Once you have applied to the University of Cumbria and confirmed your place with our admissions department you will be sent an email informing you how to pre-register. All students are required to pre-register. You will be sent an email no earlier than three weeks before your start date. This email will contain a link to the online registration form and a username and password.

• In order to complete pre-registration you must complete all of the mandatory fields (identified in pink).
• You do not need to complete this task in one go: the system will remember at which stage you left the process and the next time you log back in you will be taken to the next step. 
• The form will ask you to submit your term time address which you may not know at this stage. Don’t worry, you can let us know this later.
• If you have any outstanding admissions requirements, you will receive an email informing you of what you need to supply to the university before you can be fully registered. 
• Please complete the online pre-registration process as soon as possible after receiving the email from us. 
• You can still register on the registration day (see list of dates) but you are likely to have a longer wait.
• Please print off the confirmation slip and bring itto your registration day.

Registration days – you still need to attend!

Even if you have completed online pre-registration you need to attend your registration day if you are studying on a full-time basis; please check the Registration and Welcome Week page for more details on your campus arrangements.

If you do not attend you will not be fully registered and will not be able to access all university services and your student finance may be delayed.

If you are studying part-time you do not need to attend a registration day; completing online registration ensures that you are fully registered on your course.

On the registration day (full-time students only) you need to bring one of these items displaying a photograph of you, your full name and date of birth:

• a valid passport
• a valid photocard driving licence
• a valid photocard NUS card
• a valid proof of age id card
• If you don’t have any of the above we need to see two of these items:
  
  • National Insurance card.
  • utilities bill (from the last three months).
  • birth certificate.
  • information relating to any finance applications you have made and your bank/credit card details.

If you have not received an email inviting you to complete online pre-registration within one week of your start date or you are experiencing difficulties with the online form please contact the admissions office at your campus.

If you fail to complete online registration and attend your registration day this may result in you being de-registered from the University.

Find out more about your first week on course at the university and check what else to expect from your course including pre-course reading and equipment lists.

Welcome week timetables

Course information

You can access the draft timetables for your course at https://gateway.cumbria.ac.uk/prereg

To login use the following:

Username: newstudent

Password: new2012

These timetables are "live" and are subject to change.

Once you are fully enrolled as a student with us, you will be able to access the timetable using your own username and password from the Current Students link on the website.

 

Where your course requires it, you must complete your online CRB application as soon as possible. You should have recently received a web address, username and password for this service in an email from the university. If you have not received this please let us know.

Before you complete your online CRB application, please refer to our CRB guidance for instructions on how to complete it and the details of documentation you need to supply in support of your application.

There is a fee of £52 for the CRB application, which you can pay online when you complete your application. Applicants to NHS-funded courses do not need to pay (unless you are transferring from another institution).

Self-declaration of any criminal record

As part of the CRB clearance process you must also submit a self-declaration form. These will be available for you to complete and hand in at the signing day. If you are not attending a signing day please complete a declaration form using the link below and return it by post to the admissions office dealing with your application. The correct version of your form is dictated by which course you have applied for, as explained:

a) Teacher Training applicants (except the Foundation Degree in Teaching and Learning Support)

For applicants starting a PGCE; Subject Knowledge Enhancement course; or undergraduate teacher training course (three or four-year) leading to QTS, please complete our GTC Declaration form.

This will also enable us to process your provisional registration as a trainee teacher with the General Teaching Council (GTC).

b) All other applicants

This includes applicants to all health courses; Sport and PE; Child and Family Studies; Early Childhood Studies; Youth and Community courses; Policing (Community Safety) and the Foundation Degree in Teaching and Learning Support.

Please complete our Criminal Record Self Declaration form.

NB: Applicants with any criminal record to declare

If you have any previous or pending convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings to declare (whether spent or unspent), please complete the relevant self-declaration form now (do not wait until signing day) and return by post marked 'CONFIDENTIAL' to:

CRB Administrator, Admissions, University of Cumbria, Bowerham Road, Lancaster, LA1 3JD.

This will assist us in dealing with your CRB clearance situation in a timely manner.

Overseas applicants (including Eire and EU)

All overseas applicants must also obtain an Overseas Police Check.

This is in addition to your CRB check, and it is your responsibility to obtain the correct document and send it in to us.

