Student life

When it comes to shopping you will never be stuck for choice from popular high street chains to alternative boutiques and independent shops. Preston is also home to St George’s and Fishergate shopping centres, plus the Deepdale Retail Park. Meanwhile, Burnley is home to the Charter Walk shopping centre, with its popular Market Hall and regular outdoor market.

If culture’s more your thing, Preston’s iconic Harris Museum and Art Gallery reveals its history and an in-depth look at the area throughout the ages. More than 750 buildings and structures in Preston are listed by the English Heritage, and there’s plenty to explore, including St Walburge’s Church, just behind our Media Factory

Meanwhile, Burnley is home to the historic Towneley Hall – a 14th century house and grounds, with a fabulous art gallery and museum for you to explore. There is also Gawthorpe Hall, the Woodend Mining Museum, the Weavers’ Triangle and much more.

If it’s sports and activities you’re looking for, then we have plenty of choice. If you’re in Preston, you may want to take advantage of the free sports membership for access to our state-of-the-art Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre. You can also hire out sports facilities at our fantastic UCLan Sports Arena.

Want to try something a bit different? Preston is home to Fins Scuba, a Scuba Diving centre where you can gain qualifications in becoming a Scuba instructor. A short train journey will take you to Go Ape Rivington, where you can take on a treetop adventure in beautiful surroundings. You could also try out Paintballing Preston to test your tactics to the max. Preston Karting boasts a 500m long circuit for any thrill seekers looking to put their driving skills to the test. If skateboarding is more your thing, get some air at Preston Skatepark located in Moor Park.

If watching sport is more your game, you can catch Championship football at Deepdale, the home of Preston North End. If you’re based at our Burnley Campus, Burnley FC’s Turf Moor stadium is very close to campus.

Both our Burnley and Preston campuses bring together the best of both worlds – combining a buzzing student life with many links to nature and the great outdoors.

Discover our green county

We take pride in our excellent student support services, we offer you all the opportunities you need to succeed.

The Student Support Team is your dedicated advice and guidance service for all aspects of university life. Our friendly staff will provide you with information on all the support services available to you during your time here. 

Our student support teams operate across our Preston, Burnley and Westlakes campuses. If you're a current student, visit our student support site to find out opening hours.