Advice for students applying to start uni in 2021

No. If you are applying for an undergraduate degree or a PGCE then you should apply through UCAS in the usual way.

For our postgraduate courses – MA, MSc, MRes or PhD – you should apply direct to the university.

Find out more and advice on how to apply.

Interviews are still taking place and are being held online. We will provide you with full details on what to expect and how to prepare after you have applied. The format the interview takes will vary depending on the requirements of the course.

We will ask you to provide a digital portfolio, there will be no requirement for you to provide a physical portfolio of work. Find out more about what this means. What you are asked to provide will vary depending on the course and you will be given full details on formats, and what we are looking for once you have applied.

We understand that for some students it may have been difficult to work on your portfolio. When we are looking through your portfolio we will take into account that for some applicants, putting it together has been more of a challenge. Showing ideas, sketchbooks and unfinished work (from the previous year and other years) is absolutely fine. This year we will be taking a flexible approach to portfolios, including making any adjustments around deadlines that we can accommodate.

No. Entry requirements for most of our courses sit within a range, so there is no need for us to make significant changes in response to COVID. We can, and do, accept students who do not achieve the published entry requirements. This is because we make personalised offers, operating a flexible admissions policy and use the UCAS tariff to assess all kinds of achievement.

Yes. We welcome the changes to 2021 national exams announced by the government. However, we recognise that even with these measures in place, the impact of COVID on individual performance in exams and other assessments will vary greatly, with some students potentially more negatively affected than others.

At Brighton we are committed to doing all we can to support our students and applicants and to ensure that the impact of COVID on your progression to university is minimised. Our approach is guided by:

• appreciation of the complex range of factors – at regional, school and individual level – that could impact on students achieving the qualifications and grades they need to progress to higher education
• the particular challenges students from disadvantaged backgrounds are experiencing as a result of the pandemic
• how we can balance the challenges you will face this year with the mandatory requirements of the professional bodies which accredit some of our courses, like nursing and teaching.

We aim to make decisions on all applications as quickly as possible, however the time taken will depend on the course you have applied for, which may have an interview or portfolio review as part of the admissions process.

Check your applicant area regularly to make sure you have provided all the information we need to make you an offer.

Yes, if you have completed your qualifications and have your grades. At Brighton we make unconditional offers to students who already hold their qualifications. We do not change conditional offers to unconditional until we have students’ confirmed grades.

We believe it is important that you can consider which offer to accept informed by what will be best for you in the future as well as this summer. The Office for Students (OfS) has emphasised that practices such as changing conditional offers into unconditional offers and offering other inducements before results are announced is not in the long-term interests of prospective students.

If you have applied and decide to defer your place, please get in touch as soon as possible. In most cases it should be possible to hold the place open for you until 2022. Letting us know in good time that you have changed you mind will also enable us to offer the place to another student.

If you changed your mind about deferring and want to start in 2021 we will do everything we can to be flexible and make this change for you. The sooner you get in touch the more chance there will be we can make this happen.

Yes, you can apply now for 2022, you just need to indicate on your application that you wish to defer your place. We will keep in touch and will contact you well before you are due to start the course with advice and reminders on applying for accommodation and student finance.

Your offer letter explains how to accept your offer by. Eligibility for guaranteed offers of rooms in halls and for scholarships can involve meeting deadlines we will tell you about. For most undergraduate applicants you just need to make us your firm choice on UCAS Track. This year you need to have made your decision by 10 June. You can still change your mind after this date but you will need to contact UCAS for advice on how to do this.

You need to accept your offer before you can start your accommodation application.

Results day for A-levels and equivalent qualifications is Tuesday 10 August 2021, with GSCE results being published on Thursday 12 August. Results day for Scottish Highers is 10 August. Grades will be shared with us in the usual way by UCAS.

For international applicants the picture is varied. We will be monitoring and acting on the advice and guidance provided by examination boards and the UK Home Office. We will aim to be as flexible as possible when assessing both your academic and English language qualifications.

Our enquiries team can advise you on all aspects of studying here. You can reach the team on live chat, through our website and by phone during office hours.

After you apply we will communicate with you through our applicant portal, so make sure you activate your account with us. We’ll tell you how to do this after you have applied.

The 2021 academic year begins on 27 September 2021 for most courses with teaching starting the following week.

