Colleges and sixth forms

Support for partner sixth forms, colleges and parents  

Our outreach team supports teachers, advisers, parents and carers, all of whom help shape young people’s decisions about higher education. 

We offer online and in-person events, advice, training (CPD) and a wide range of courses for teachers and advisers to help year 12 and year 13 students to consider university as an option – from choosing what to study to applications and finances. This includes information on changes in higher education, admissions and entry requirements, the UCAS process, and student funding and finance.

We run events including:

• post-16 talks – covering all elements of the application process, these talks and workshops are delivered through partner sixth forms and colleges
• subject tasters – taster lectures and subjects conferences
• summer schools – a four-day interactive summer school programme based around a subject research report
• online open days and in-person campus tours – open to all prospective students.

We also run a series of talks for parents and carers designed to help support young people as they make their decisions about going on to university.

To book onto events or for more information, please visit our events page.

Online University Guide 

Students who meet the widening participation criteria (outlined in the next tab), have exclusive access to our Online University Guide.

Once you have signed up the Outreach programme you will be sent the link to this guide. The guide offers students a programme of work to complete, with key information to support their journey through further education and how to apply to university.

This guide includes sessions on:  

• How to choose the right course and university for you  
• Making a strong application  
• How to write a good personal statement  
• Interview support  
• Student finance explained 
• Student experience tasters.

Widening participation

In addition to our outreach offer, we provide opportunities to students from backgrounds under-represented in higher education to support their progression to university. 

Who we support
We work with our partner schools and colleges across Sussex and beyond to raise the aspirations of students living in postcode areas where people are less likely to go to university.

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.

Registering for the programme will give you priority access to our events. Students can apply using this application form.

What does the widening participation programme include?

We offer events and activities including:

• taster lectures, workshops and campus tours
• summer schools
• one-to-one support with writing personal statements
• help in preparing for interviews
• advice and seminars on applications, entry requirements, finance
• advice on the wide range of university courses
• parents evenings
• updates on upcoming events and visits.

If you have any queries, get in touch at outreach@brighton.ac.uk.

Benefits of our programme 

Benefits for schools and colleges

We offer teachers and advisors 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
• activities that we can tailor to your school or college
• guidance on reference writing
• a partnership valued by the OFSTED inspection process.
• direct support with Gatsby Benchmark 7. By the age of 18, all students considering applying for university should have had at least two meaningful interactive events with universities to meet staff and students.

For more information, see our list of upcoming HE fairs and exhibitions.

Benefits for parents and carers

We support parents and carers of young people at sixth form or college through:

• evening events offering information, advice and guidance about university
• seminars about student finance and applications
• email newsletter and notifications of upcoming events and visits

You'll find more information about this on our page for parents, carers and guardians.

Stay in touch 

Contact the outreach team

• General outreach enquiries, email outreach@brighton.ac.uk
• If you know who you are looking for, visit our meet the team page

Enquiries team

• Call the university enquiries team on 01273 644644​

Chat to a student​

• Our students are also available to chat online www.brighton.ac.uk/chat

Follow us online

• YouTube: University of Brighton channel
• Twitter: uoboutreach
• Facebook: universityofbrighton
• Instagram: uniofbrighton
• TikTok: uniofbrighton
• The Student Room

For full information on how we collect your data, please take a look at our privacy notice.

Support for parents and carers 

For parents, carers and families at our partner schools, we offer information, advice and guidance to provide support for their children about applying to university.

Activities and events online include:

• parent and option evenings
• seminars about student finance and applications
• e-newsletter and notifications of upcoming events and visits.

For further information, visit our page for parents, carers and guardians.

Why go to university? 

Our team helps students to explore the options university opens up to them and how it can help their career and their future.

