Your Brighton Summer Boost

Be sure to also check out our scholarships, all the benefits and resources covered by your tuition fee at Brighton, what extras to budget for, support you can call on when you need it, and how to boost your income with great student employment opportunities.

Check your postcode to find out what you could get

Boost FAQ

• What is IMD?

  IMD stands for the Index of Multiple Deprivation, this is a UK government measure used to classify postcodes in England based on factors which include income, employment, education, housing, and crime rate.

  IMD rankings range from 1 to 5 quintiles (sometimes extended to 10 deciles), where typically IMD quintile 1 indicates higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage and quintile 5 indicates comparatively lower levels of disadvantage.

  The University of Brighton uses this classification to target additional support for eligible students.

• How does the postcode checker work?

  Our postcode checker uses the postcode you entered—which should be the one you’re using for your Student Finance England application—to confirm IMD quintile.

  Once we determine your IMD quintile, we can show you what support you could qualify for at Brighton. This could include reduced grade offer and financial help with accommodation, travel and study costs.

• I live outside England. Am I eligible for Brighton Boost or contextual admissions?

  Yes. If you live in a postcode outside England, you may still qualify for certain elements of Brighton Boost and a reduced grade offer due to our flexible, personalised approach to admissions.

  We consider every application individually and we would encourage you to provide information about any challenges you’ve faced that fall outside our standard contextual criteria in your application.

• What if my IMD categorisation is not what I expected?

  The IMD data we use is sourced directly from official government statistics and is regularly updated. If you believe there is an error, you can contact our admissions team via your Student View account to discuss your individual circumstances.

• What support can I get if my household income is under £25,000?

  If you live in an eligible postcode and your household income is under £25,000, you may qualify for support from Brighton Boost in your first year and then further support in subsequent years of study.

  The bursary provides £500 in Year 2 and Year 3 of your studies (full-time students) once we’ve confirmed your household income status through Student Finance England.

  We’ll verify your eligibility after we receive your official student finance information, usually within the first term.

• How do I apply for a contextual offer?

  You don’t need to make a separate application to receive a contextual offer. When you apply through UCAS, we automatically consider your postcode (using IMD data) and other relevant factors to see if you qualify for a contextual offer.

  If you do qualify, your offer will include lower UCAS point requirements or A-Level grades. More details can be found on our Contextual Admissions Policy page.

• What if my circumstances change?

  If you change your permanent home address or your financial circumstances change significantly, please let us know as soon as possible. We’ll re-check your eligibility for a contextual offer or financial support accordingly.

• Are international or EU students eligible for Brighton Boost?

  Brighton Boost is primarily designed for students who are classed as ‘home’ students for fee purposes and/or who are using Student Finance England.

  International and EU students might be eligible for other forms of support or scholarships depending on their residency status and chosen course.

  Please contact the internationaloffice@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

• Are BSMS students eligible for Brighton Boost?

  BSMS students starting courses in 2025 who are classed as ‘home’ students for fee purposes and/or who are applying to Student Finance England for support with tuition fees and living costs are eligible for support from Brighton Boost in the same way as other Brighton students. BSMS students, like other Brighton healthcare students, are generally not eligible for support from Brighton Boost with their travel costs.

• Do you offer Brighton Boost to students who apply during Clearing?

  Students starting courses in 2025 who apply through Clearing and who are classed as ‘home’ students for fee purposes and/or who are applying to Student Finance England for support with tuition fees and living costs are eligible for a range support from Brighton Boost in the same way as other eligible Brighton students. Help with accommodation costs is available to students starting courses in 2025 who apply to Brighton before 30 June 2025.

Get a Boosted Start

What you could get  

If you’re starting a full time undergraduate course in 2025, you could receive a Get Started Boost to help with your commuting costs in your first year. This support is based on how far you live from your main teaching campus during term time. If your term time address is within 15 miles, you’ll receive £500. If you live more than 15 miles away, you’ll receive £700. 

This is awarded automatically after enrolling on your course. You will need to be in an English postcode

How it works

Eligible students who are starting full-time undergraduate courses in 2025 and who are travelling from their term-time address to study are eligible for at least £500 to help them meet first year travel costs.

£700 is available for eligible students with longer daily journeys to university.

Who is eligible 

• Full-time, UK University of Brighton undergraduate students living in eligible IMD Q1, 2 or 3 postcode area local postcodes, who are starting courses in 2025.
• You also need to be
  • normally resident in England
  • and a UK national, or an Irish citizen, or have settled status.

Exception: Students starting healthcare courses

Students starting healthcare courses who are eligible for NHS Learning Support funding and/or NHS help are not eligible for Brighton Boost 'Get Started' support if living outside of university halls.

Local students (within 15 miles)

If you live between 0–15 miles from your Brighton campus you can receive £500 in your first year to help you get started.

• If you're also eligible for the Brighton bursary, this rises to £1,000 in Year 1, plus £500 in years 2 and 3.

• If you’re a care leaver or estranged student, this increases to £1,500 in Year 1, plus £1,000 in years 2 and 3.

Commuter students (over 15 miles)

If you live more than 15 miles away, you can receive £700 in Year 1.

• With the Brighton bursary, total first-year support is £1,200.

• For care leavers or estranged students, this rises to £1,700.

Brighton Students Job Hub

Our Student Jobs Hub can connect you with hundreds of flexible employment opportunities across the university and with local employers.

Options on campus include regular part-time work in our libraries, sports centres and cafes, project work in different university departments and representing the university as a student ambassador. You could earn over £80 for helping at an open day, for example. We can also connect you with hundreds more part-time jobs with local employers in Brighton and beyond.

Find out more about the Student Jobs Hub.

BSU Essentials

BSU Essentials is a brilliant Brighton Students' Union initiative. BSU Essentials helps make sure that every Brighton student has access to the grocery and essentials that they need so that you can focus on what really matters – your studies and making the most of your uni life.

Find out more about BSU Essentials.

Free student parking on campus

Overview

If you are not in living halls and your term-time address is 30 miles from campus, or more than 45 minutes away by public transport you can apply for a free campus parking e-permit to help make your journey to uni easier.

Blue badge holders, students with health issues, caring and childcare responsibilities, and students living in halls who need a car to attend placement are also eligible for a campus e-permit and free student parking.

How it works

There are no parking charges for student e-permit holders.

Eligible students can apply for permit after they have enrolled online in August.

You need to have an e-permit before parking on campus.

Who is eligible

• Students whose term-time address is 30 miles or more from campus.
• Students whose address is more than 45 minutes away by public transport.
• Students whose term-time address is under 45 minutes away but whose journey involves two modes of transport, eg bus and train.
• Students who live nearer to the university and who meet one or more of the following criteria are also eligible:
  • blue badge holders/students with health issues (you will need to show us a medical professional letter)
  • students with unpaid caring and childcare responsibilities for family or friends who cannot cope without their support
  • students living in halls who need a car to attend placement.
• Other students who can demonstrate their home or caring responsibilities cannot be met without access to campus parking

Free technology loan scheme

If you don’t have access to a suitable computer, or your personal laptop breaks down, we can lend you one for free for up to a month.

There are over 2,500 PC and Mac workstations on our campuses, and a range of media production facilities which are free for you to use.