Employment at universities

Key point

• In 2022/23 there were 5,575 academic, 4,160 non-academic and 800 other full and part time staff at the four universities that have campuses in Lancashire. Not all of these staff necessarily work in Lancashire

Universities have a range of different sites and in some cases these are in different counties. The figures provide accurate numbers of employees by institution, but not all the above employees, especially in the case of the University of Cumbria, are be based in Lancashire.    

The vast majority of University of Central Lancashire employees are in Preston, but the institution has an important presence at centres in Burnley and outside the county in Cumbria.  

Edge Hill is a former college of higher education. The main campus is in Ormskirk but there are also outreach centres across the North West and beyond therefore some of the employees will not be based in Lancashire. Lancaster University has its main campus at Bailrigg, to the south of Lancaster City but has regional teaching partnerships across Lancashire, in Manchester and Barrow-in-Furness, as well as at international locations in China, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia and Malaysia. Of the 4,000+ employees worldwide, most are based at its Bailrigg campus. The University of Cumbria is an institution with its main base outside the county, but an important site is the Lancaster campus.    

University employment in Lancashire, 2020/21-2022/23 (headcount) 

Academic institution	2020/21			2021/22			2022/23
	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)
University of Central Lancashire	1,595	1,555	25	1,710	1,565	25	1,780	1,625	20
Edge Hill University	905	1,020	525	945	-	550	970	-	590
University of Lancaster	2,100	1,935	175	2,240	1,920	195	2,250	1,980	190
University of Cumbria (numbers include Lancaster campus)	465	535	-	520	525	-	575	555	-
United Kingdom	224,530	191,440	59,120	234,020	192,270	62,730	240,420	198,835	62,690

Source  Higher Education Statistics Agency

(1) Atypical employees cover non-permanent staff employed on one-off/short-term contracts, and those with complex working relationships.  

In addition to the four universities, there are examples of local academic institutions in the county that work in partnership with the universities in Lancashire, or those in other parts of the country, to offer degree level courses. One distinct example is the University College of Football Business (UCFB) at Turf Moor, Burnley. UCFB allows students to study for an undergraduate degree in football business within the heart of a professional football club. The courses are provided in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University.

Page updated July 2024