Creating an Application

Sign Up
You need to complete and submit the form on the sign up page to create an
online application account. You are required to provide a few personal details
and, for security, type the characters that appear in the box below the form. This
is a necessary security stage and must be completed in order to apply, if you are
unable to complete this section, please email [email protected]

Verification
Once you have completed the sign up form, an activation email will be sent to
you. The email contains a URL that must be followed in order to activate your
online account. If you do not receive an email, it may have been filtered out by
your junk mail filter, please check your junk mail settings. Please ensure the
whole URL is copied and pasted into your browser in order to activate the account
successfully.
Once the account has been activated, you can log in using the email address and
password chosen when you registered. If you forget your password or want to
reset it at any time, you can follow the ‘Forgot your Password’ link at
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/applying/

Selecting a Programme
To access the online application form, you must log in and select the programme
you wish to apply for. ‘Select Programme’ will open a new page containing 4
drop down boxes.

Academic Session (Entry Year): Please select the year you wish to start the
programme
Programme Type: Please confirm whether you intend to apply for a taught or
research programme. (New Route and 1+3 are available on selected
programmes only; please check the Postgraduate Prospectus for details)
Attendance: You must select Full Time or Part Time. If you are applying as a
Visiting or Distance student, you will be given the opportunity to indicate this
later in the application form.
Subject Area: Finally, please select the relevant subject area for the
programme(s) you wish to apply for.

Each box must be completed in turn in order to generate a list of suitable

programmes. Press the next to the programme you wish to apply for. You
can apply for up to 3 programmes.

Most taught programmes start in October only. It is possible to start most

Research programmes in October, January or April; you can indicate this in the
Academic Interests section of the application form. Course specific information
about start dates, tuition fees and funding opportunities can be found on the list
of programmes on the online postgraduate prospectus
(http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/).

We begin to consider applications in November for entry the following academic

year, as there is strong demand for places in some areas, an early application
(preferably by May) is advised. There is no formal deadline by which to submit
your application, however, certain programmes have specific deadlines, and
details are shown on the relevant subject pages. For example, Experimental
Psychology requires applications by 31 March, and the initial closing date for the
Common Professional Examination (CPE) in Law is 1 February (although late
applications can be considered, subject to space, until 31 August).

If you are applying for funding, either from one of the Sussex scholarships or
from an external body, your application timetable may well be dictated by the
deadlines for the allocation of funding. Funding deadlines vary, but if you need to
have been made a formal offer of a place before you submit your funding
application, it is obviously important to allow adequate time for your application
to be processed by the University

The Application Form

Address
Please provide a valid and complete home address. If you would prefer to be
contacted at a separate address, you can provide a correspondence address.
You are able to specify an end date for the correspondence address, at which
point we will use your Home address for all correspondence. You must ensure
that the University is notified about any change of address, this information can
be emailed to [email protected]

Education and Qualification

You must provide details about any further or higher education qualifications that
you hold or are currently taking.

Subject of Study: refers to the title of the programme you have completed/are
completing.
Qualification: is the title of qualification undertaken (i.e. BA, MSc, etc)
Class or Grade (CGPA): is the final grade (i.e. Pass, 2:1, 60% etc)

The ‘Description’ box is available to provide further information about your

qualification, such as module descriptions or relevant additional information.
Please attach a soft copy of your transcripts and certificates. If you do not yet
have these, please arrange to have these sent to the admissions office at the
address below, as soon as they are available.

English Language
You must indicate whether your first language is English and, if not, what has
been your main language of instruction. Please indicate whether you have taken
a recognised English language qualification and, if so, what grade you achieved.

The language requirement varies depending on which programme you wish to

study at Sussex. The language requirements relating to specific programmes can
be found on the relevant subject pages of the online prospectus.

Further information about acceptable language qualifications and the University’s

pre-sessional English courses can be found at

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/applying/international
Please note, if you have language qualifications not included in the list of
accepted qualifications, please provide details and evidence in your online
application form so that these can be considered as an alternative.

Relevant Experience
This is your opportunity to provide information about any relevant experience
that you have obtained (paid/voluntary) that may support your application.
Associated documents, such as certificates or testimonials can be attached here.

Academic Interests/Personal Statement

Taught Applicants (Masters, Diplomas, Certificates)

You must provide a statement in support of your application, indicating your
reasons for choosing the course and indicating your academic interests.

Research Applicants (DPhil, MPhil)

If you are applying for a research degree, you will need to submit a research
proposal. The amount of detail required in a research proposal varies between
subjects. Social science and arts subjects tend to require a highly developed
research proposal, giving a clear outline of the specific research area. However,
in some science subjects it is more usual to outline a general area of interest, as
the nature of the research discipline is more tied to ongoing research projects.

The subject pages of the online prospectus provide relevant information about our
research specialisms and you may wish to contact faculty members directly to
discuss your area of interest. If you are particularly interested in the work of one
of our members of faculty or a research team, you may wish to consider
requesting a particular supervisor. You are able to do this in the box at the
bottom of this section. If you ask to be supervised by a particular member of
faculty, this will be considered but, clearly, not all such requests can be
accommodated.

Other Information
Please provide information about how you intend to fund your study at the
University of Sussex. You must provide information, where available, about any
funding/sponsorship that you have obtained/applied for. It is not necessary at
this stage to provide proof of funding, however, if any information is available,
this should be provided here and any associated documentation can be attached
in the Supporting Documents section.

