A large public university with roots in 1828 (Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge), gaining university status in 1992. Based in Preston, with other campuses including Burnley, Westlakes (Cumbria), and Cyprus.
Address: Preston, PR1 2HE, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Medicine, Journalism, Aerospace Engineering
Domains taught:
- Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Engineering, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Robotics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
- Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
- Public
Partnerships:
Partnerships with regional businesses, NHS trusts, aerospace industry (e.g., BAE Systems), and international institutions. Focus on community engagement and enterprise.
Research:
Research in areas including health (stroke research), media, astrophysics, engineering (particularly aerospace and advanced manufacturing), and forensic science. Growing research profile.
Famous Alumnis:
Rizwan Manji, Brent Sadler, Victoria Atkins, Simon Kelner
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3100
Current students***:
38500
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
205000
Pros
Wide range of courses, commitment to widening participation, strong vocational focus in many areas, investment in new facilities (e.g. Engineering Innovation Centre).
Cons
Large student body, some campuses are smaller/newer, reputation varies across disciplines.
Best For
Students seeking a wide choice of vocational and academic courses with a focus on employability, practical skills, and community engagement, particularly in engineering, health, and media.
Most Similar Schools Locally
- Think of The University of Sheffield when aerospace, manufacturing and life sciences is the priority: it is slightly smaller, at about 30,000 students against roughly 38,500 here, and is also a public institution.
- University of Bristol follows much the same lines as this university, with aerospace, life sciences and AI and machine learning as common ground, and it is slightly smaller, at about 29,000 students against roughly 38,500 here, and is also a public institution.
- For students who like the aerospace, robotics and life sciences focus of this institution but want another option nearby, University of Hertfordshire fits well: it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers industrial design as well.
- University of Leeds follows much the same lines as this institution, with robotics, life sciences and AI and machine learning as common ground, and it covers food science and materials as well, and has almost the same size, at about 39,500 students.
- University of the West of England works in much the same fields, chiefly robotics, manufacturing and life sciences, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers industrial design as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
- University of Southern Denmark in Denmark pursues a similar profile in robotics, life sciences and AI and machine learning, and it covers ecology and sustainability and materials as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 27,000 students against roughly 38,500 here.
- Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States pursues a similar profile in aerospace, robotics and manufacturing, and it covers data analytics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 45,300 students against roughly 38,500 here.
- Oklahoma State University brings a the United States setting to the same core fields, aerospace, life sciences and AI and machine learning, and it covers agriculture as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 25,000 students against roughly 38,500 here.
- King Saud University offers an international parallel to this institution, with life sciences, software engineering and engineering as common ground; it covers agriculture and civil engineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 61,412 students against roughly 38,500 here.
- In Canada, Toronto Metropolitan University teaches much the same core subjects, aerospace, manufacturing and AI and machine learning, and it covers industrial design and data analytics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 48,000 students against roughly 38,500 here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
- Aerospace, Astrophysics, Biomedical Sensors, Engineering, Medical, Sustainable Development, User-Centered Design
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
- known locally
- known locally and internationally
- is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
- is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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