Important information about your CRB check

Your CRB disclosure certificate (the result of the check) is an important document which the CRB will send direct to you. You need to:

• ensure in due course that you have received this (it can take a couple of months to be issued)
• look after this carefully for the duration of your course: if you lose it, it cannot be replaced nor a copy obtained.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for further information about your CRB check. You may find it helpful to print this out to refer to throughout your course.

If you have any queries or have not received information about how to apply for CRB clearance contact the CRB team on your campus:

• crblancaster@cumbria.ac.uk
• crbcarlisle@cumbria.ac.uk
• crbnewtonrigg@cumbria.ac.uk
• crbtowerhamlets@cumbria.ac.uk
• crbgreenwich@cumbria.ac.uk

As part of the application process we have sent to you a qualifications form. Please complete and return to us with evidence of your qualifications.

Further information about what we can accept for PGCE students is available in our Qualifications FAQ document.

Candidates with non-UK qualifications who have already had their qualifications checked at interview or signing day do not need to bring their certificates again.

Carlisle and Lancaster are good places to live and study. Lively city centres combine with vibrant social scenes and both are close to the Lakes, countryside and coast.

Penrith is right on the doorstep of the Lake District National Park with our campus just outside the quaint market town. Living costs are relatively cheap compared to most of the UK so all are a good choice for that reason too.

Living in Carlisle

There is a range of accommodation with private landlords available.

Please visit Cumbria StudentPad for more details. We are updating availability on StudentPad everyday so keep checking. Halls in Carlisle are full. For more information contact the Accommodation Officer direct on 01228 616206.

Living in Lancaster

We still have some places in Halls. Please contact the Accommodation Officer direct on 01524 384336.

Living in Penrith

We still have some places in Halls. We also have availability on Cumbria StudentPad Please contact the Accommodation Officer direct on 01768 893538.

For a complete guide to Student finance visit our Finance section.

If you have not already started an application for student finance:

1. The deadline for student finance applications based on household income has passed, which means we won’t be able to work out your full entitlement in time for the start of term.
2. To make sure that you have some student finance available to you as soon as possible after your attendance at university is confirmed, we are initially assessing how much funding you will receive without taking your household income into account.
3. As part of this initial assessment we will:
4. • Assess your application quickly to make sure you are eligible for student finance
   • Send you a letter, if you are eligible, confirming your entitlement to student finance that is not based on household income, including your basic Maintenance Loan and the Tuition Fee Loan only.
   • Make sure the first payment of any Maintenance Loan you have asked for is available to you once your university or college confirms your attendance
   • Make sure that any Tuition Fee Loan you have asked for is paid directly to your university or college
5. We will still fully assess your application based on household income once we have received and processed all the information and evidence required to support your application.
   If your parent(s) or partner have already provided financial information and or evidence there is no need to contact us, we will contact you once we have processed it.
6. If your parent(s) or partner have not yet provided the financial information and or evidence we need, they should do this as soon as possible. If they don’t you will only be entitled to student finance not based on household income.
7. Once we have received and processed all of the information and evidence you send us, we will:
8. • complete a full assessment of your application using your household income.
   • work out any additional funding you are entitled to.
   • send you a new entitlement letter confirming any additional funding.
   • pay you any difference in your funding as soon as possible.
9. You can check what information and evidence is required to support your application by logging into your online account at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance, selecting ‘Academic Year 2010/11’ and following the links to the evidence section.
10. You must include your national insurance number on the application or your loan instalments may not be paid.
11. It is important to make sure you have a means of surviving until your money arrives. This could be up to two weeks after your start date and if you apply late or through clearing this is likely to be a few weeks.
12. To apply for any University of Cumbria scholarships, download and complete the application forms.

If you have already started an application you can now make changes to your student finance application online. Login to your student finance account to change your course, university or college or finance details.

• If you applied for student finance on paper, you can change these details online. You will need to use the log in details sent to you by Student Finance (England, Wales or NI).
• You can make this change now – you don’t have to wait for your initial application to be processed.
• Do this online at:
  Student Finance England
  Student Finance Wales
  Student Finance Northern Ireland

Due to the high volume of requests the Student Finance websites may be experiencing downtime on the online application system. Please keep trying, but you can also apply by downloading the change of circumstances form C01 from the Student Finance websites.

It is essential that you arrange a bank account before you start your course. All the high street banks offer student accounts and it is worth doing some research into the best offers. Do pay attention to the interest rates charged during your study.

All campuses have a cash point on-site.

