Liverpool Hope University

About Liverpool Hope University

Liverpool Hope traces its institutional history to three teacher-training colleges: S Katharine’s, founded in 1844; Notre Dame College, founded in 1856; and Christ’s College, which admitted its first students in 1964. The colleges eventually formed an ecumenical federation and later a unified institution. Liverpool Hope received the university title in July 2005 and research-degree awarding powers in 2009. The institution is registered with the Office for Students and operates as a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. This supports its classification as an independent, private-nonprofit degree-granting university rather than a public-sector institution or commercial training provider. Its governing body is the University Council. Liverpool Hope’s identity remains shaped by the Anglican and Roman Catholic origins of its founding colleges. Its stated educational approach links academic study with personal development, service and the common good. Prospective students should understand this institutional ethos, but the university explicitly welcomes people seeking higher education regardless of faith or background. The university has two principal teaching locations. Hope Park is the larger campus and accommodates most subjects, services and facilities. The Creative Campus houses creative and performing arts disciplines near central Liverpool. Aigburth Park is primarily residential. This distributed structure means the day-to-day experience varies by subject and accommodation choice, so applicants should check the teaching campus shown on each course page before deciding where to live.

Application routes depend on the course and applicant category. Undergraduate applicants, including those applying to the MA Social Work route identified by the university, normally apply through UCAS using institution code L46. PGCE applications are made through the Department for Education system. Applicants for postgraduate taught degrees generally use Liverpool Hope’s direct online application, while postgraduate research candidates apply directly under the university’s research application process. International applicants for a postgraduate taught course are asked to provide academic qualifications, passport documentation, evidence of English-language proficiency where required, relevant UK visa records and a personal statement. Research applicants must also establish that appropriate supervision is available. The published PhD entry guidance says applicants normally hold a master’s degree from a recognised UK higher-education institution, although candidates with a UK bachelor’s degree at 2:1 standard or above may be considered in some circumstances. Research potential and an interview are additional considerations. For the September 2026 international intake, the university published 15 June 2026 as the application deadline, with later evidence, compliance, deposit and CAS stages. Those dates had already passed by the profile date and must not be treated as deadlines for a later intake. PGCE and MA Social Work timetables may also differ. Applicants for 2027 entry should consult the live course and admissions pages rather than relying on the superseded 2026 schedule.

Liverpool Hope offers undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research study. Its 2026 undergraduate portfolio is organised across four broad faculties covering business, law and criminology; creative arts and humanities; education and social science; and human and digital science. The associated schools span areas such as business, law, humanities, education, social sciences, health, sport, computing, the environment and psychology. Creative and performing arts subjects are based at the Creative Campus. Undergraduates can choose single-honours or combined-honours study where available. The university also advertises foundation-year routes for applicants who are not ready for direct entry, part-time options across many undergraduate programmes, and additional workplace-experience formats such as a placement year or year in industry. Availability is course-specific: applicants should use the current course page to confirm the precise award, combinations, professional accreditation, campus, duration and entry requirements. Postgraduate provision includes taught master’s courses, teacher-training routes and research degrees. The university accepts research applicants for MPhil, PhD and professional-doctorate study on full-time or part-time bases. Before applying for a research degree, candidates are instructed to contact the relevant academic school to establish whether their proposed topic fits its research areas and whether suitable supervision is available. Learning arrangements differ by discipline, and laboratory, studio, performance and professional courses may have requirements not shared by classroom-based programmes. Applicants comparing offers should therefore examine course-level curriculum, assessment, placement and facility information rather than assuming that university-wide descriptions apply uniformly.

Key Highlights

• Institutional roots date to the founding of S Katharine’s College in 1844.
• University status was granted in 2005 and research-degree awarding powers in 2009.
• Registered with the Office for Students and constituted as a registered charity.
• Teaching is centred on Hope Park and the Creative Campus, with Aigburth Park used for accommodation.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is spread across Hope Park, the Creative Campus and the residential Aigburth Park site. Hope Park combines teaching space with libraries, study facilities, food outlets, sport facilities, green space and accommodation. The Creative Campus provides specialist arts and performance environments as well as libraries, study areas, food provision and student-support hubs. The university’s Student Life team provides advice and guidance, while academic and learning support is also available through schools and departments. University-managed halls are located across all three campuses. For September 2026/27 entry, new applicants could apply after receiving a course offer from 28 February 2026. The university describes a range of shared-facility and en-suite rooms. Its published 2026 prospectus states that first-year students are guaranteed a room, but applicants should still verify eligibility, conditions and availability directly because accommodation is contracted separately from admission. A £200 advance rent payment was required to secure a room offer for 2026/27. Residential support includes staff assigned to halls, and the university advertises secure access and round-the-clock campus security. A free daytime weekday shuttle operates between the three campuses during relevant term periods. Students who prefer private housing can use Liverpool Student Homes, while those commuting from home have access to university orientation and support. Clubs, Students’ Union activities, sport, volunteering and campus social events provide ways to participate beyond academic study.

Location & Surroundings

Liverpool Hope offers two distinct teaching settings within Liverpool. Hope Park, the main and largest campus, is in the leafy Childwall area about four miles from the city centre. It functions as a campus village with teaching, study, residential, dining and recreation facilities in one location. Bus routes connect it with central Liverpool, while Broad Green is the nearest railway station at just over a mile away. The Creative Campus is on Shaw Street, less than a mile from Liverpool Lime Street station and within walking distance of the city centre. It is the base for creative and performing arts subjects, placing those students close to central cultural venues and urban amenities. Its mix of listed buildings and specialist contemporary spaces creates a different environment from Hope Park. Aigburth Park is a residential campus roughly three miles from both Hope Park and the city centre. It is near Lark Lane, Sefton Park and St Michael’s railway station. University shuttle services connect the campuses during designated periods, but students should still consider commuting time when choosing accommodation, especially if their teaching and residence are at different sites.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026/27, Liverpool Hope published a tuition fee of £9,790 for full-time undergraduate study for students charged the standard home fee. It has also announced £10,050 for 2027/28. Eligibility for home-fee status is governed separately and should not be assumed from nationality alone. Course pages should be checked for part-time, placement, foundation-year or otherwise exceptional charges. For international students in 2026/27, the published annual undergraduate fee is £15,225. Postgraduate taught fees range from £16,500 to £17,500, with the university listing £17,500 for its MBA, MSc International Business Management and MSc Digital Marketing and £16,500 for PGCE study. Research-degree fees use separate home and international schedules and vary according to award, study intensity and whether the project is laboratory-based. Accommodation and living costs are additional, and room charges vary by hall and room type. Career support is delivered through the Employability Hub and My Career Centre. Services include individual guidance, CV and interview support, careers events, vacancy and internship information, networking and help finding work experience. The university also advertises placement-year opportunities, internships and part-time campus jobs of up to ten hours per week. Graduates can retain access to the careers offer for up to three years after completing their studies. These resources can strengthen career preparation, but applicants should use course-level outcomes and professional-accreditation information when judging a particular degree rather than treating general support as a guarantee of employment.