The majority of Sussex degrees are not available by distance learning. The only exception is if you are applying for a research degree (e.g. MPhil, PhD) and live outside the UK with an occupation which prevents you from attending full-time in the UK for the whole of your study. For further information please see the Procedures for the Registration of Independent Distant Research Students.

If you wish to apply on this basis you should use our postgraduate online application system and select “distance learning” in the Academic Interests / Programme Options section.

In the area of education studies, we also offer an International Doctor of Education (EdD) where students are registered on a distance learning basis.

All full-time taught postgraduate courses (e.g. Masters, Postgraduate Diplomas) start in September. Applicants for research degrees (e.g. MPhil, PhD) are usually able to start in January (as well as May and September) – please select the appropriate start date in our online application system.

We can consider you for exemption from part of a research degree if you have studied at an equivalent level and have met our specified minimum requirements. If admitted to Sussex you will need to study for a minimum period to receive a research degree.

If you wish to apply on this basis you should complete the online application form in the normal way, and in the section "Academic Interests" you should include in the Personal Statement that you wish to be considered for admission with prior learning, and make the answer YES to the question "Do you intend to take only a part of this course ?".

You are normally expected to meet our general entrance requirements (including English language if appropriate) for the level of degree applied for, and sometimes specific entrance requirements depending on the subject area. For further information please see the section on Applying in our Postgraduate Prospectus

The normal entry requirement is an upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) or other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing. For research degrees in the arts and social sciences a Masters degree is also usually required. For further information about entry requirements, research proposals and how to apply please see our Doctoral School website.

Almost all applications for postgraduate study should be submitted via our online application system. The main exceptions are:

MA in Social Work - applications are made via UCAS

MSc in Automotive Engineering - applications are made via the University of Brighton

MSc in Global Health - applications aage you to accept (or decline) your offer as soon as possible so that you can be included in communications relating to accommodation, arrival and registration. Our online application system allows you to accept your offer via your online account. If your course is due to start in September you should respond to your offer by 31 August at the latest.

For most courses which start in September you should arrange for your results to reach us by 31 August. We can continue to accept results beyond this date, but you will not be able to register until your results have been received. Also, if you require a visa to study in the UK we will not be able to issue your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) until you have sent us your results and we have made you an unconditional offer.

Please email certified copies of the results to pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk. Alternatively, send copies to:

Postgraduate Admissions, Sussex House, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK

F: +44 (0)1273 678545.

All applicants to the University must provide official results for any qualifications on which they were admitted. If official results were not submitted as part of the application, your offer letter will have stated that these need to be submitted before your place can be confirmed. If you have not already done so, it is important that you send any requested official results to us as soon as possible and no later than 31 August. Until we have received official confirmation of the results you declared you will not be able to complete the registration process. Note: Applicants who require a visa to study in the UK will need to provide verification of results before we are able to issue you with a CAS number

We will review applications where students have missed the conditions of their offer and it may still be possible to confirm your place. You should, therefore, ensure that you send your results to us as soon as they are available. Whether we will be able to confirm your place depends on how close to the conditions your results are, as well as the number of students who have met their conditions and, therefore, on how many places we have remaining.

All applicants to the University must provide two academic references. If we had not received both of these at the time your offer was made, your offer letter will have stated that these need to be submitted before your place can be confirmed. If you have not already done so, it is important that you send any outstanding references to us as soon as possible and no later than 31 August. Until we have received satisfactory references you will not be able to complete the registration process.

It is fine to use an alternative referee, however, it is not possible for us to send a reference request email to new referees. You will need to contact the referee yourself for a recommendation.

New referees will not be able to submit electronic references. They may email us a scanned copy of their reference letter to onlineapplications@sussex.ac.uk. The letter must be on headed paper or be sent to us from an academic or professional email address. Alternatively they may post the hard copy to us at the address below:

Postgraduate Applications Coordinator, Admissions Office, Sussex House, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK

Please refer to our webpages Applying for your student visa.

In order for us to issue your CAS you must meet all the following criteria:

• *  you must have an unconditional offer, and we must have verified all your declared qualifications (if we need to see any of your qualifications, we will tell you)
• *  you need to have accepted your offer of a place
• *  you will need to have told us that you require a visa in order to study in the UK and made sure that we have all the necessary information for inclusion in the CAS.

Because a CAS is valid for six months from date of issue, and you are not allowed to apply for a student visa more than three months before your course starts, we usually issue CAS numbers for September-start students from May onwards.We will provide your CAS number via email, or by post if we do not hold an email address for you. At the same time we will produce a CAS Statement which you will be able to view and download via your online account, or receive by email or through the post depending on what contact details we hold for you.

If your application was submitted by an agent/ representative, they will need to provide us with the required information, and we will send them the CAS number and CAS Statement to pass on to you.

For further information please see our webpages Applying for your student visa.

Please visit our International Student Support pages for detailed information and advice specifically for international students: www.sussex.ac.uk/internationalsupport/

In addition the International Student Support team produce a Pre-arrival Guide with information which we hope you will find useful in preparing to come to Sussex. It covers a range of matters including immigration, what you need to prepare before leaving for university, travelling to the UK and registration. The guide, as well as information about the University’s meet and greet airport service can be found at www.sussex.ac.uk/internationalsupport/arrival

If you have applied for a research or taught Masters degree for which ATAS clearance is required we will provide an ATAS Certificate for you with your offer letter. A list of the postgraduate degrees at Sussex which require ATAS can be seen on our website. You will need to apply for ATAS clearance before applying for your student visa. For the application form and details of how to apply please see the ATAS website.

You must allow sufficient time for your University application to be considered and processed in time for you to apply for ATAS clearance and your Tier 4 visa. For example, for Masters courses starting in September, applications should be received by 1 August at the latest. Research applicants will need to leave more time for their application to be considered.

Our Sussex Centre for Language Studies offers a range of English courses to prepare international students for study at Sussex. Which course is suitable for you will depend on your current English language level. To see the full range of courses available, together with information about fees and how to apply please see the Sussex Centre for Language Studies website.

Our Student Support Unit provides a range of services for students who have a special need, disability or medical condition. Further information can be found at www.sussex.ac.uk/studentsupport If you would like to talk to one of our Disability Support Advisors you can contact them on +44(0)1273 877466. You can also email them at studentsupport@sussex.ac.uk