Good University Guide 2023

University of Chichester

National rank

66
th
77.1
%
Firsts / 2:1s
86.4
%
Completion rate

Key stats

27
th
Teaching quality
29
th=
Student experience
114
th
Research quality
117
th=
Graduate prospects
University of Chichester

Contact details

Address

Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane , Chichester, PO19 6PE,

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Telephone

Website

With the goal of providing hundreds of healthcare workers by 2025, the University of Chichester launched the new School of Nursing and Allied Health in 2021. A three-year Bachelor of Science honours degree in adult nursing joined pre-existing degrees in physiotherapy, while health-related degree apprenticeships are planned for the future. 

The 1,600 sq ft facility, run with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is housed on the university’s Bishop Otter campus, next to St Richard’s Hospital. Students have access to mock wards and simulation suites to develop their clinical skills. 

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.

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Performance

Category Score Rank
Ranking - 66 (50)
Teaching quality 78 27th
Student experience 74.6 29th=
Research quality 20.1 114th
Ucas entry points 125 63rd=
Graduate prospects 64.9 117th=
Firsts and 2:1s 77.1 68th=
Completion rate 86.4 56th=
Student-staff ratio 15.2 44th

Vital statistics

Undergraduates

Full-time

4,108

Part-time

455

Postgraduates

Full-time

579

Part-time

804

Applications/places 8,415/1,765
Applications/places ratio 4.8:1
Overall offer rate 77.2%

Accommodation

Places in accommodation 1,238
Accommodation costs £111 - £157
Catered costs £167 - £189
Accommodation contact https://www.chi.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation

Finance

UK/EU fees £5,500 (Foundation) - £9,250
Fees (placement year) £1,850
Fees (overseas year) £1,385
Fees (international) £14,500
Finance website https://www.chi.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/fees-finance/
Graduate salaries £22,000

Sport

Sport points/rank 274, 76th
Sport website www.ucsu.org/sport

Social inclusion and student mix

Social Inclusion Ranking 89
State schools (non-grammar) admissions 93.6%
Grammar school admissions 3.2%
Independent school admissions 3.2%
Ethnic minority students (all) 6.8%
Black achievement gap -34.1%
White working class males 6.5%
First generation students 46.8%
Low participation areas 19.1%
Working class dropout gap -7%
Mature 22%
EU students 2%
Other overseas students 2.5%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

English 90.5%
Creative writing 90.1%
History 84.7%
Business, management and marketing 82.3%
Psychology 81.6%
Social work 80.6%
Sports science 80.3%
Education 78.1%
Drama, dance and cinematics 73.6%
Hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism 70.6%
Music 70.3%
Communication and media studies 67.2%
Art and design 62%
Mechanical engineering 60.9%