• Postgraduate study
• Accommodation, campus and Brighton
• • Accommodation
  • Campus life
  • Brighton & Hove

Campus life

Image gallery: campus

A cosmopolitan community

Sussex offers excellent opportunities to meet, make friends and study with people from different countries and cultures: over 40 per cent of our 3,325 graduate students come from overseas. The campus has a very cosmopolitan atmosphere and is a base for students and staff from more than 120 countries.

With nearly 12,500 students the campus is small enough to be friendly and welcoming, yet sufficiently large to offer a lively social scene. It is self-contained, with lecture theatres, seminar rooms, libraries, laboratories, accommodation, launderettes, cafés, bars and sports facilities, many with wireless internet access, all within easy walking distance.

Eating on campus

University flats and houses have self-catering facilities, and there are also plenty of places on campus to eat out at reasonable prices. Falmer Bar and East Slope Bar serve food late into the evening. Bramber House offers four different styles of eatery. Other options include the Institute of Development Studies restaurant. The University cafés are also good for lunch and are popular with staff and students.

Shopping

Shopping on campus is good for essentials: there is a bookshop, a Co-operative supermarket and a post office. There are also two banks. The Students' Union runs a shop, selling everything from stationery and Sussex t-shirts to tasty bagels.

Entertainment, clubs and societies

With so many people living and working together, socialising is important. There are a number of bars on campus, all of them popular, and each with its own particular atmosphere. So if you fancy a pint, want live sports on TV or need a quiet cup of tea to unwind after a hard day at the Library, you'll find somewhere that suits your mood.

The Students' Union provides a range of entertainment, on and off campus, including comedy gigs, quizzes, live music nights and DJ nights.

The Union also supports and helps fund over 140 student societies. Run entirely by students, these represent interests such as creative arts, dance, religion, film, economics, music, photography, radio and current affairs.

The Students' Union also runs over 25 sports clubs.

Postgraduate Association

The recently founded Postgraduate Association represents all postgraduate students at Sussex. The Association aims to:

• campaign and lobby on issues affecting postgraduate students within the University, locally and nationally
• research and represent the views of postgraduate students to both the University and the Students' Union
• foster a sense of community and empowerment among postgraduate students
• be a first point of contact for postgraduate students when seeking relevant information or support
• improve communication with postgraduate students at other universities.

Akin’s Union perspective

‘Leaving my home country was a challenge but my experience at Sussex and in Brighton has been amazing. The people are friendly, the nightlife is wonderful and the University has a lively population of international students, which makes settling in less challenging

‘The Postgraduate Association is a new student-led association established to cater for the needs of postgraduate students. We work with other relevant bodies and associations to make adapting to life at Sussex a seamless transition for our members. Social events, sporting activities and other ways to meet people are lined up to make your experience at Sussex memorable.

‘A Yoruba adage has it that "experience always trounces description" – I hope you get the chance to experience what it feels like to be a part of this community.’

Akin Oyawale
Chair of the Postgraduate Association, 
University of Sussex

 

Volunteering

There are numerous volunteering opportunities in the Students' Union, ranging from looking after the Union reception desk, being first point of contact in the Union's Advice and Representation Centre (also visit Your well-being) to helping in the Union's computer shop.

In addition, community volunteering run by the Students' Union is dedicated to helping students get involved in the local community. There are numerous opportunities, including working in an art gallery in central Brighton, volunteering with the NHS and Age UK, helping run a drop-in support service for people living with HIV or AIDS, or taking part in leisure activities with someone who is visually impaired. By doing something different and rewarding, you can help others, develop new skills and gain valuable experience for your CV.

Other campus facilities

Campus facilities also include a health centre, dentist and a pharmacy, and the interdenominational chaplaincy (the Meeting House). For more information, visit Your well-being.

Disabled access

Some buildings on campus are situated on steep gradients. Most academic buildings are accessible by wheelchair, but access routes can be long. An advantage of the sloping landscape is that ground-level access to some buildings is available on different floors. We welcome differently abled students, and will ensure their needs are taken into account during their time here.

Car parking on campus is limited and sometimes difficult, as much of the parking is on sloping ground. However, there is disabled parking located around campus, which is restricted for use by blue badge holders only. It is also possible, in certain cases, to be allocated dedicated car parking spaces.

Tactile paving and handrails are located around the campus, and guide dogs and hearing dogs for the deaf are permitted in most areas. For more details, visit Access to buildings.

Open space

When all the rigorous intellectual exertion of postgraduate study gets too much, the campus offers the ultimate chill-out zone. Set on the edge of the South Downs, Sussex is the only university campus in England that is surrounded by a National Park, and you can walk straight out of the campus into acres of rolling green parkland. Take a stroll to escape the hustle and bustle of campus life and rejuvenate your body and mind.

For a view of our beautiful green campus, take our virtual campus tour.