This south coast university with buckets of seaside charm on its doorstep has had an ambitious  makeover and a growing research profile that has helped continue its march up our main academic rankings (up 16 places to 71st). It has three main campuses: City, on Grand Parade; Moulsecoomb on the A27’s funnel into Brighton; and Falmer, on the edge of the South Downs National Park. Brighton is a student-friendly city packed with diverse delights. The former Eastbourne campus has closed. 

What is the University of Brighton’s reputation? 

Brighton’s status as one of the most successful post-1992 universities for research was cemented by its results in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). In the national assessment the university scored highest on hospitality and tourism; nursing, and architecture and building, and rose to 87th in our research quality index, up 11 places compared with its performance in the previous round, REF 2014.

The Brighton and Sussex Medical School is run in a longstanding partnership with the University of Sussex. It was one of the first medical schools awarded to a modern university and accepts about 200 trainee doctors each year, who are based at Falmer.

In the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), Brighton’s overall silver award reflected strong student outcomes, but the university was handed bronze for student experience. Poor rates of student satisfaction have been expressed in successive National Student Surveys (NSS), dragging Brighton, which was our inaugural University of the Year in 1999, down in our rankings. In our latest NSS analysis Brighton remains at the lower end for feedback on teaching quality (120th) and the wider undergraduate experience (122nd). 

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available? 

The university’s School of Education and its School of Sport and Health Sciences merged in summer 2024. An overhaul of the curriculum will lead to 18 new programmes in 2024 and 2025 including three joint honours sport coaching degrees; economics with data science or with finance; business management courses; and electronic music and sound. 

Nine degrees are being withdrawn from 2024 too, largely within the humanities and including English literature and linguistics; philosophy, politics, arts; film and screen studies; and war and conflict.

In step with Brighton's professional and vocational focus, it fields a diverse portfolio of degree apprenticeships including teaching; civil engineering; social work, and nursing. From September 2025 there will also be a pilot programme for a teaching degree.

What are the University of Brighton’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?

With an average of 114 Ucas points among new entrant, Brighton is 107th for its entry standards. A medium-size university, it accepted about 14 per cent fewer new students in 2023 than a decade before in 2014. Applications have increased, however. The largest subject areas are business and management, creative arts and design, engineering, nursing and midwifery, education and teaching, and sociology, social policy and anthropology.

Contextual offers were introduced for 2024 entry, extending flexible offers at a lower tariff to students who meet the criteria for widening participation.

What are the graduate prospects?

Brighton has dipped 23 places to 85th for graduate prospects: according to our analysis, 73.3 per cent of graduates are in highly skilled jobs or further study compared with 77.3 per cent last year. Santander funds £1,050 grants for six-week internships at small and medium-size businesses and students from low-income families can qualify for the Family Law Progression Scholarship, which pays £2,000 over three years and includes a placement at a local law firm.

The university also operates five mentoring programmes designed to help students prepare for the workplace. One of them links students with the LGBTQ+ Pride network at American Express; another, Men in Primary Education, aims to shift the gender imbalance in the sector and offer support.

What is the University of Brighton’s campus like?

The biggest campus, Moulsecoomb, now houses the School of Humanities and Social Sciences building, Elm House, home to the university’s School of Business and Law, features a triple-storey atrium and technology-enabled teaching and collaborative spaces, while there are five new halls of residence.

At Falmer, Brighton has turned a former Virgin Active health club into extra space for the School of Sport and Health Sciences, bringing all provision in these subjects (previously split across Falmer and Eastbourne) on to the same site. The freshly created School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences is now at Falmer, where refurbished facilities include simulation facilities for a range of courses from podiatry to occupational therapy, nursing and midwifery.

The university’s School of Art and Media is based at the City campus, a stone’s throw from the pier, with design spaces and dance studios for students.  Everything you need to know about the University of Brighton’s student life and wellbeing support

Sea air, laid-back attitudes and a gritty coastal charisma have long attracted undergraduates to Brighton — not to mention the club scene. Sports facilities are available for use at the Falmer campus and the fitness facility at Moulsecoomb opened in 2022.

#NeverOK is the university’s pledge to tackle all forms of harassment, sexual misconduct, violence and abuse. Wellbeing workshops, the Togetherall 24/7 online mental health service and a network of student residential advisers constitute the wider support system.

What do the students say?

"The university and city are wonderfully diverse, with people from all over the world. It is surrounded by the South Downs on one side of the university, and the beach on the other. There is an excellent support network in place and loads of opportunities to participate in free activities, helping students quickly feel part of the community.”
Osasu Atomon, students' union president and computer science student

What about student accommodation at the University of Brighton?

Brighton's 2,954 spaces are sufficient for all first-years who apply in time to be guaranteed a space. All campuses have accommodation on site. There is free student parking on campus for those who are not in halls and live 30 miles away (or 45 minutes away by public transport). 

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Brighton?

Brighton has fallen for the first time in two years in our social inclusion index, dropping eight places year-on-year to 62=. However, it’s ranked 22nd overall for its proportion of disabled students and is in the top 30 for white working-class males, a particularly underrepresented group.

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Brighton

About a quarter of new admissions in 2024 qualified for one of Brighton’s bursaries. The Brighton Boost, new for 2024, is a package including £1,250 towards the cost of halls or up to £500 in travel costs for those living elsewhere. Students who qualify also get a leg-up finding work through the student employment agency. The university also provides a £500-a-year bursary for students from low-income households, rising to £1,000 a year for care leavers or those who are estranged from their families. 

Merit-based scholarships are offered, too, including up to 15 for sport. 

For self-funding international students who demonstrate how their degree will set them on a successful career path, the university offers about 200 scholarships worth between £1,000 and £2,500.