Travelling to the UK

The university has campuses on the south coast of the UK in Brighton and Eastbourne.

Check where your course is based, so you know which campus you need to travel to once you arrive in the UK. Details of where your course is based can be found on can be found on the webpage for your course.

The UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is changing at the pandemic evolves. It is important to understand however that the rules that apply to you depend on when you arrived in the UK.

The government has put in place a number of testing/quarantine requirements for individuals arriving in the UK from abroad. Travellers from red-list countries are subject to the strictest requirements and need to stay in government mandated hotels on arrival. Travellers from the rest of the world may or may not need to quarantine in their own accommodation, depending on vaccination status.

In order to find out if any restrictions will apply to you when you arrive you should check the government website for the latest guidance before you make your travel plans. You can also read our FAQs for international students which are updated regularly in line with government guidance.

latest government advice on travelling into the UK

International student FAQs

Before you travel

When travelling into the UK you will need to be aware of the current COVID-19 restrictions in place and how these may affect your journey. Please read our international student FAQs and the UK government's website before you travel.

Before you begin your journey to the UK read through the UKCISA guide to arriving in the UK; it has useful information on immigration, UK public transport, what money to bring with you and how you can call home once you arrive.

When you arrive in the UK

You will need your passport or identity card to enter the UK. If you are from the EEA or Switzerland from the 1 October 2021 you have not be able to use your identity card unless you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit.

If you need a Student visa to study in the UK, you will also need this when you arrive. You can find out more and get in touch with our visa team for advice on our visas and immigration page. Make sure you read the UK government guidance on this in advance and be prepared.

Registering with the UK police

After arriving, students from some countries are required to register with the police within seven days of arrival. If you need to register, this should be written on your visa or Biometric Residence Permit as ‘Police Registration’ or ‘Pol Registration’. In some cases it may only written on the decision letter you received from the Home Office when the supporting documents from your visa application were returned to you, so please do check this as well.

We are not currently arranging group police registration sessions for new students. Appointment need to be made with the Police Nationality Unit directly. For more information and to book a place on a session visit our Police Registration page.

Visit the Sussex Police website for all information on police registration.

Collecting your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

If you applied for a Student Route visa from outside of the UK and are required to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) on arrival, you are usually required to collect this within 10 days of arrival to the UK. If you are not able to collect your BRP within 10 days due to mandatory quarantine, this is not a problem.

Find out more about living in the UK

Getting to the University of Brighton

The University of Brighton is based in two cities - make sure you have checked whether your course is based in Brighton or Eastbourne before you leave your home country so that you know which you need to travel to once you arrive in the UK. If you're not sure, you can check with your academic school.

Brighton

Three of our campuses are in the city of Brighton:

  • Falmer campus
  • City campus
  • Moulsecoomb campus

Here is a map of our Brighton campuses.

Eastbourne

The Eastbourne campus is based at two places in the town.

Here is a map of our Eastbourne campus.

There are a number of taxi companies providing an airport collection service, so you may wish to do your own research. Some local companies are:

You can get to Brighton and Eastbourne by train or coach from the airport.

Check the departure times for transport from your airport:

It is compulsory to wear a mask or face covering on some public transport services including the London Underground in the UK so please make sure you have a mask with you in case you need to wear it.

Once you've made it to Brighton or Eastbourne, you'll need to consider your onward travel to your accommodation. Check which train or bus stop your accommodation is nearest to, alternatively if you have a lot of luggage with you, it might be easiest to take a taxi to your accommodation.

Arrival at your accommodation

If you have a place in University of Brighton halls of residence or managed accommodation, our accommodation team will have sent you information about what to do when you arrive at your accommodation.

If you have any questions about your accommodation please contact accommodation@brighton.ac.uk.

See information about living here

Contacting home

Once you have arrived at your new home, you might like to call your friends and family to let them know you have arrived safely.

Now that you're in the UK you will need to use the international dialling code for the country you are calling in order to get through.

Find out the international dialling code for your country.

If you do not wish to use your mobile phone to call, our halls of residence have pay phones on site that you can use.

Find out more about living in the UK before you get here.

Find out more about what the start of the academic year will look like at Belong at Brighton.

Orientation

Details of our orientation programme for students starting courses in January and February will be available shortly. You'll receive an email from us with instructions on how to book your place.

Find out more about orientation