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 will still take place and will be held online. We will provide you with you 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 also be running online drop-in advice events to support students whose courses involve interview.

We will be asking for digital portfolios, 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 will run online advice events to support you in preparing your portfolio.

We understand that for some students it may be difficult to work on creating a portfolio in the same way that you would usually. When we are looking through your online portfolios we will be aware that for some applicants, putting it together has been more of a challenge during the pandemic – and because of this we want to reassure you that showing ideas, sketchbooks and unfinished work (from the previous year and other years) is absolutely fine. This year we will be taking a more flexible approach to portfolios, including any adjustments around deadlines that we can accommodate while you are under lockdown. However, sending it to us so that we can see work you have done so far is the most important step you can take in becoming a University of Brighton student in 2021.

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, operate a flexible admissions policy and use the UCAS tariff to assess all kinds of achievement.

Yes. We welcome the contingency plans and changes to 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 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 will taken depend on the course you have applied for, which may have an interview or portfolio review as part of the admissions process.

As our admissions team are working remotely please bear with us and check your applicant area regularly to make sure you have provided all the information we need to make you an offer.

The deadline to make your decision on which offer to accept is 10 June 2021. There is no advantage in accepting the place earlier – it is important to take your time, attend applicant events and talk to students and staff and be confident in your choice of course and university.

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 before results are announced is not in the long-term interests of prospective students. For the same reason, the OfS has advised all higher education providers not to make time-limited offers, lower than usual conditional offers or provide other inducements to incentivise firm accepts.

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.

For most students applying for undergraduate courses the UCAS decision deadline is 10 June 2021.

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, with teaching for most courses starting the following week.

Teaching on many education courses, some health courses including Medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier start date.

Our Adult Nursing course offers to start dates in September and February each year, with a January start option also available for some postgraduate business courses.

It is 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.

Teaching timetables are confirmed shortly before the start of term. Bear in mind your timetable could be subject to some change, particularly in the first few weeks of the term.

Our next online open days will take place in the summer term. Talks and tours from our autumn open days are available to view on demand. Take a look at our online open day page.

We are running online events for applicants in the spring term, look out for your invitation.

We run regular live tasters and advice sessions and online events for students considering postgraduate study at Brighton too. You can book on these events here.

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 open on Tuesday 6 April. The deadline is usually the end of June. You need to make Brighton your firm choice before you can apply. We’ll let you know when applications open.

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 brand-new student halls located at 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 open in February 2021.

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.