It is important to think about how far your money will go. We appreciate that money is a major factor and we make it our priority to give you all the help we can. Visit our Money Matters section for advice and contacts.

You are responsible for arranging insurance for your own personal possessions. 

There are a lots of insurers and insurance policies available and some specifically designed for students living in halls or private accommodation.

• Do check your current insurance status, you may be able to extend any home insurance policies you already have.
• Do try the insurance comparison websites (the ones with the TV adverts are a good starting point) and from there call around suppliers and brokers to get the best value and best cover. 
• Also see NUS Online.

The university does not accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, property brought on to university premises and shall be indemnified against any claim, by any person, in respect of injury, or loss of, or damage to property, which may arise directly, or indirectly, from the use of university premises, with the exception of those arising from the negligence of the university, its servants or agents.

For students in Cumbria

For details of local childcare provision please contact Cumbria County Council’s Children’s Information Service on 08457 125737. 

Alternatively Learning, Information and Student Services (LISS) may also be able to help with information on local childcare providers.

For students at Penrith

There is an Early Years Centre providing care for babies and children aged from 3 months to 7 years. For more information contact Early Years Centre, Penrith Campus, Newton Rigg, Penrith, Cumbria. CA11 0AH. Tel: 01768 893634.

For students at Lancaster

For details of local childcare provision please contact Lancashire County Council's childcare information services.

There is a pre-school centre on the Lancaster campus, which is OFSTED inspected and registered, offering a comprehensive care and education facility to all children who meet the age criteria (0—2 for the baby unit and 2—3 and 3—4 for the nursery classes). For more information and contact details you can visit U4C Pre-school Centre or telephone 01524 526579 or 526578.

Make sure your vaccinations for MMR and meningitis are up-to-date.

Meningitis is a life-threatening infectious disease and the student population is the second most at risk group. Despite advances in vaccines, there are approximately 230 cases of meningitis among 15-24 year olds each year. 10% of cases will result in death, a further 15% will be left with serious disabling after-effects and many more will be left with less serious after-effects. Whatever the outcome, meningitis can change a person’s life forever. Find out more at The Meningitis Trust.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) are three common childhood illness which can have serious complications. Find out more at NHS Online. 

If you are studying on a healthcare or education related course you will be expected to complete a health questionnaire and may be advised to get additional vaccinations.

Maps are available to help you find your campus

• Ambleside
• Barrow-In-Furness
• Carlisle
• Lancaster
• Newton Rigg, Penrith
• Tower Hamlets, London
• Workington

 

 

Student transport and travel

Car parking

If you have access to a vehicle whilst at University you should ensure you are familiar with the University Traffic Regulations and Car Parking Policy.

Applications for parking permits for University of Cumbria sites must now be made online.

Discounted bus travel

University of Cumbria students can get discounted season tickets for bus travel in Carlisle and Lancaster. For more details of the offer for each town, see the Unirider section of the Stagecoach website. Scroll down to see details for Carlisle; note that for Lancaster the Stagecoach website still refers to the University of Cumbria as ‘St Martins College’.

Rail links

Lancaster, Carlisle and Penrith are all major stations stops on the West Coast mainline as well as being connected to a range of local rail networks.

Velocampus Cumbria

With the support of Cycling England and Lancaster City Council, the university has put in place a range of initiatives to support and encourage cycling at the Lancaster campus, including a low cost cycle loan scheme for students. All university sites have cycle parking facilities. If you are unsure where they are please ask at the site Reception.

Active Travel Forum

The university has an active travel discussion forum on Blackboard, our Virtual Learning Environment. This is open to all students and staff. Once logged in to Blackboard, click the ‘Community’ tab and then look at ‘Active Travel’ under the heading ‘Institution Discussion Boards’.

Use of university vehicles by students

Generally, student use of university cars and minibuses is not allowed. There are specific exceptions to this rule but you will be made aware of these exceptions if you are affected.

Under an arrangement between UCSU and the university, UCSU members are able to use university minibuses subject to a number of conditions.

Our Sports Centres at Lancaster, Penrith and Carlisle offer great facilities and great value for money with our students receiving discounted rates.

You can download the application forms for the Sports Centres at Lancaster, Carlisle and Penrith.

To find out more about the Sport Centre facilities and costs for membership check the webpages for:

Carlisle Sport Centre

Lancaster Sport Centre 

Sports Centre at Newton Rigg, Penrith