Post-16

In-college

Our team offers a comprehensive programme of talks to provide support throughout college, covering all aspect of applying to university. The team, and student ambassadors, are also able to attend parents/carers events - this can be a talk about progression to HE, or a stand to raise awareness of degree options. Further applicant support includes personal statement checking.

To discuss these opportunities being delivered in your college please contact outreach@brighton.ac.uk.

• Thinking about university
  We help students to think about what to consider when going to university.
• Student life at university
  Our students deliver this talk about the student experience.
• Applying to university, including personal statements
  We cover the UCAS application process, including the UCAS timeline, what universities are looking for in applicants, and  how to write a strong personal statement.
• Interview preparation
  How students can prepare for a university interview, providing tips, advice and information on the process.
• Student funding and finance
  We cover student funding, finance and repayment arrangements as well as tips on how to manage money at university and information on bursaries.
• Studying healthcare courses at university
  This talk is for students interested in NHS professions including nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, occupational therapy, podiatry and physiotherapy.
• Studying teaching courses at university
  This talk is for students who are interested in training to become a teacher, either at primary or secondary level.
• Studying art and design courses at university
  This talk is for students interested in art and design-related courses at university level.

Subject talks

Subject talks are a valuable opportunity for students to learn about all aspects of studying a subject at university level, from application, course content, the skills you develop, placement opportunities and potential career paths.

Academics from the University of Brighton may be available to deliver talks in your college; please contact outreach@brighton.ac.uk to enquire.

Talks cover the following subject areas:

• architecture and interior architecture
• art and design
• business
• civil engineering and the built environment
• creative writing
• early childhood education and care
• education
• geography
• humanities
• law
• marketing
• media
• philosophy
• product design
• social sciences.

Subject taster sessions

At the University of Brighton, we organise and deliver free taster days for our partner sixth forms and colleges to bring their students to visit us and get a taste of what it’s like to study at university.

A typical visit runs from 10am to 2pm at one of our campuses (Moulsecoomb, Falmer or City) and includes a subject taster talk/workshop, an information and guidance talk, and a campus tour. You can request a taster on any of the areas below or search subjects on our website. The tasters we can offer are subject to the availability of our academics and may vary throughout the year.

• Applied Sciences (biology and ecology, biomedical science, geography, pharmacy)
• Architecture, Technology, and Engineering (architecture and design, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, computing, construction and building)
• Art and Media (fashion, textiles, 3D design, media and film, fine art, journalism, photography, sound and music, animation, illustration, graphic design)
• Business and Law (accounting, finance, economics, business management, law, marketing)
• Education and Teaching (early childhood education and care, professional practice, primary and secondary education)
• Humanities and Social Science (counselling and psychotherapy, creative writing, criminology, sociology, humanities, literature, politics, psychology, social work)
• Sport and Health Sciences (allied health professions, nursing, midwifery, physical education, sport science, sport coaching)

Please complete a Subject Taster Request Form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

On-campus

Our team has many opportunities to visit our campuses across the year including open days, campus tours, applicant events and summer schools.

Check out our on-campus events.

HE Fairs - meet us on the road

If students can’t make it to one of our open days, they can chat to a member of our student recruitment team at a higher education fair. We attend these fairs across the UK and internationally. To discuss us attending an in-college or school fair, please contact studentrecruitment@brighton.ac.uk.

Come and meet us at one of our upcoming HE fairs.

Offer holders

As a Brighton offer holder, you have a dedicated area where you can find out more about Brighton, its staff and students, and connect with other offer holders.

Explore the benefits of studying at Brighton, financial support and how to accept your offer.

CPD for teachers and advisers

We offer teachers and advisers at our partner schools and colleges a range of support:

• up-to-date information on changes in higher education, entry requirements, UCAS and student finance
• ongoing support, advice and training (CPD) for staff who advise on progression to higher education
• guidance on reference writing and how to support students with their UCAS application.

To discuss these activities being delivered in your college please contact outreach@brighton.ac.uk.

