU) oversees over 160 of them. Find the society for you!
