Preston
56 Reviews by Students #78 out of 422 University locations

Preston is a wonderful place. Great for students. It may not look like much to start with, but you WILL fall in love with this place.
By member548568 On 21st May 20
Study in Preston
The students at the University of Central Lancashire make up about a fifth of Preston’s inhabitants. Preston boasts easy access to the seaside towns of the north-west, the romantic vistas of the Lake District National Park and the vibrant big cities of the north.
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University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) is one of the UK’s largest universities with a community of over 38,000 students and staff. Preston Campus is right in the heart of the city and is their main campus. The university offers over 350 undergraduate programmes, the courses focus on skills and experience that help with graduates employability.
Study in Preston? Review your location
Preston Student Life
Preston is quite a small city set in the incredible fells and moors the county is famous for, and its manageable size makes it a good place for freshers to find their feet.
Cost of Living
Accommodation
Student accommodation costs are on average £111 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Sunderland: £105/week, Newcastle: £148/week, Carlisle: £97/week.
(prices are for all purpose-built student accommodation (both private and university-owned) in August 2020, as listed on StudentCrowd)
The average price for:
A cheap meal at a restaurant: £10.00
A pint of beer: £3.50
A regular takeout coffee: £2.63
1L of milk: £0.88
A loaf of white bread: £0.94
Prices are about 7% lower than equivalent costs in Newcastle.
(Source: Numbeo)
Nights Out
Good, cheap nightlife…
If you are looking for good, cheap nightlife then preston is the place for you, with clubs like Switch having £1 drinks every Friday, evoque having £1 drinks on varying days throughout the week
If it is night life you desire…
And if it is night life you desire, that too is amazing with nightclubs such as Warehouse and Evoque, and more prestigious bars such as Baluga.
Preston is an amazing city to live in…
Preston is an amazing city to live in. It's a really cheap place where you always get value for money. The nights out are also amazing around preston with bars such as Source and Ships and Giggles , which are both really nice places for a relaxed night out or if that's not your taste there are also many night clubs I.e. warehouse, evoke and my personal favourite switch for people to enjoy
Absolutely incredible nights out…
Absolutely incredible nights out, the clubs are so, so good. They are huge, especially Evoque, and they all play different kinds of music to suit whatever you are into - Warehouse has 3 floors playing completely different genres of music, including indie and pop.
Public Transport
Great transport links to all main cities and even a bus to Blackpool for a day out
By Courtney 95 On 23rd July 2015
Eating Out
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Olive Tree Brasserie is a stylish Greek restaurant located in the heart of Preston. But don’t let its fancy interior put you off, they offer budget-friendly deals and specials throughout the week, for example, every Tuesday it’s 2-4-1 on all kebabs and gyros.
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A favourite with both students and locals, Coco Soulfood takes you on a journey around the world. Expect delicious food influenced by Jamaica, Mexico, Vietnam and beyond! The prices are very student-friendly you can get a filling and tasty meal for less than a tenner.
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Shopping
You have two big shopping centres in the town, St Georges and Fishergate, which have all your high street shops. Preston also has some good markets, meaning that you won’t have to skimp on your 5-a-day just because of your student budget!
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The Great Outdoors
Find a mate with a car, and head 30-mins up the road to Beacon Fell Country Park. It’s a massive space and if you can make the walk to the top of the fell, the highest point in the county at 266m above sea level, you’ll be rewarded with views as far out as the Isle of Man on a clear day.
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Moor Park is the largest and oldest park in Preston covering 100 acres, so it’s perfect whether you’re looking for a sunbathing spot, a secluded place to revise, or somewhere to take a walk or jog.
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Footpaths
There are 160 miles of public footpaths in the area! Much of it heading off into stunning moors, forests, along the Ribble Estuary and towards the sandy beaches at Lytham St Annes.
Top 10 Preston Accommodation

Foundry Court
Amazing accommodation with super friendly staff. I have already rebooked for next year and I plan to come back for my 4th year. Any maintenance proble...

Roeburn Hall
I’ve moved in to Roeburn for the 19/20 academic year. Over the summer the halls have had a refurbishment, so the older reviews mentioned are definitel...

iQ Kopa
Well IQ Preston is a fun place to live in first year. It's well positioned especially if you are a sports student. IQ staff are all well and good unti...

Whitendale Hall
I first moved to iq halls and I didn't like it one bit so I decided to change to whitendale and my social life went up.My fflatmates were dead nice. W...

Pendle Hall
A well placed hall right at the heart of uclan though not the place to meet people. I moved in with a flatmate from last year and we have had a good e...

Derwent Hall
After staying 1 year at Derwent Hall, I can say that the accommodation is amazing value for money. The kitchen and bedrooms are very spacious and the ...

Douglas Hall
Far to expensive for a student I reckon, house keeping barely even clean and a lot of our things we're damaged when we moved in. The boiler always mak...