Referees
You must provide 2 academic references in support of your application. Please
provide the names and contact details of each of your referees. The University
can contact your referees via email to request the reference and enable the
referees to submit their references online. To do so, you must provide your
referees’ email addresses. If you would prefer to submit hard copy references,
do NOT provide your referees’ email addresses.

You must ensure that your referees have agreed to provide a reference in support
of your application before you provide their details. Once this section of the form
is saved, it is not possible to change the information; therefore you must ensure
that it is completed correctly. It is only possible to request two referees using the
online system. If you would like to provide additional references, you must
contact your additional referees and ask them to supply a reference for you.
Please ask your referee to supply the reference on headed paper and send it
directly to the admissions office at the address below or by email to
([email protected]).

Request References
If you have provided your referees’ email addresses in the previous section, press
‘Request’ to send the reference request email to your referees. The referee will
receive an email containing a URL in order for them to submit the reference
electronically via the secure online system. If your referee does not receive the
reference request email, it may have been filtered out by their junk mail settings.
They must check their junk mail folder or contact
[email protected] to request the link again. It is your
responsibility to ensure that the reference request email is received and that the
reference is supplied as soon as possible.

If you are providing hard copy references, you can print the reference ‘pro
forma’, to pass on to your referees. Alternatively, you can contact your referee
directly to request a reference. Please ask your referee to supply the reference
on headed paper and send it directly to the admissions office by post or email
([email protected]).

It is your responsibility to ensure that the references are supplied as soon as

possible. Delay in sending references can prevent the selectors from making a
decision on your application.

Supporting Documents
This section should be used to attach any additional documents in support of your
application and to view all documents attached in previous sections. You can
supply a recent CV or any appropriate certificates or English language
qualifications that support your application. Failure to provide supporting
documents can cause a delay in making a decision on your application, so you are
encouraged to provide as much information as possible. If, however, you have
nothing to attach, you can select ‘Other’ as the Category Type and select the
‘Document in Post’ box. Please indicate in the Description box that you do not
intend to supply any supporting documents. This will enable you to save this
section of the application form.

Monitoring
Please provide information about any disability, special needs or medical
condition you may have. You can provide further information about this in the
textbox. You are given the option to supply information about your ethnicity but
this is optional. You are required to declare whether you have a criminal
conviction. Any information supplied in this section will be considered separately
from the assessment of your academic suitability.

Submitting the Application

Each section of the online application form will be marked with a red cross [ ]
to indicate that the section is not yet complete. Once you have completed a
section, it will be marked with a green tick [ ]. It will not be possible to submit
the online application until each section of the online form is completed and
marked with a green tick. Once every section is complete, and you have
provided all the necessary information, you can submit the online application

form by pressing

Receipt of your application will be confirmed by an email. Once the application is

submitted, it is not possible to change or add any information to the application
apart from your contact addresses. You can change the email address and
password used to access the application by logging in and clicking ‘Account’.

Once your application has been received, it will be forwarded to the relevant
department for consideration. The length of time taken to reach a decision will
vary as each application is considered on its individual strengths and merits. In
some cases we may write to ask for additional information or we could ask you to
attend an interview. Research applications will usually take longer to process
than those for taught programmes, but in all cases we will aim to reach a decision
as soon as possible.

You can use the same application to apply for up to 3 programmes by returning
to the Application Home page and adding another programme. Most sections of
the application will already be completed, but you will be required to add an
additional personal statement or research proposal for each programme. Any
supporting documents, including your references, will be used across each of your
applications, so it is only necessary to provide one copy of these.

Monitoring the Application

You can monitor the progress of your application(s) at:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/applying/

Login using the email and address and password that you registered with and
Click on the status button next to your application.

The application will usually be checked by the course administrator before being
passed to the appropriate course selector(s) to make a decision. If additional
documents are required, this will be reflected on your online account and the
administrator will contact you via email confirming which documents are required.

If you are recommended an offer of a place (either conditional/unconditional),

this will be reflected online. The status will remain the same whilst the details of
the offer are checked and a formal offer letter is produced. As soon as the offer
letter is produced, a copy will be posted to you and a soft copy of the offer letter

will be made available online, this can be downloaded by pressing

Once you have read the offer letter, it is possible to accept or decline the offer
online. If you have any queries about your letter, please contact the admissions
office as directed in your letter. You can contact the Admissions office on
+44 (0)1273 877773.

There is no formal deadline to accept or decline any offer. To ensure that you
receive any appropriate mailings, however, you are advised to make a decision as
early as possible. Once an offer has been accepted, it is possible to decline it and
you are not obliged to attend.

Housing

Applicants who have accepted offers online, can access the online housing
application through their online account. The accommodation office usually
begins accepting applications by April; this is when the housing application
becomes available. Applicants who have accepted offers before this will be
notified by email when they are able to apply online.

All overseas applicants (and UK and EU students on Research programmes only)

are guaranteed a place in University-managed accommodation provided that the
housing application is returned before 1st August and the pre-payment of £250 is
paid.

Unfortunately, the University is not able to guarantee accommodation to UK and

EU students on taught programmes (eg. MA, MSc, MRes, LLM, CPE). These
applicants are, however, welcome to put their name on a waiting list with the
housing office. To do so, please submit a housing application.

If you have queries about accommodation at Sussex please contact the

accommodation office at [email protected]

Postgraduate Admissions contact information

Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44(0) 1273 877773
Fax: +44(0) 1273 678545

Postgraduate Admissions
Admissions Office
Sussex House
University of Sussex
Falmer
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 9RH

Queries about the online application system should be directed to

[email protected]