Money Saving Tips

Find out how the University of Central Lancashire can help you save money as a student.

From free sports centre memberships to all-inclusive bills in our accommodation. There are some fantastic benefits to studying with the University of Central Lancashire which will save you lots of money during your time here.

1. Free sports membership

Don’t waste money on expensive gym memberships. With us you can get fit for free. All our students can take advantage of free sports membership. This gives you access to our fantastic Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre and Sports Arena. Play a wide range of indoor and outdoor sports, work out in the gym, or take part in our year-round program of fitness classes — from yoga to boxercise. The Sports Arena is on the edge of the city. You can get there for free on the UCLan Shuttle Bus.

If you’re studying at our Burnley or Westlakes campuses you’ll be able to access nearby sports facilities for free. When you’re off campus you can use the free Moves+ app to track your fitness, grab some freebies, and take part in challenges anytime, anywhere. You can sign up to the UNIversal Gym scheme to access sports facilities at other universities all over the country for free. Perfect for when you’re on holiday or visiting family.

2. Warm, comfortable spaces on campus

When it’s cold outside you’ll always find warm spaces and a warm welcome on campus. We have lots of comfortable spaces on campus where you can relax, study, or socialize. From our fantastic Library building (open 24/7 during term-time) to our brand new Student Centre.

Inside you can enjoy Wi-Fi access, refreshments, and even warm showers. Access a computer or study space, and save money by bringing in your own food and using our microwaves, hot water, water fountains and showers across campus.

There are lots of other social spaces, coffee shops, and computer suites, across our campuses for you to use.

Most buildings on campus are open Monday to Friday from 7.30am - 9pm The Preston Campus Library is open 24 hours, seven days a week in term time. Opening hours vary during other periods. The Student Centre is open 8am - 9pm (Monday to Friday), 10pm - 6pm (Saturday and Sunday).

3. Affordable meals

There are various cafés and restaurants across the campus offering great value for money, including attractive ‘meal deals’ every day. Take advantage of our loyalty cards to bag yourself free coffees and other perks.

4. Fantastic library resources

Our library contains thousands of books and journals, as well as giving you access to thousands of e-resources on or off campus. You’ll almost certainly find the reading materials you need for your course here, so there’s often no need for you to go out and buy textbooks. Borrow them for free instead.

5. Get home safely for free

Working late at the library? You won’t need to get a taxi home. If you live in the PR1 or PR2 area you can take advantage of our free night bus service to get you home safely between the hours of 10pm - 4.30am.

If you request, we can use our University CCTV cameras to follow you back to your on-campus accommodation, so that you know we’re looking out for you.

6. Free access to top software and equipment

Don’t pay for expensive computer software. Our students get free access to the Microsoft 365 suite on or off campus. This includes essential software like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You can also get access to the Adobe Creative Suite, which includes industry-standard software like InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

We also have more than 10,000 pieces of tech equipment available for you to borrow, including high-spec laptops, saving you the cost of buying your own.

If you need to buy essential equipment, you’ll normally be able to find it at a super affordable price through our UCLan Achieve portal. You can purchase everything from stationery to books to air fryers and audio equipment via the portal.

7. Free fun with the Students’ Union

The Students’ Union offers lots of free opportunities to have fun, meet new people, and try new things. They also run regular ‘Give It a Go’ activities so you can try something new for free. You can also join more than 70 societies and sports clubs at an affordable price. Visit their website to discover what’s coming up.

8. Cheap eye clinic appointments

We offer students the chance to have an examination at our on-campus Eye Clinic for just £5. During your appointment you’ll get examined by students on one of our optometry courses, who will be working under expert supervision.

9. Learn a language for free

At our Worldwise Learning Centre you can access a wealth of free resources to help you learn another language, including the popular Rosetta Stone software. Various languages are available to learn through self-study — from Arabic to Chinese (Mandarin), French to Korean — take your pick from 24 languages.

10. Better study skills, better grades

We can help you improve your study skills, get the most out of your courses, and achieve better marks. Enhance your research skills, deliver impressive presentations, get your head around stats, and learn how to write assignments. We offer regular study skills workshops, one-to-one tutorials, drop-in sessions, and online resources all year round.

11. Develop your digital skills

Our Digital Skills program will help you get to grips with the technologies and software packages you’ll need to use to excel at your course. The course is free and available at our library. Through LinkedIn Learning you can also access to a wealth of training resources.

12. Help to set up your own business

Got a great idea for a business? We’ve helped lots of our students set up and run their own companies. Our Propeller Team can give you expert advice and opportunities to network with the business community. We even have business incubation space on campus in our Propeller Hub.