Discover Preston

Welcome to Preston, the city with a big personality. Preston is a vibrant, bustling and multicultural city in the heart of the North West, making it the perfect place to live, work and play.

Here you get to enjoy the best of both worlds – a buzzing student city right on your doorstep, together with beautiful green spaces to relax and unwind in. It’s small enough to get around on foot and to get to know. But it has a big personality and its own unique character. Whatever you’re looking for in a student city, you’ll find it in Preston.

Preston: the city with culture around every corner

Whilst Preston is a lively and modern city, we’re also proud of our heritage. Over 70 buildings and structures around Preston are listed by English Heritage.

Fresh air and wide open spaces

Preston has all the perfect locations you are looking for in a student city. The charming Georgian setting of Winckley Square is the ideal place to escape from the crowds and enjoy a quiet lunch.

The gateway to the North-west

Preston railway station is only a 10-minute walk from our campus. The Bus Station offers local and national bus and coach services. So getting around Preston couldn’t be easier.

Visual guide to Preston01 / 06

The best in the North West

Preston has been named best city to live and work in the North West based on health, jobs and quality of life by the Good Growth for Cities index.

A truly multicultural city

Preston is home to the annual Caribbean Carnival celebrating creative Caribbean culture within the city and the Preston City Mela, a celebration of South Asian arts, culture and heritage.

One of the safest cities

You’ll be glad to hear that Preston has a reputation as one of the safest cities to live in. It holds Purple Flag status, awarded for its low crime rates, vibrant nightlife and excellent range of visitor attractions.

Extremely well connected

Preston benefits from direct rail links to the north and south, with 2 hour train journeys to Glasgow and London. You can also travel to Manchester and Liverpool in under 50 minutes and are a short drive from the Lake District National Park.

What our students say about living in Preston

10 of the best sights Preston has to offer01 / 09

Join us on campus

Explore our fantastic campuses and discover what life is like here at the University of Central Lancashire.

Book a campus tour

Useful links

Preston Campus

Our Preston Campus is right at the heart of the city, just minutes away from its vibrant shopping centre, attractions and nightlife. It’s home to a thriving international community of over 38,000 students and staff.

Visit us

Travel details for Preston, Burnley and Westlakes can be found on our Campus pages. Access guides for the University buildings are available via AccessAble.

Students walking outside the front of the Student Centre

Virtual Preston

Take a virtual look around our Preston Campus by viewing our 360s, galleries and more! Located in the heart of the city centre with easy access to the train station, shopping centres and the Preston Docks, there’s plenty to see and do right on your doorstep!