University of Brighton

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Overview

The University of Brighton sits in the upper echelons of the modern university sector, with a strong academic reputation and graduate employment record. It was the first modern university - those created since 1992 - to be awarded a medical school. Newly centred on the fashionable coastal spot of Brighton alone (following the closure of its Eastbourne campus over the summer), the university has invested in new academic, social and sporting facilities, plus five student halls, to accommodate the influx of students from along the Channel coast. There are three campuses within Brighton - Falmer, Moulsecoomb and City - each with a distinct vibe. The city of Brighton and Hove long ago ditched its 'kiss me quick' image and is now one of the most fashionable coastal spots. Although applications for the 2023 admissions cycle fell a little, applications and admissions have been building back to the levels of 10 years ago. The university is one of the latest to introduce a contextual admissions scheme, which should help diversify an intake which sees around 44% of students drawn from homes where neither parents went to university.

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Paying the bills

Around one in four Brighton students are expected to qualify for a bursary in the new academic year. All UK students from homes with a residual income of up to £25,000 get £500 a year, as do those at the joint Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Care leavers and estranged students can get £1,000 a year of support. There are also up to 15 sports scholarships worth up to £500 a year on offer, which provide free access to sports facilities, as well as other non-means-tested awards. The university has a hardship fund of £600,000 and continues to subsidise food costs in catering outlets on campus. It also absorbed a £10-a-week energy price hike from a third-party accommodation provider for 804 students. There are nearly 3,000 spots in university-owned accommodation, which typically costs between £6,000 and £8,200 for 39 weeks. Outliers bring the costs down to £3,744 (eight beds in four shared rooms) or as high as £9,711 for two studio flats. Prices will be raised by 5-11% for the coming year.

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What's new?

The closure of the Eastbourne campus will see the displaced students, subjects and departments absorbed into an expanded campus at Falmer. A neighbouring health club has been acquired in order to cope with the arrival of sport and exercise and PE teacher training students. Those studying midwifery, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry will also move to Falmer. As education and teaching students are already based at this campus, the university is thereby forming a school of education, sport and health sciences, creating new opportunities for collaboration across these disciplines, as well as with local partners including Brighton and wbc247 Hove Albion football club and Sussex County cricket club. Three business management degrees are launching next September, studied in combination with events, law and tourism. Other new courses include BScs in data science and two economics degrees combined with finance or data science, and a BA in electronic music and sound. As part of a planned expansion of degree apprenticeship provision to 800 learners by September 2025, Brighton is adding a physiotherapist masters degree apprenticeship to the 16 other options currently available.

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Admissions, teaching and student support

A new contextual admissions policy will make lower offers to students who apply from postcodes where rates of progression to university are at their lowest. Brighton's outreach work to date has focused on working with schools and colleges in these areas, and with individual students from under-represented groups. All new students undergo the Belong at Brighton induction programme which makes them aware of the support available, and also includes a study skills session. A student skills hub offers one-to-one help, and a writing advisory service gives feedback on an example of students' work to help academic development. There are student support and guidance tutors - who are a first port of call on problems impacting studies, wellbeing or student experience - connected to each course and embedded within the seven academic schools. Brighton also has a multidisciplinary mental health and wellbeing team which works closely with external services as required. The university also places a strong emphasis on empowering students to manage their own mental health, providing an online library of self-help guides and access to Togetherall, a clinically managed online community geared to improving mental health. All staff are required to complete a mental health awareness e-learning module and are encouraged to complete safeguarding and suicide prevention training.