Named after the late football-betting businessman of Littlewoods fame whose philanthropic interests helped to fund the university’s forerunner institutions, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is one of the pioneers of degree apprenticeships. As part of its 2030 Strategy the university is boosting its earn-while-you-learn degree provision, launching programmes, in 2024-25, such as youth work; transport planning; serious and complex criminal investigation; and construction management. Among its areas of expertise is the Football Exchange (FEX) at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, which engages in research with clubs, governing bodies, commercial enterprises and community schemes to further the impact of football.

What is Liverpool John Moores University’s reputation?

One of the UK’s modern universities, LJMU gained its royal charter in 1992. But with a heritage that is traced to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, founded in 1823, LJMU commemorated its bicentenary with a gold rating for its student outcomes in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) assessment, underpinning a silver overall for the university and for the student experience. 

In their report, TEF assessors commended LJMU’s “highly effective approaches that ensure its students succeed in and progress beyond their studies”, and highlighted “outstanding rates of continuation and completion” for its students and courses. LJMU’s “approaches to supporting its students to achieve educational gains” were deemed “highly effective” and “tailored to students’ different starting points”.

The TEF 2023 panel identified the standout feature of the student experience to be LJMU’s “outstanding engagement with its students, leading to continuous improvement to the experiences and outcomes of its students”. Results of the latest National Student Survey show an enhanced appreciation for the broad experience by LJMU students, whose responses put the university joint 23rd in our analysis (up 11 places compared with our previous edition) and in the top 50 for teaching quality (joint 47th — a 21-place improvement).

Research has long been a point of pride for LJMU, which submitted work from more than 600 academic staff in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Nearly three quarters (73.1 per cent) of the submission was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Astrophysics; sport and exercise sciences; engineering; and English produced some of the best results. But against stronger gains at other universities LJMU lost nine places in our research quality index, where it now sits at 76=.

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?

The university is introducing five degrees in September 2025: politics, philosophy and economics; criminology, international relations and politics; and computer science, offered with three pathways — artificial intelligence, data science or mathematics. Each degree has a foundation year option.

What are Liverpool John Moores University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

LJMU’s varying entry requirements range from foundation degrees at 72 points in the Ucas tariff up to some degree programmes requiring 128 Ucas points. Reduced offers of up to 16 Ucas tariff points below the standard requirements are made to students who have engaged with outreach activities or who meet other widening participation criteria.

What are the graduate prospects?

LJMU had been rising through the ranks of the annual Graduate Outcomes survey — reaching 66th place in our analysis last year (up from 74= the year before and 86= two years earlier). However, the  latest results showed 73.7 per cent of graduates were employed in high-skilled jobs or further study 15 months on from their degrees — putting LJMU back down in the ranks to 80=. Undergraduate courses include work-based learning opportunities, from placements to sandwich years and career-boosting activities. The business faculty, for example, hosts the Liverpool Business Clinic, in which students work in a consultancy team tackling real challenges presented by the region’s businesses. Similarly, law undergraduates can gain real-world pro bono experience from the first year of study at the university’s Legal Advice Centre, and final year accounting and finance students provide services at the Accounting Clinic. 

Liverpool Screen School — which has industry-standard television and radio studios — works with industry partners such as the Royal Court Theatre and television production companies, and the Faculty of Health collaborates with Cheshire and Merseyside’s seven NHS Trusts to provide work experience opportunities for students.

What is Liverpool John Moores University’s campus like?

Life at LJMU centres on two campuses, City and Mount Pleasant, supporting about 27,000 students. Connecting them is the 3.5-acre Copperas Hill development, home to the Student Life Building and Sports Building. Specialist facilities include the six-storey, £27 million John Lennon Art and Design Building. Nursing and allied health students are based at the Tithebarn Building, which is in line for a major overhaul, as is the Henry Cotton Building for the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.

Further afield, in the Canary Islands, LJMU owns and operates the Liverpool Telescope — the world’s largest fully robotic telescope, used mainly by postgraduate students and researchers.

Everything you need to know about Liverpool John Moores University’s student life and wellbeing support

There are more than 100 university clubs and societies. The social and cultural scene in Liverpool itself is hard to beat. The two-storey Sport Building’s facilities include an eight-court sports hall, two multipurpose halls and a two-floor gym with 120 stations. There are more than 35 sports clubs to join and LJMU fields teams in the British Universities and Colleges (Bucs) league. Outdoor pitches at IM Marsh — the university’s former campus in the south of the city — are part of the development master plan.

The university’s policy for drug and alcohol prioritises student safety, offering drug-testing kits that can identify if there is anything in a student’s system should they be concerned about having been spiked or taken an unknown substance.A team of wellbeing advisers is the first port of call for students experiencing mental health issues. Counsellors provide therapy over a short-term, four-session model. Wellbeing advisers typically work on a longer-term basis. LJMU has teamed up with the University of Liverpool and Mersey Care Foundation NHS Trust on the “Liverpool Model” mental health pathway, which allows for information sharing among specific services with the aim of improving support before, during and after students are seriously unwell.

What do the students say?

"Liverpool’s welcoming atmosphere makes moving to a new city less daunting, and LJMU helps you to settle and feel supported through countless events for meeting other students. You can take part in the activities you’ve always wanted to do, with new like-minded people, at LJMU."
Daniel Firsht, students’ union president, and a business with marketing graduate

What about student accommodation at Liverpool John Moores University?

There are 200 rooms at the lowest end of the rent scale (£85 a week). With 4,000 residential spaces in the city, LJMU unconditionally guarantees accommodation to first-years — including those who secure their places via clearing.

How diverse and inclusive is Liverpool John Moores University?

Ranking in the top 50 (49th) in our social inclusion index, LJMU is fifth in England and Wales for recruitment of white working-class male students — the most underrepresented group in higher education. The university recruits more students from Northern Ireland than any university on the UK mainland.

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Liverpool John Moores University

LJMU’s support for students who have experience of care or who are estranged from their families includes the John Lennon Imagine Award — an annual bursary of £1,000 supported by Yoko Ono’s Spirit Foundation. In 2024 three in ten first-years received funding from a £2 million LJMU hardship fund.