An expanded course offering — in psychology as well as nursing and allied health subjects — has contributed to a rise in applications to study at Chichester, which were up by nearly a quarter in 2021, year-on-year. Enrolments rose by 15 per cent during the same period. A snapshot at the end of March 2022 showed another 10 per cent increase in applications. 

A degree in aeronautical engineering will be available to students from September 2023, joining options first offered in 2022-23 in digital film production, childhood with therapeutic play, and esports and sports media. The new options further broaden the academic focus at Chichester, long known for its strong arts and teacher training provision. 

In 2018 the university's £35 million Tech Park at the Bognor Regis campus was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the day of their first — and only — joint visit to the county of their titles.

Degree courses in Steam subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) are housed at the Tech Park, facilitated by resources such as a machinery workshop with welding floor, fabricating laboratory, specialist 3D printers and an engineering centre. 

Chichester's Department of Creative Digital Technologies features a TV production studio, a special effects room and a media operation centre. First established as a teacher-training college in 1839, in memory of William Otter, a bishop of Chichester and a passionate educationalist, it became a women-only college in 1873 until male students returned from 1957.

Chichester has slipped 16 places since entering our overall top 50 in 2020. Although the institution performed well in the pandemic-hit National Student Survey (NSS) of 2021, it has dropped out of the top ten in our analysis of the latest NSS results, published in summer 2022. It remains in the top 30, however, ranking 27th for satisfaction with teaching quality and 29= for satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience.

Rated silver in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework, Chichester was commended for its outstanding support for disadvantaged students. Recruitment of students from the most deprived areas is in the top 20, according to our latest analysis, although Chichester is in 89th place overall for social inclusion. A year-on-year fall of eight places followed a decline of more than 40 places the year before.  

The latest dropout figures for Chichester (7.5 per cent) show that far fewer students give up than the expected level (10.6 per cent) based on the course and student profile. Almost all of its students come from non-selective state schools (93.6 per cent, ranking 48th), and nearly half are the first in their family to go to university (46.8 per cent, 57th).

The university’s portfolio of eight degree apprenticeships had more than 300 learners on programmes at the last count. Courses cover training for areas such as social work, manufacturing engineering, digital marketing and senior leadership. 

Graduate prospects are in the bottom 20, according to our analysis of the latest Graduate Outcomes survey, tracking how many students find highly skilled work or take up further study 15 months after finishing their degree (117=).

The Mathematics Centre has an international reputation and has become a focal point for curriculum development in England and elsewhere.

Nearly twice as many of Chichester’s academic staff contributed to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) as in the previous national assessment in 2014. Sport, history, and English and creative writing produced the best results. 

Students sign a charter committing to respect the diversity of their community. In addition, the students’ union runs activities covering the importance of sexual consent, mental health support and inclusion.

The university owns and manages all of its 1,238 residential places, which are fairly equally divided between the Bognor Regis and Chichester (Bishop Otter) campuses. First-years are guaranteed a room if they made the university their first choice and get housing applications in on time. 

Chichester’s sports resources are all on campus, where facilities include indoor and outdoor climbing walls, a grass rugby pitch and a three-court sports dome. The sports hall has four courts and students can also use Astro pitches, a fitness suite and a multi-use games area. Between 20 and 25 gifted athlete scholarships are awarded per year across three levels: elite, development and Bucs (British Universities and Colleges Sport).

An intercampus bus service links Bognor and Bishop Otter, which each have students’ union bars, while the local towns have their own social scenes as well as seaside pursuits.