Advice for students applying to uni in 2025

We are here for you at every stage of your application. We can help with any questions you have, support you in making a strong application and help ensure you make the choices that best meet your aspirations for the future.

This page is updated regularly and if we hold your contact details, we will get in touch by email to tell you about important changes. You can sign up for updates.

This FAQ covers:

Open days and getting to know the University of Brighton
Applying, entry requirements, admissions and offers
Attending an applicant event
Getting your offer
Booking accommodation
Arranging student finance

Join us at an open day

Headlines: what you need to know

You can book a place on an open day now.
We will also be running events for applicants on campus and online throughout the spring.
Accommodation booking opens in April.
We’ll let you know when you can apply for student finance – this is usually in the spring.
For most courses, the deadline to apply is Wednesday 29 January 2025, but many courses will continue to accept applications after this point.
For most students applying through UCAS the deadline by which you need to make your firm offer choice is Thursday 4 June 2025.
A-level, BTEC and T-Level results day is Thursday 14 August 2025, with GSCE results being published on Thursday 21 August 2025.

1. Open days and getting to know the University of Brighton

We are running undergraduate open days for students planning to start courses in 2025 in October and November 2024. After that our next undergraduate open days will be in June 2025 for students planning to start courses in 2026. We hold events for postgraduate courses too. Find out more about postgrad events.

We run regular live online advice sessions on subjects from choosing the right course, writing your personal statement, completing your UCAS and student finance applications and more. Sign up for advice sessions.
We welcome students and visitors on to campus all year round. If you can’t make it to an open day you would be welcome to come to a campus tour in the spring.

In March and April we hold applicant events on campus – these events are designed for applicants and offer holders.

Our applicant events are a great way to find out more about your course from current students and staff, and you’ll be also able to hear about student life, explore your accommodation options and get expert advice on student finance and support services.

If you can’t make it to campus, we also run online events for applicants in February.

You can explore online 24/7 now and take virtual tours of accommodation, learning facilities and our campuses.
As well as chatting to our student ambassadors at campus and online events we recommend you:
- explore Brighton Student Bloggers where our current students blog about their Brighton experience and give top tips and advice
- chat online to a current student and ask them questions about their course, why they choose Brighton and how they are finding student life
- sign up for email updates. We’ll keep you up to date with the topics and events you’re interested in.
- keep in touch by following us on social – Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube.

2. Applying, entry requirements, admissions and offers

If you are applying for an undergraduate degree, then you should apply through UCAS. If you are applying for a PGCE then you should apply through the Department for Education's Apply service.

For part-time and postgraduate courses – MA, MSc, MRes or PhD you apply direct to the university.

Visit your course page and use the apply online link.

Find out about making the best of your application with our advice on how to apply.
Interviews can take place online or on campus and are also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the university and what to expect if you choose to study with us. We will confirm interview details with you after you have applied. The format the interview takes will vary depending on the requirements of the course. You can use our course finder to confirm interview requirements. Attending an online advice event can help you prepare.
Admission to courses involving portfolio has two stages.

1. Firstly, our admissions team will review your application. If you meet the academic criteria they will offer you a place on the course subject to successful portfolio review. You will be advised on how to prepare your portfolio and the deadline by which you need to submit it.

2. After you submit your portfolio it will be reviewed by the course team and if they conclude your portfolio demonstrates potential to succeed on your chosen course your offer of a place will be confirmed. Your offer may still be conditional on meeting the academic requirements – this will be set out in your offer letter.

How will you review my portfolio?
Where admission to a course involves portfolio review, we will ask you to supply this digitally, there will be no requirement for you to provide a physical portfolio of work. What you are asked to provide will vary depending on the course and you will be given full details once you have applied.

We run online advice sessions on portfolio preparation which we recommend you attend.
This depends on when you apply, what kind of course you have applied for and whether we have all the information we need from you to make a decision. We make undergraduate course offers from October through to mid-May, with most offers being made between February – April.

If you are waiting to hear from us it is worth checking:

Have you provided the all the information we have requested?
Our admissions team may need some additional information about you or your qualifications before they can make you an offer. You can manage your application and respond to the team’s requests through Student View.

Have you shared your portfolio?
Many of our art and design courses require you to share a digital portfolio with us. Your offer will be provisional subject to portfolio review until we receive and can review your portfolio.

Have you responded to our interview request?
Applicants on interviewing courses will not be made an offer until after they have attended interview. Please make sure you check Student View and respond promptly to our interview invitation.

Have you checked the timeline for offer making on your chosen course?
If you attend an interview for one of our health courses, it may be some time before you hear the outcome. Offers are not made for these courses until we have assessed all applications received before the UCAS equal consideration deadline.
If you have applied and decide to defer your place to next year, please get in touch with us as soon as possible to let us know. In most cases it should be possible to hold the place open for you. 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 change your mind about deferring and want to start this year, we will also 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.

3. Attending an applicant event

All of our courses offer applicant events. Applicants on most courses can book a place at an applicant event after they apply, there is no need to wait until you have been made an offer. You can find out more about what to expect and confirm whether your course is taking part in applicant events.

Don’t worry if you are unable to attend. You’ll have lots of other opportunities to meet us, including our open days in the summer term and our ‘Belong at Brighton’ online programme of events and activities. This runs from April throughout the summer and is designed to help you get ready and feel fully prepared for university.

4. Getting your offer

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 the admissions team will communicate with you through our student portal, which is called Student View, make sure you activate your account with us so you can access Student View. We’ll tell you how to do this after you have applied.

5. Booking accommodation

Yes, we do. We guarantee all eligible students an offer of a room in one of our halls of residence.

To be eligible for our guaranteed offer you must:
- make Brighton your firm choice of university
- be starting your first year of full-time study in the autumn term *
- book you university accommodation by the deadline we tell you about.
When you book we will ask you to identify up to four preferences. We aim to offer everyone one of their top two preferences but can’t guarantee this.

We recommend thinking about how close your accommodation preferences are to your study campus.
- City campus-based courses: Phoenix Brewery halls, Mithras halls
- Moulsecoomb-based courses: Mithras halls, Varley Park halls
- Falmer-based courses: Paddock Field halls, Great Wilkins halls, Varley Park halls
*Your course must also run for at least 31 weeks and not include a placement which requires living away from university during term time in your first year.

6. Arranging student finance

Student finance applications open in spring 2025.

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

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.

Young people born in the UK after 1 September 2002 now have access to the savings held within their Child Trust Funds (CTF) – this is a long-term savings account to which the government made a contribution of £250. CTF have an average value of £1,500.