The eight undergraduate colleges are named after places in the historic county of Lancashire, and each has its own campus residence blocks, common rooms, administrative staff and bars.

Lancaster has ranked in the top fifteen in all three UK national league tables for the past 10 years, and received a Gold rating in the Government's 2017 and 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework.

[13] In 2014, Lancaster University celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of events throughout the year, involving alumni, staff, students and local community members.

[18] The campus buildings are located on a hilltop, the lower slopes of which are landscaped parkland which includes Lake Carter duck pond and the university sports fields.

Another major feature of the design is that there is no large central Students' Union building, instead individual college facilities are used as the centre for social and recreational activities .

[19] Vehicular and pedestrian traffic is separated: this is achieved by restricting motor vehicles to a peripheral road with a linking underpass running east–west beneath Alexandra Square.

To the south-east of the square is the tallest building on campus: the fourteen-storey Bowland Tower, which contains accommodation and disguises the boiler room chimney.

In the south-west corner sits the library designed in 1964 by Tom Mellor and Partners, the first phase opening in September 1966, the second in July 1968 and the third in January 1971.

At the north end of campus, the university's Great Hall Complex comprises three venues open to both students and the public; the Peter Scott Gallery, the Nuffield Theatre and the Lancaster International Concert Series.

In 2009, these three organisations were combined as one department by the university – initially termed 'The Public Arts' but later renamed 'Live at LICA' – with Matt Fenton overseeing this unification.

The Gallery is located on the Bailrigg campus and houses the university's international art collection, which includes Japanese and Chinese art, antiquities, works by twentieth-century British artists including works by artists from the St Ives School, Sir Terry Frost, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Barbara Hepworth and William Scott.

Among other British artists whose work is represented are Norman Adams, Patrick Caulfield, Elisabeth Frink, Kenneth Martin and Winifred Nicholson.

The university collection also includes prints by significant European artists such as Dürer, Miró, Ernst and Vasarely.

It presents public performances in the fields of theatre, contemporary dance and live art from some of the best-known and respected companies from the UK and abroad.

[47] The various administrative and technical departments that exist outside of the four faculties are collectively known as Professional Services, and include Facilities, Admissions, and the Library.

The council, chaired by the Pro-Chancellor, is the governing body, consisting of mainly lay members along with representatives of staff and students.

It is responsible for the proper management and financial solvency of the university, with major policy decisions and corporate strategy being subject to its approval.

The visitor is the final arbiter of any dispute within the university, except in those areas where legislation has removed this to the law courts or other ombudsmen.

[66] The average entry standard at Lancaster is around 159 UCAS points (new tariff system), with almost all courses requiring at least AAA or AAB at A-level as of 2017.

[67] In the 2016–17 academic year, the university had a domicile breakdown of 66:10:23 of UK:EU:non-EU students respectively with a female to male ratio of 51:49.

[79] Lancaster University entered into a dual degree program with the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Lahore.

Subtext, Lancaster's in house critical newsletter, asked: "Why are we taking a 40% financial stake and a 100% reputational share of what is essentially a new university set up with a group of retired footballers?

[88] The campus is operated in partnership with Transnational Academic Group Ghana Limited, and offers undergraduate and graduate programmes in management, business, Economics & international relations, Politics & International Relations, Accounting & Finance, Marketing, computer science, law and psychology along with an EMBA programme.

[91] A joint Environmental Science undergraduate degree began in September 2016 with students spending two years at each institution.

According to the University of Liverpool when referring to the programme, "autonomous systems are technology based solutions that replace humans in tasks that are mundane, dangerous and dirty, or detailed and precise, across sectors, including aerospace, nuclear, automotive and petrochemicals".

[98] There are five main research groups within the department: astrophysics, particle and accelerator physics, experimental condensed matter, and theory.

[106] Every summer term the students take part in the Roses Tournament against the University of York, this is often described as the biggest varsity competition in Europe.

In the 2012/13 academic year the club was given the opportunity to compete in BUCS and Roses along with other sporting societies at Lancaster University.

[110][111] The Carter Shield is contested between every college with bi-weekly matches open to all, and is intended as a light-hearted competition to promote lesser-known sports.

[119] The Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre is located at the north end of campus incorporating various religious groups such as Christian (Anglicans, Catholics, Orthodox,[120] Quakers), Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu[121] as well as various religious societies including the Bahá'í, the Chinese Christian Fellowship, the Postgrad and Mature Students Group, and the Pagan society which hold regular events and meetings.