All students should have received our pre-arrival letter and a copy of our Spring 2013 International Welcome Programme. You can also download the letter and programme below.
New students should arrange to arrive at campus on Wednesday 16th January 2013. Please see the transport arrangements in the pre-arrival letter for details of onward travel once you've arrived in Brighton.
The International Students' Handbook contains advice on travelling to Brighton from the various air and sea ports (pages 26-29). There is also additional information about how to get to Sussex at Maps and directions.
International Students' Handbook 2012-2013 [PDF 3MG]
Please refer to Term dates for full details.
Make sure you read carefully and adhere to any relevant import laws on the UK port of entry arrival information page.
The University campus is at Falmer, about four miles (six km) from the centre of Brighton & Hove and four miles from the town of Lewes. The following instructions should help you with your travel arrangements. Also, refer to the Maps and directions page.
The University is easily accessible and is well served by buses, trains and taxis from Brighton Train Station.
To help with your arrival at Sussex, the University runs a minibus service from Falmer Train Station to campus. When we write to you before your arrival we will let you know the times of operation. If you can arrange to arrive during these times, it will make your arrival at the University easier.
Where possible we have included approximate prices of travel after 9am. It is more expensive to travel before 9am. Please note that prices quoted below are subject to change.
If you are travelling by plane, Gatwick Airport is within much easier reach of the University than Heathrow. On arrival, follow the signs for the train station and take a 30-minute train to Brighton (cost approximately £8). Several train operators run on this route and during the day trains run every 15 minutes.
You can buy a through ticket direct to Falmer Station (across the road from the Sussex campus) for the same fare. You will still need to change trains at Brighton Station. Trains to Falmer Station come around every 15 minutes and the journey takes approximately 10 minutes.
If you arrive at Heathrow Airport and do not travel on our free coach service, there are two ways to get to Brighton:
Coach
This is the easiest option and is recommended if you have luggage. The journey takes about two hours. Several different services run from Heathrow Bus Station to Brighton, via Gatwick Airport. Please check the timetable on arriving. The fare is around £28. Coaches run every half hour during the day and every hour during the night and leave from Heathrow Central Bus Station, which is situated between Terminals 1 and 2 or at Terminal 4. For more information, call National Express on +44 (0) 8717 81 81 78 or visit the National Express website.
The coach will take you to Pool Valley Coach Station, which is near Brighton Pier. If you have heavy luggage, we advise you to take a taxi to the University. As there is no taxi rank you will need to phone for a taxi. The fare to the University should be around £12.
Train
Take the underground train (Piccadilly line) to Hammersmith Station and change to the Circle or District lines to travel to Victoria Station. At Victoria, follow the signs to the mainline station and take the overground train to Brighton. This option is not recommended if you have heavy luggage. If you are going to take the underground train then it is advisable to check the Transport for London website for up to date travel information. You can also download underground tube maps to help you prepare your journey.
Direct transport from Gatwick and Heathrow airports
Although public transportation links are generally good between the main airports and Brighton, you may prefer to travel directly from the airport to your accommodation. We can recommend a local taxi firm, 581 Travel, who can transport you from Heathrow (£75-80 single journey) or Gatwick airport (£40 single journey). Please note that there is an additional £3 charge if an estate car is required for luggage and a further £5 charge if the pick-up is between midnight and 5.59am. You will need to prebook this service via phone or fax. For more information visit the 581 Travel Ltd website.
Contact details are as follows:
T +44 (0)1273 581581
F +44 (0)1273 589589
You will need to pay the driver in cash.
There are two ways to get to Brighton:
Coach
The coach station is located in front of the terminal building. The journey takes about four hours and costs around £34. The coach leaves hourly but does not run overnight. Please see details below left on how to get a taxi to the University from Pool Valley Coach Station. Visit the National Express website for more information.
Train
This will be difficult if you have a large amount of luggage and we recommend that you take the coach instead to make travelling easier. Take the train to London Liverpool Street Station. Change to the underground train (Circle line) to London Victoria Station. Then take the overground train to Brighton. For more information about travelling in London visit the Transport for London website.
