Advice for mature students

What are my options if I don't have A-level qualifications?

Not having A-level qualifications should not stop you from considering studying for a university qualification.

We welcome applications from students with qualifications and experience beyond A-levels, for example a BTEC Diploma, professional qualification or an Open University foundation course.

Relevant work experience can also be regarded as equivalent to formal qualifications in some cases.

Your previous study and/or experience could mean that you can gain exemptions for some elements of your university course while you are here. For example, you could progress straight to year two of a degree course. Or you may gain exemptions for specific modules.

If you do not have O-level or GCSE qualifications we may in some cases require you to take a GCSE equivalency test, or advise you to take an Access course that is relevant to the degree you wish to study.

What are Access courses and who are they for?

The Access to Higher Education Diploma prepares you for university-level study. It is designed for mature students who have the ability to study at degree level but lack the necessary formal qualifications or have been out of education for some years.

Access courses typically include a number of academic subjects relevant to your intended degree course plus a compulsory core element including numeracy, literacy, IT and communication skills.

Access Diplomas are a recognised route into many of our courses here at Brighton.

Most Access courses can be completed full-time in one year or part-time over two or more years.

What academic support is available to mature students?

If you have taken a break from academic study you may be concerned about your study or time management skills, or how to make the most of library and computing resources.

If so, you are not alone. Many students have these concerns and there's no evidence that mature students have less effective study skills than school leavers.

We offer free weekly group study support sessions covering issues like examination techniques, note taking and essay writing. These run on each of our campuses during the autumn term and are open to anyone who wishes to attend.

You will also have access to our online academic study kit which provides resources and advice on developing and improving the skills you will need for your course.

Balancing life, work and your studies

Study part-time

You can study many postgraduate courses on a part-time basis. We have a number undergraduate courses which are taught on a part-time basis. Some courses are also available on a distance learning basis.

Take breaks from study

To make it easier to study for postgraduate qualifications while you work or take care of family, many of our postgraduate masters courses offer intermediate awards like the postgraduate certificate (PGCert) and postgraduate diploma (PGDip). 

You can complete a PGCert or PGDip and then take a break from studying, returning at a later date to study for a masters.

Working while you study

For most full-time undergraduate courses we don't recommend that students work more than 12 to 15 hours a week during the term. However, some courses are more time-intensive than others.

Courses where you spend a lot of time on placement, such as nursing or teaching, will require more time. Even if you only have 12 hours of teaching a week on your course, you will still be expected to do a lot of independent study, group work and assignments. As a rough guide, for every hour of face-to-face teaching on an academic course, there will be at least two to three hours of other study-related activities.

Speak to course tutors and current students when you come to one of our open days and find out what is realistic for your course.

Already working full-time?

We offer a number of courses that are designed for people already working full-time. They often include work-based learning modules, with lectures and tutorials all on one day of the week, in the evenings or on Saturdays.

You can use the course finder to identify courses with part-time study options.

Extra support if you have children

You could be eligible for extra support with childcare or general study costs if you have children and are studying at university full-time.

We also have a nursery with subsidised places for the children of students and staff.