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.

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 the disruption caused by 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 made 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.

If you have applied and then 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 to 2022 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, if you are applying through UCAS you can’t submit your application until September 2021 however.

If you have applied through Clearing you will need to accept your offer by logging on to UCAS Track and following the instructions there. For postgraduate courses the way you accept your offer depends on a range of factors, follow the advice that applies to you.

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.

It is therefore important that you check the start date for your course. This is provided on your offer letter – a copy can be downloaded from the applicant portal.

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.

We want you to spend as much time on campus as possible. From semester 1 of the academic year which starts in September, every student will have face-to-face, on-campus learning in their timetable.

Find your course and check the advice under “How this course is delivered’ for more details of what this looks like for your course.

Arrangements for activities such as placements, site visits and trips will be informed by the government guidance in operation at that time. We are not currently planning to run this kind of activity outside the UK in semester 1 of the 2021-2022 academic year.

Yes, we want to maximise the time you can spend on campus, for teaching, socialising, keeping fit and making the most of your university experience. Campus facilities such libraries, study spaces, gyms and food outlets will all be open.

In semester 1 our lecture theatres, seminar rooms and specialist teaching facilities, including labs, studios, workshops and simulation suites will all be open and in use. Our libraries, study spaces, computer suites, sport and fitness facilities and food outlets will all be open without restrictions.

Whilst formal restrictions have been removed, we strongly encourage all campus users to continue to behave in a respectful and safe manner, to wear face coverings in transit and to exercise good personal judgement in regard to hygiene and social distancing – particularly where there is a risk of overcrowding.

It is important that we all continue to wash or sanitise our hands frequently, and we will continue to provide appropriate stations and enhanced cleaning services to support this. Ventilation will also continue to play an important role.

Testing plays an important part in keeping us all safe. Staff and students will be expected to continue to test regularly. In addition to the home test kits available via the Government website, all staff and students can collect Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests from sites across the University.

The use of vaccines is significantly reducing the link between infection and severe disease and death from COVID-19. With a sufficiently high proportion of the population vaccinated, higher education, along with other sections of society, will be able to operate without many of the restrictions we have all faced since March 2020.

Vaccines are available to everyone aged 18 and over, and to those within three months of turning 18. We know many of you will already have taken up this offer but, if you have not done so already, please ensure you receive both your COVID vaccination doses as soon as possible. We have asked all our returning students and applicants to get vaccinated, this will help to keep the university whole community safe.

Like all universities, we will continue to follow Government guidance for the sector and will continue to monitor the development of the pandemic with support and advice from our local Director of Public Health. Should there be a worsening of the pandemic, and Public Health advice requires us to make changes, we have robust plans in place for students to continue their studies remotely and for additional safety measures to be introduced on campus, including, for example, the requirement to wear face coverings in specified settings.

Yes there will. We understand that, like any new experience, there’s a lot to take in when you start uni. Belong at Brighton is our way of helping you get prepared, meet people, and start in September feeling that you belong at Brighton.

The Belong at Brighton programme starts online from 11 August, with in-person events from the start of term. Belong at Brighton events cover a wide range of topics from finance and wellbeing to making the most of what Sport Brighton and the student union offers and more. You can dip in and out of events, and take things at your own pace. There are also plenty of chances to meet other students taking the same and similar courses as you and get advice about ow to prepare for your course.

We are working with Brighton Students’ Union to deliver this comprehensive 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. 

The application deadline was 30 June. Our accommodation team are here to help you now, and we are currently still accepting applications for halls in Eastbourne. For Brighton-based courses you can register your interest in halls. The accommodation team can keep you updated on any late availability and advise you on the alternatives, there is also a good supply of private student halls, close to our campuses and the city centre.

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 be the first to enjoy the 800 brand-new student halls (some with panoramic sea views!) located on our biggest campus at Moulsecoomb.

We guarantee everyone who applies for halls is an offer a room in our halls. You’ll hear from us with details of your room offer after your application status changes to unconditional firm. You’ll have up to three days to decide whether to accept this offer, though you can accept straight away if you prefer, this will really help our team.

If you don’t hear about your room offer immediately please don’t worry. We make our room offers in batches to enable us to match as many students as possible with their top preferences. Our allocation policy explains how it works.

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 be the first to enjoy the 800 brand-new student halls (some with panoramic sea views!) located on our biggest campus at Moulsecoomb.

You can best explore our rooms and 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.