Ribble Hall
Facilities are great ,staff are helpful and social experience was amazing, only things I would say is the fact the sofa is really hard and not very co...
Read Preston Reviews
Preston is a lovely city...
Preston is a lovely city with amazing sightings as well as beautiful night out at the park. read more
It’s been really good...
It’s been really good living in the city really close to everything read more
There are plenty of shops,...
There are plenty of shops, parks, and night clubs. There is also a local bus station. Overall a good place to live read more
Could no complaints not...
Could no complaints not a fan of the area seems a bit dirty but no choice of where to live read more
Preston is a really nice...
Preston is a really nice city, a lot of nice places to socialize, but there are a lot of shady people, I felt unsafe at times. read more
Small but has everything...
Small but has everything I need. Quiet place for studying, not like big cities, settles me down and is peaceful. (here we have the oldest KFC in UK!) read more
Coming from a small town,...
Coming from a small town, the city can be a scary place to be, but Preston is easily navigated with everything a short walk away from the train station, including the university campus read more
Preston is a wonderful...
Preston is a wonderful place. Great for students. It may not look like much to start with, but you WILL fall in love with this place. read more
A decent town, cost of...
A decent town, cost of living for students is much more achievable than other student towns. Public transport could be less fragmented read more
Preston is an okay place...
Preston is an okay place to live, it's a majority student city, quite small so not many shops. If you are looking for good, cheap nightlife then preston is the place for you, with clubs like Switch having £1 drinks every Friday, evoque having £1 drinks on varying days throughout the week read more
It is a perfect city...
It is a perfect city for students. It is really calm and peaceful. Students who are academic orientated would really enjoy studying here. read more
A perfect place for a...
A perfect place for a student to live a life of fun but also be as ble to study well read more
Small city and not overwhelming
Small city and not overwhelming read more
nice clubs, enough shopping,...
nice clubs, enough shopping, public transport if needed, eating out very easy read more
Overall a decent place...
Overall a decent place to live. It is cheap and there is a lot of great places to eat and shop. The town is very close to the university campus too. read more
Preston is great for...
Preston is great for night life and there is ample restaurants and 2 shopping centres in the town centre! read more
Preston is a beautiful...
Preston is a beautiful city, having many scenic places such as avenham park and Preston docks. It is also very cheap compared to other student cities across the UK. read more
Town is amazing for having...
Town is amazing for having a drink, eating at some really great places with out breaking the bank. I would recommend cafe bar read more
Town is amazing for having...
Town is amazing for having a drink, eating at some really great places with out breaking the bank. I would recommend cafe bar read more
Good amount and variety...
Good amount and variety of shops read more
There are lots of shops...
There are lots of shops around so you can buy whatever you want whenever. The train station is spacious. read more
Preston is a safe and...
Preston is a safe and fun place to live, with a shopping centre close by you can buy anything you desire locally. And if it is night life you desire, that too is amazing with nightclubs such as Warehouse and Evoque, and more prestigious bars such as Baluga. read more
Preston is a small vibrant...
Preston is a small vibrant city that packs in everything you need. read more
Preston is a good place...
Preston is a good place to live, where I lived the buses were regular, lots of shops and places to eat read more
I live in preston anyway,...
I live in preston anyway, it's okay. It's not like a big city like manchester though it's just alright. read more
Sweet little town, has...
Sweet little town, has everything you need read more
Preston is an amazing...
Preston is an amazing city to live in. It's a really cheap place where you always get value for money. The nights out are also amazing around preston with bars such as Source and Ships and Giggles , which are both really nice places for a relaxed night out or if that's not your taste there are also many night clubs I.e. warehouse, evoke and my personal favourite switch for people to enjoy read more
I haven't really been...
I haven't really been out yet but from what I've heard from my mates it's a bomb going out, especially ships and giggles and source bar read more
Not satisfied by the...
Not satisfied by the City standards and especially eating out. read more
Absolutely incredible...
Absolutely incredible nights out, the clubs are so, so good. They are huge, especially Evoque, and they all play different kinds of music to suit whatever you are into - Warehouse has 3 floors playing completely different genres of music, including indie and pop. read more
Viciously attacked by...
Viciously attacked by council estate women. Suppressing the entire tone of the village through their crass pilloried violent a-genders! read more
love being near a train...
love being near a train station and tbh you'll never be bored of places to eat since there's loads. loads of cheap shops so you're not spending too much money but nighs out can be lacking since there's only a couple of places to go. read more
Prestons generally good...
Prestons generally good wouldnt really call it a city more a town, there isnt loads too do here but the nights out are class. read more
Preston has everything...
Preston has everything you need really: A variety of clubs for every taste, all the shops you need and some decent food places as well. I can't say anything about the public transport as everything in Preston is in walking distance really. read more
Preston is a great city...
Preston is a great city to live in! read more
Great transport links...
Great transport links to all main cities and even a bus to Blackpool for a day out, shops to cater for everyone, bit of a distance to places like the cinema from town centre which isn't great read more
Cost of living is expensive...
Cost of living is expensive considering it's Preston, accommodation is overpriced everywhere and food is expensive (stick to aldi). Great for transport as it's near a train station read more
Bus fares and food in...
Bus fares and food in shops is considerably dearer than say Manchester or Salford read more
real small no need for...
real small no need for transport I suppose but not my cup of tea for going out in read more
Rough around the edges,...
Rough around the edges, but everything you need all close together and good quality! read more
Living is not expensive,...
Living is not expensive, 2nd/3rd year housing is roughly £80-£90ppw all inclusive depending who you live with. Many restaurants to choose from in the city centre, lots of lovely take aways too. 3 main night clubs, Cameo, Evoque and Warehouse, they are open at different nights, students go out in the week. Cameo - Mon, Warehouse- Tues and Wed - Evoque Shopping, a lot of high street shops are in Preston, Manchester and Liverpool are not far for the bigger shopping centres. Lots of busses running, Taxis are cheap and the train station goes to many destinations, train station is at the end of the shopping centre, very easy to find and walk to. read more