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Guide To Postgraduate Study In Liverpool
If you embrace the city of Liverpool, it will give you the warmest of welcomes and make you really glad you chose to live and study here.
Liverpool is in the metroplitan borough of Merseyside and first became a city in 1880, although the first dock was built back in 1715. Liverpool has a rich industrial heritage.
Based in the North West of England, Liverpool can seem a long way from London, but direct trains take just over two hours to connect it to the UK's capital. There are also easy and efficient transport links to other great industrial and picturesque UK cities, such as Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York. And with Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport as well as the well-connected ferry port, travelling to other parts of the UK and European countries is easy. Within the city itself people travel around using the electric train system, a comprehensive bus service and a ferry service over the River Mersey.
The ferry crossing between Dublin to Liverpool means that the city has a massive connection with Ireland's capital, with plenty of Irish people passing through, many of whom have settled. In fact over half the 480,000-strong population have Irish ancestry, and you can really feel the Irish spirit in the music of the bars and clubs in the city. Liverpool's close links to Dublin certainly help to make it a fun city to live in as a student,
Music plays a massive part in shaping Liverpool's past and present, The Beatles called Liverpool home as did singer and entertainment icon Cilla Black. Other musical acts to have come out of Liverpool include Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Atomic Kitten, The Lightening Seeds and Echo And The Bunnymen.
5 reasons to be a postgraduate student in Liverpool
Around 1,000 postgraduate courses on offer at the three universities – so much choice.
Around 1,000 postgrad students living and studying in the city – you'll never be lonely!
Music lovers beware – Liverpool is hailed as the Guinness World Record's World Capital of Pop so you can waste hours in gigs and dedicated music museums.
Football crazy – with Liverpool FC and Everton FC both regularly winning major football trophies, you may find yourself caught up in the celebrations with your fellow Liverpudlians and taking your eye off the studying ball!
Too much nightlife to handle – Liverpool is well known for its nightlife and was in fact voted amongst the top five student cities in StudentCrowd's Best UK Student Cities League Table 2024, with the comment about the city being:
"An excellent student city. The perfect size for a student as well as friendly people and a diverse nightlife."
Students in Liverpool – facts and figures
There is a large and vibrant student scene in Liverpool as all three universities have campuses in or close to the city centre.
The three universities – the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University have a combined total of 70,000 students – and of these students 60,000 are undergraduates and 10,000 postgraduates.
The University of Liverpool has the largest postgraduate cohort with over 5,000 postgrad students, Liverpool John Moores University has the next largest PG population with over 3,500, and Liverpool Hope University has approximately 1,000 PG students.
Overall the postgraduate student community in Liverpool forms almost 15% of the student population.
Living the high life in Liverpool
There is plenty of student accommodation in Liverpool as all of the universities have a large number of modern purpose-built accommodation blocks and villages.
Liverpool John Moores University postgraduate students are accommodated in a selection of places, including Liberty Atlantic Point, North Western Hall and Liberty Prospect Point halls of residence and also in self-contained studio flats at The Arch and at Vita Student buildings.
Alternatively, students looking for smart accommodation in Liverpool can take advantage of the independent private halls of residence provided by companies like Fresh. This student accommodation gives you a great chance to meet with other students outside of your course or institution and offer another range of social activities to participate in. Fresh has four locations in Liverpool and they are all close to Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. These student residences offer high quality fixtures and fittings, top security, and high speed broadband.
Postgraduate students in Liverpool tend to live in areas around Tuebrook, Kensington and Toxteth in the city centre, further out areas including Wavertree, Smithdown, Aigburth, Allerton and Mossley Hill are all popular with students too, and the rents are cheaper.
What can you do in Liverpool when you’re not studying?
There is plenty to do in Liverpool outside of your studies.
If you like music, then there are a number of museums and venues dedicated to The Beatles and Liverpool's musical past and present. Plus, the live music clubs and pubs scene in Liverpool is unrivalled within the UK, with many an inspirational band showcasing their musical talents on a regular basis.
Alternatively, there are some wonderful city centre parks to spend time in and this is a great way to relax without spending money (which we know students are usually short of!). Walking around Liverpool is a joy, with many of the libraries and museums demonstrating great examples of Victorian architecture.
If you want to get out of the city for a bit there are wonderful old country houses in the surrounding area, including Croxteth Hall and Speke Hall, and these offer a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University has around 25,000 students, of which approximately 20,000 are undergraduate students and 5,000 are postgraduates.
Liverpool John Moores University has over 100 postgraduate taught courses available, taught by specialists in their field. LJMU offers world-leading research across every part of the university (REF 2021) with an emphasis on collaborative research and knowledge exchange.
95% of LJMU postgraduates are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (HESA 2020).
Tuition fees and accommodation costs
Tuition fees for full-time home (UK) students at LJMU are around £9,200, and for full-time international students (including European) students are £17,750 for a standard masters degree, for example the MSc in Investment & Finance. While tuition fees for their PGCE program are £9,535 (home full-time students) and £18,250 (international full-time students).
If you’re a former LJMU student, you could be eligible for a 20% discount on your postgraduate tuition fees with their Alumni Discount Award.