Exam and revision guide

To make sure you do well in exams, effective revision is essential. Discovering the study strategies that work best for you will improve your understanding and help your memory, ultimately boosting your exam performance. 

Follow the link Ultimate guide to effective revision for exams to read tried and tested revision techniques and order your free revision wall planner.

Who we support

In addition to our offer detailed above, we provide additional opportunities to students from backgrounds under-represented in higher education, to ensure that students are making informed decisions regarding their post 16 options.

We welcome students to join our programme if they:

• are in care or have been in care before
• have lost contact with their family. Often referred to as estranged, but not in the care of the local authority
• have a diagnosed disability (including a learning disability)
• are a young carer
• receive the 16–19 bursary, or received free school meals or pupil premium at secondary school
• are a refugee or asylum seeker
• are studying an Access to Higher Education course or are a mature student.

Outreach programme

The University of Brighton Outreach programme offers additional activities to students who meet our widening participation criteria. These include one to one personal statement and interview preparation activities and summer schools. If you meet one of our criteria, please complete the application form to join our outreach programme.

Personal statement and interview support

The University of Brighton is delighted to be able to offer online one-to-one personal statement and interview support for students from our partner colleges.

These sessions involve a 30-minute meeting with one of our Outreach Coordinators on Teams. You will receive an email to arrange a time slot on your chosen day and details of how to join the online Teams meeting.

Summer schools

Each July we deliver on-campus and online Summer schools in a range of subjects for year 12 /first year of 6th form or college students who meet our widening access criteria. These projects give students the change to experience university subjects and student life in an immersive way. Applications for our 2025 on-campus and online summer schools are now open.

Email outreach@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

Brighton Boost and Contextual Admissions

Going to university is a great investment, but we know the cost can require careful planning. The Brighton Boost will help students to make the best possible start – with funding and support to help them with the cost of living and university services that will make everyday things just that little bit easier throughout their time here.

For certain courses, our Contextual Admissions Policy enables us to consider the personal, social and educational circumstances that may have affected students' academic performance or reduced their access to educational and other opportunities.

Mature learners

Thousands of people choose to study higher education several years after leaving college. The diversity of work and life experience that mature students bring is a valuable part of our university community.

We understand that studying as a mature student is often a balancing act with work and family commitments, so we're here to offer advice on everything from choosing a course to making an application, preparing to start and supporting you during your degree.

For students on Access to HE courses, we offer one-to-one sessions on writing personal statements and interview preparation.

We also host a dedicated Access Conference every year on campus.

The events listed above are currently running online until further notice. For further information, visit our events page.

For comprehensive advice and support, visit our advice for mature students page.

Care leavers and estranged students

Our work with care experienced young people has been a key priority for the team during our 15 years of outreach. Targeted activities for care experienced students, as well as partnership working with local virtual schools, social workers and foster carers have established us as a trusted partner locally. Activities include paid train travel to our campus for one-to-one campus visits and opportunities to meet our students. Application support, and advice about grants and bursaries, is also available.

Support available at university for care leavers includes:

• Help with money – the University of Brighton care leaver’s bursary, financial advice, and additional financial support from the university and government.
• Guaranteed all year round accommodation in your first year.
• A personal student support and guidance tutor, who can help if you are struggling with your studies or need other support.
• Emotional support and wellbeing – counselling services if you are experiencing stress or difficulty in or outside of university.
• Study skills assistance – to help you with the academic demands of university, we have study skills sessions and online support.
• Mentoring - we can guarantee a mentor to all care leavers - we have identity and non-identity based programmes and amazing professionals trained ready to support care leavers. Once students start at Brighton we have an online application which asks for some information before we match students and mentors.
• Student Ambassadors role – guaranteed interview for our paid ambassador role.
• Amazon voucher.

As signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant, we offer bespoke advice and a named contact to support applicants in their transition to university. Alongside these events, we host annual visits for refugee/asylum-seeking students at partner colleges to explore pathways and university options.

Email aboutuni@brighton.ac.uk for more information.