However, many education courses, some health courses including medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier teaching start date. Our adult nursing course offers start dates in September and February each year, with a January start option also available for some postgraduate business courses.

Your teaching timetable will be confirmed shortly before the start of the autumn term. Please bear in mind your timetable could be subject to some further change, particularly in the first few weeks of the term as we will need to ensure that your timetable reflects the latest government advice. Log in to the applicant portal regularly – we will send any important messages about your course to you through the portal.

We are planning in-person activities as part of your arrival. All events will reflect the relevant government advice at that time.

We will be working with Brighton Students’ Union to deliver a comprehensive Welcome programme, and there will be opportunities to get involved with the wide range of societies and all the support that is available for you from both the University and the Students’ Union. 

We are designing your teaching timetable with the aim of maximising the amount of time you can spend on campus, with measures in place to make it as safe, enjoyable and social for everyone as possible.

Depending on the government advice in place at the time there may be COVID-secure measures in place, such as some social distancing, a requirement to wear face coverings in certain settings and the provision of hand sanitiser stations. Your timetable will be planned with this in mind.

We anticipate that we will be setting expectations around regular COVID-19 testing for students and staff. We will share details with you about this nearer the time.

Every student will have timetabled on-campus, in-person learning. What this looks like will vary by course and could include seminars and tutorials, interactive workshops, studio time, clinical skills sessions and/or laboratory classes.

You should expect to have some of your timetabled learning delivered online: for example, some large group lectures may be delivered live online and will also be available as recordings. You can choose to watch at a time and place that suits you.

All students will be able to book one-to-one sessions with their personal academic tutor and their student support and guidance tutor, including face-to-face meetings in spaces that enable appropriate social distancing to be observed.

Yes, you should apply in the normal way before the 30 June deadline. We guarantee an offer of a room in our halls to all new students who apply before this date. All our halls will be organised in line with official guidance to ensure that they are safe for all residents. 

Details regarding placements will be confirmed in the coming months to ensure all arrangements are informed by the latest government advice.

Yes, we are planning on enabling all our students to spend time in our libraries and other facilities. The way in which facilities and services (including libraries, student services and catering outlets) are physically accessed will comply with the official guidance in operation at that time. Students also have access to extensive online resources 24/7. Library staff will continue to support your learning online and on campus.

We know from our experience during the pandemic that our students have enjoyed many of the aspects of digital learning and support that we have provided and so we are continuing to invest in dedicated tools to deliver more accessible and interactive content via My Studies, our existing online hub for learning and teaching activities, support, and resources, which already complements face-to-face teaching.

We will be doing everything reasonably possible to ensure that our campuses and facilities are safe for our students and staff and comply with official guidance. 

Please contact our Admissions Team to discuss your concerns. 

No, we are not holding on-campus events for prospective students at the moment.

You can get a feel for our accommodation, learning facilities and campuses. Explore online 24/7 and take a wander around with our virtual tours.

Yes, if you are considering undergrad or postgrad study you can expect to meet our student recruitment team if you sign up for online fairs and events. We are attending events hosted by UCAS, UKUniSearch, Prospects and many more organisations. We may also be attending online events at your college.

Sign up for email updates if you haven’t done so already. We’ll keep you up to date with information about the subjects you’re interested in and upcoming events, so you have all the latest from us.

Follow us on social – Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and chat to our lovely students on Unibuddy.

Applications for university accommodation are open now. The deadline is 30 June. You need to make Brighton your firm choice before you can apply.

Every eligible student who applies by the deadline is guaranteed an offer of a room in halls.

We have halls of residence on each of our teaching campuses and a residential site at Varley Park which is situated between our Falmer and Moulsecoomb campuses in Brighton. Students starting courses from September 2021 will also have the option of 800 brand-new student halls located on our biggest campus at Moulsecoomb.

Our team are here to advise students of all their accommodation options including private halls and shared houses with other Brighton students.

Whilst you can’t visit our campuses at the moment you can explore our halls now by viewing our 360º tours. You can also message our students and ask them about their experiences, and read their blogs about accommodation, moving away from home and lots more.

Student finance applications are now open.

You can see details of the scholarships, bursaries and other financial support we provide here.

If you expect your household income to be more than 15% lower in the current tax year than it was last year ask for a Current Year Income (CYI) assessment when making your Student Finance England application.