Accommodation costs in the student accommodation at LJMU range from £129-£229 per week, and accommodation is available for different tenancy lengths (39, 44 and 51 weeks).
Facilities and specialisms
Liverpool John Moores University has well known postgraduate departments in Education, Business, Allied Medical, Biology and Architecture.
LJMU has strong industry links which postgraduates can gain from by undertaking practical work experience in relevant fields. It offers a wide range of taught PG courses, including PGCE, PGDE, MBA, MSc, MRes and MA.
Student life
With over 100 clubs and societies, Liverpool John Moores University has a busy and active social scene. There are plenty of extracurricular cultural trips and experiences on offer to add to your learning experience. LJMU also has some great accommodation options for postgraduate students as outlined in the accommodation section at the beginning of this article.
Student case study
Domingo Leal Perez, from Spain, returned to Liverpool after studying in the city as an Erasmus student. He is studying a Masters in Digital Marketing at Liverpool John Moores University and he plans to begin a marketing business in Liverpool. Domingo says that “Liverpool is a great place to grow a business and LJMU has made me the person I am today. I know for sure I will always have a base here.”
5 facts about Liverpool John Moores University
- LJMU was established in 1823
- It is named after Sir John Moore the founder of retail company Littlewoods
- The Dalai Lama and Steven Spielberg have both been guest speakers at LJMU
- Dr Brian May CBE, Queen guitarist, was the 4th Chancellor
- John Lennon was an alumnus
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a research-intensive Russell Group university with over 16,400 UK undergraduate students and over 1,500 UK postgraduate students. The main campus is located in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, plus there are sites across the North West of England and also in China.
Tuition fees and accommodation costs
The tuition fees for a standard masters degree such as the MSc in Finance and Investment are £14,750 for a full-time home (UK) student) and £33,500 for a full-time international student (including EU students. Tuition fees for the University of Liverpool’s full-time one-year MBA program are £26,500 for home students and £33,500 for international students.
Postgraduate students can opt to live in halls of residence accommodation at the University of Liverpool in postgraduate accommodation. Postgraduate accommodation fees start at around £152 per week for a single bed dwelling without en-suite facilities to £190 for an en-suite room with a double bed.
Facilities and specialisms
The University of Liverpool is known for its excellent research, with 91% of its research being world-leading or internationally excellent (REF2021). The University of Liverpool has large postgraduate departments in Business, Medicine and Dentistry, Biological Sciences, Engineering and Agriculture.
Student life
The Student Union at the University of Liverpool is called the Liverpool Guild of Students and has a large range of clubs and societies along with support services for students. As far as university-based accommodation is concerned the University of Liverpool offers a large selection of on and off campus accommodation blocks and villages giving students an excellent range of choice.
5 facts about the University of Liverpool
- The University of Liverpool was established in 1881
- It was the first university in the world to have departments in Architecture, Biochemistry, Civic Design and Oceanography
- It established the first British university in China in 2006
- The University of Liverpool was a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of universities
- Former Director General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington, is an alumnus, as is DJ Nick Grimshaw
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool Hope University has around 5,300 students of which approximately 4,250 are undergraduates and 1,050 are postgraduate students. A large proportion of the postgraduate student cohort (around 30%) are studying PGCE programs, and around 10% are undertaking postgraduate research degrees.
Liverpool Hope University is divided into four faculties: Faculty of Business, Law and Criminology; Faculty of Creative Arts and Humanities; Faculty of Education and Social Sciences; and Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences.
Tuition fees and accommodation costs
Tuition fees for a standard masters degree, such as the MSc in Business Sustainability are £9,500 for home students and £16,500 for international students at Liverpool Hope. MA degree tuition fees are slightly less, for example the MA in Contemporary Performance costs £7,750 for home students and £15,250 for international students. The tuition fees for the one-year, full-time PGCE at Liverpool Hope are £9,250 for home students.
Student accommodation costs at Liverpool Hope University range from between £110-£135 per week, depending on the choice of halls and whether the room is a single, double and/or en-suite. Contract lengths vary from 83/43 weeks depending on the course being studied.
Facilities and specialisms
Liverpool Hope University boasts cutting-edge facilities and a great range of taught and masters degree programs in a wide of specialisms including humanities, health science and social science, education, liberal arts, business and computer science. Postgraduates studying sports or health sciences will benefit from Hope Park Sports – a sporting facility with fabulous amenities including squash courts, a viewing gallery, fitness rooms, gym, tennis courts, 3G pitches and condition suites.
Student life
Liverpool Hope University aims for staff and students to work closely together giving students a big role within the university. The Student Union has a large collection of clubs and societies, especially in the creative arts. There is some provision for postgraduate accommodation at Liverpool Hope.
5 fascinating facts about Liverpool Hope University
- Liverpool Hope University was established in 1844
- The university’s motto is 'In Faith, Hope and Love'
- The Centre for Millennialism Studies, devoted to the culture of post-apocalyptic culture, is based at Liverpool Hope University
- Team GB athlete Jenny Meadows is an alumnus
- Local legend tells that Charlie Chaplin attended a school that is now part of Liverpool Hope University
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