• Qualifications: a degree will be an essential requirement for 54% of jobs by 2024 (UK Commission for Employment and Skills).
• Earning power: average salary for graduates aged 25–30 is 30% higher than non-graduates (UCAS).
• Skills: a degree provides transferrable skills – communication, research, technical and IT skills.
• Independence: learn to think for yourself and organise your working life.
• Student life: it's not all about work – it’s fun! Meet students from around the world, join clubs and societies, and make friends for life.
• Student loans: costs may seem daunting but graduates only pay back loans when they earn over £27,295. The average monthly repayment on a salary of £31,000 is just £27 per month.

Deciding what to study 

The choice of which course and subject to study at university is one of the most important decisions for any student, and with such a vast array of options, it can be difficult to navigate.

Our team can help advise on the different university subjects, courses and career paths. They can also advise on which subjects at post-16 level are preferred for those pathways. 

The subject taster days and summer schools are just some of the activities that can help students in this decision. For more information, please visit our events page.

You will also find it useful to explore our subject areas to discover which courses may be most appropriate for particular students. Our virtual tours are a great way to check out our facilities, and have a virtual wander. 

How do applications work? 

Our application timeline includes key information on every stage of a student’s journey, from apply for funding through to the first week of term.

UCAS dates
The main UCAS deadline is at the end of January, but students can apply for courses that still have places until July. If a student has used all five choices on UCAS and is not holding any offers, they can add more choices through UCAS Extra from February to June.

At Brighton we hold interviews and make offers from the autumn term onwards. If students have applied before the mid-January deadline and not heard from us by the end of February it’s best to contact our admissions team.

Personal statements and references 

Personal statements are an important opportunity for students to communicate their strengths. They help university admissions tutors consider applicants as an individual and see more than just their grades. Admissions tutors consider each personal statement against course criteria, and value statements that are: 

• carefully considered
• well-structured, well-written and succinct
• analytical and reflect on their experiences and what they have learnt through them
• enthusiastic and demonstrate commitment
• individual, but not too different.

Things personal statements should include:

• reasons for choosing the coursework experience
• career aspirations
• skills and abilities and how these relate to the course
• positions of responsibility
• interests and hobbies
• gap year plans.

For courses which have interviews as part of the application process, the personal statement forms the basis of the interview questions.

It’s important that your students know they shouldn’t copy chunks of information from other places. Universities take plagiarism seriously and use software to detect it.

Academic references 
Academic references give a clear and personal insight into the student’s motivation, commitment and personal strengths.

A reference should include:

• academic achievement and potential, including predicted results
• extenuating circumstances
• suitability for higher education and their chosen course
• evidence of their commitment to their chosen profession
• personal attributes
• how they have contributed socially and academically to their college or school
• other relevant interests.

What makes a good reference?

A good reference:

• is specific to the student and the school, not general and bland
• mentions the challenges the student may have faced (eg dyslexia) and the strategies they have adopted to deal with them
• demonstrates the referee understands the demands of the course the student has applied for
• is written by one person for consistency. Individual subject tutors can provide in-depth information and give insight into why the student wants to follow a particular career choice
• provides evidence of the claims made by the student in the personal statement and adds to them, rather than repeating facts the student has already covered
• gives explicit examples that support the attributes the student has – eg motivation, enthusiasm, punctuality, reliability, ability to work in groups and independently
• is honest about a student's physical and mental health.

UCAS Extra and Clearing 

UCAS Extra runs between February and June. If a student has applied through UCAS, they can apply for one additional course at a time through Extra. UCAS contact students directly if they are eligible.

Every year thousands of students who do not achieve their predicted grades find alternative courses through the UCAS Clearing process.

Students can apply through UCAS Clearing 2021 from July onwards, although many apply immediately after A-level results in August.

Finance 

For a first undergraduate degree, students can receive a non means-tested tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan for accommodation, travel and other costs.

Graduates only start to pay back a loan after finishing studying and only when earning over the repayment threshold, currently £27,295 a year. The average monthly repayment on a salary of £31,000 is £27 per month.

It's a good idea to consider student loans as early as possible in the application process, and apply for student finance before an offer has been confirmed.

Government funding is available for specific courses and for students in certain circumstances. You can find out more on the Department for Education's bursaries website.