There are many taxi companies in and around the city. You should make sure you pre-book a taxi or get one from the many licensed taxi ranks around the city.
Citycabs: T +44 (0)1273 205205
Streamline Taxis: T +44 (0)1273 747474
Please note that Streamline Taxis operate a 'One Stop Fare Deal'. Students or visitors travelling from central Brighton to campus (or campus to central Brighton) can ask for a £12 fare deal. For more information refer to the Streamline Taxis website.
Take the train direct to Brighton (cost approximately £15). The journey takes about two hours. From Brighton you can either get a Taxi (details above) or change trains at Brighton and get a train to Falmer. This journey takes approximately 10 minutes and trains come every 15 minutes.
Take the train to Falmer. The journey takes about 20 minutes. The fare from Newhaven to Falmer is £3.30.
Take the train to London Victoria Station. There are also direct trains to Brighton from London Bridge and London St Pancras. The number for train enquiries is +44 (0)8457 484950 or look up your journey time on the National Rail Enquiries website.
If you arrive at another mainline station in London, take the underground train to one of the previously mentioned London stations (you could also take a taxi but ask first how much it is likely to cost). There are maps in each underground station that are easy to follow and are colour coded for clarity. From there, take a train to Brighton. The journey takes about one hour and costs approximately £20. Ask for a ticket to Falmer, which is the same price as the ticket to Brighton and is valid via Brighton. For more information and underground train maps visit the Transport for London website
The Eurostar train goes directly to St Pancras International Station in London. From there, take the overground train direct to Brighton. A ticket from St Pancras International to Brighton costs around £15.
Take a train direct from Brighton Station to Falmer Station (cost around £3), which will take about 10 minutes. Falmer is the third stop on leaving Brighton, after London Road and Moulsecoomb. At Falmer, you will be met by Sussex students during the main arrival times (details of which will be sent to you in advance), and a minibus will transport you to the University campus. If you are not able to arrive at Falmer during the hours when our minibus service operates, you could take a taxi from Brighton station (taxis do not operate from Falmer). The cost of the taxi is approximately £12. However, if you can easily walk with your luggage, Falmer station is 5-10 minutes walk from campus.
The number 25 bus runs every 10 minutes during the daytime from Brighton to the University (every 20 minutes in the evening) and will cost £2.20 for a single/one-way ticket. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes and the nearest bus stop to the station for this route is at Brighton's main shopping centre, Churchill Square, which is about five minutes walk from the station. If you arrive by coach, the nearest stop for the 25 is at the Old Steine which is situated just a short walk from the coach station.
For insurance and security reasons, the University offices cannot take responsibility for luggage. You will need to make your own arrangements for storage while looking for accommodation, etc.
Registration is the formal process of becoming a member of the University, enabling you to attend lectures, receive tuition, sit examinations, use the Library and other facilities, and be a member of the Students' Union. It is primarily a financial process of paying fees and other charges; it is not where you sign up for classes. Teaching arrangements and class details will be given to you at the start of term through the academic unit to which you have been admitted.
In the summer (or December for students starting in January) you will be sent full details about how to complete the registration process.
All students should register online, which allows you to complete registration before you arrive at the University of Sussex. To complete registration online you will need to pay or arrange to pay any tuition fees or accommodation fees due.
Even if you are not able to complete the online registration process you should still try to do as much of it as possible. You can then use the button titled 'I can't complete registration' to find out where and when to complete registration in person. It is important that you have done as much of the online process as possible before completing it in person.
If you are unable to complete the registration process online (the system will tell you once you are fully registered), you must complete it on arrival. Registering in person can be quite a long process, although there are certain things that you can do that will help to speed up the process.
Please bring the following original documents with you when you attend in-person registration.
The University issues two types of registration:
If you are refused formal University registration, which happens in the very rare case of a student being unable to pay fees or provide evidence that they will be paid, you will be given a clear statement of what you should do. It is recommended that you act quickly to complete the registration.
Page published by: International Study Abroad Office, Friston Building, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9SP
Tel +44 (0)1273 678422 Fax +44 (0)1273 678640
International@sussex.ac.uk