At the University of Brighton we offer undergraduate students financial support through means-tested bursaries and scholarships to help with living costs or tuition fees. Find out more about bursaries and scholarships.

Our My finances section of the website shares useful advice, and tips from our students, on money matters.

Online advice for students 

We have online advice for students about applying, studying at the University of Brighton, entry requirements and support for care leavers studying with us.

Check out our student blogs with advice from current students on everything from accommodation to jobs, careers, finance and extra-curricular activities.

With so many courses on offer, an important decision is which course to apply for. We have general advice on the deciding what to study area of our website as well as some of the reasons to choose Brighton and join our inclusive student community.

Visit our student blog page for advice from current students.

Deciding to go to university

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

For students planning to study healthcare, we have a dedicated Healthcare Access Conference every year.

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.

Advice from mature students

We pride ourselves on having a strong contingent of mature students at University of Brighton, and many are happy to pass on advice.

We have prepared a set of videos on useful topics for prospective students:

• Katy Ensch provides top tips on studying more effectively.
• Kevin Hayes talks about life as a mature student.
• Carly Bleach talks about support for students with families.

Student profile

Nina Vallard, Inclusive Arts Practice MA (part-time)

Where did you go to college before starting at Brighton?
Greater Brighton Metropolitan College. I did an Access to HE course in 2014 and an Award in Education and Training in 2015.

Which university events did you attend before applying?
I went to a talk on the Falmer campus, where I found out about the widening participation scheme. I hadn’t realised I was able to access additional support because all the schemes I had seen were aimed at teenagers. By applying through widening participation, I was able to attend a taster lecture in humanities and speak to staff. As a result, I was the first person in my college to accept an offer to study at university that academic year.

How did the activities help your decision to apply to university?
The activities were extremely helpful for familiarising myself with the campus. I was so familiar I ended up applying for a job in the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement department! The events and connections helped with my confidence. Before my course started I had a temporary job in the student union and a volunteer placement with Active Student.

What made you choose Brighton?
I decided to study in Brighton after attending a UCAS fair with a friend. I ended up talking to a lady named Penny who made me feel very valued. She was so enthusiastic, I knew that I’d feel welcome in Brighton.

How is your experience of university life?
I cannot say enough great things about University of Brighton. I had a hugely difficult time when I experienced a bereavement in my family. I struggled with my mental health so I withdrew from my course. The support department kept in contact with me and when I felt able to apply again I opted for a PGCert. I interrupted after one module due to illness and job loss and eventually completed my PGCert in Inclusive Arts Practice in 2019. It was quite a journey!  I then reapplied to complete my masters.

How are you managing your finances at university?
I always knew that I wanted to study part-time because I want to earn as I learn. I work in administration in Kent and attend most of my lectures virtually, so I save a lot on travel.

What are the highlights of your course so far?
Honestly, I love my whole course. My lecturers are very inspiring and I’m close to my classmates – there is a feeling of community on my course. I particularly liked presenting my research poster in the Tate Exchange, although it was very emotional. I grew up in a household where university was not seen as an achievable goal, and here I was in a museum and people were reading my words!

How do you plan to use your course in the future?
While studying Inclusive Arts Practice, I started reflective writing for assessment. I found a love for writing, and after I finish my masters I’d like to do a Doctorate in Education with focus on reflective writing for resilience and wellbeing. Since I started writing I’ve been published in my favourite magazine, two anthologies and I freelance on sexual health and intimacy, donating my earnings to the university.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying for university?
The first thing is to make your own path. I dropped out of college as a teenager, spent the next 15 years working in offices, went back to college in my 30s, dropped out of university and then reapplied to do a postgraduate course! I am one of only two people I know who has done postgraduate study without a bachelors degree.

My second piece of advice is to ask questions. I asked the widening participation team what support I was entitled to, I asked the Students' Union if I could stand for a post before my course started, I asked my lecturers what academic support I could receive, I asked the library for help with research and study skills, I asked the support department for counselling, I asked the university for a job as I studied and I continue to ask for help when I need it.