Student life in Sussex
Brighton is a vibrant city that is home to a large student population.
Live in an exciting city
The University of Sussex International Study Centre is just nine minutes from Brighton city centre by train, making everything you need easily accessible.
Things to do in Brighton
Student life in Sussex is fun and exciting as there is always something to see and do. Brighton prides itself on its diverse culture and large variety of attractions and events happening every day.
Brighton is famous for its pebble beach. The sea can be chilly, but it is popular for swimming and water sports such as windsurfing, sailing and kayaking, all year round.
Another of Brighton’s well-known attractions is the Palace Pier. Its offerings of arcade games, fairground rides and assortment of food vendors are enjoyed by millions of visitors every year.
Brighton is famous for having a thriving music scene. No matter what genre you are into, you will find a show to enjoy across the city’s incredible independent music venues.
If shopping interests you, Brighton is home to a lot of independent and unique shops. The Lanes is Brighton’s most famous shopping district and is packed with independent cafés, record shops and vintage stores.
"I think the reason that I chose here is because it's close to the beach and it's close to London. I also heard people here are really friendly, and that's my main concern about coming here alone because I wish to be welcomed here. So far the experience is pretty good."
Naomi from Malaysia
International Year One in Business and Management
Cost of living
Living in Brighton as a student can be affordable as you will be able to take advantage of great student discounts. The city is very student friendly, so you can expect student discounts in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
Campus life at Sussex
Campus life at Sussex is an enjoyable experience, with everything you need to live and study at the University of Sussex within reach. From inspiring lectures in modern classrooms and labs to unwinding in cosy coffee shops, bars and restaurants. There’s also a supermarket, launderette, bank, bookshop, dentist, pharmacy, health centre and a whole range of sports and fitness facilities.
Modern facilities
The University of Sussex is continually investing in state-of-the-art facilities and teaching spaces on campus, where you can have the freedom to think creatively and make your mark in your chosen subject.
- Ground-breaking research centres – including the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, the Sussex Centre for Migration Research and the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science
- Historical resource centre – The Keep is just a short walk from the Sussex campus and is home to the Mass Observation Archive and Special Collections
- State-of-the-art exhibition centre – the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts offers exhibitions, performance, teaching and research. The Centre has a state-of-the-art flexible auditorium with 350 seats, gallery and display areas, rehearsal studios, breakout spaces and a new café
- University of Sussex Business School – the Jubilee Building features a 500-seat lecture theatre, seminar rooms, cluster rooms, social spaces and a café
- Student Centre – the brand new Student Centre is designed to be the go-to place for students to get face-to-face information, advice and guidance. It has flexible spaces for students to meet and collaborate and a sensory garden to relax in and enjoy.
Campus events
The Students’ Union arranges student events and activities throughout the year. Choose from comedy and quizzes to live music and student-led DJ nights.
Delicious food
You can enjoy great-tasting food without having to leave the campus. Start your day with coffee and a pastry at the Arts Piazza. Later on, head over to the Jubilee café or the library café for a nutritious lunch in between classes. Eat Central serves food from around the world, making it the ideal dinner choice for those looking for an international experience. You can also find tasty vegetarian food all over campus – including a specialist vegetarian café, Dhaba.
Clubs and societies
Joining a society is a great way to make friends. Sussex has more than 200 societies, 30 sports clubs and hundreds of volunteering opportunities. From filmmaking, video gaming and break-dancing to Ultimate Frisbee and Quidditch, this is your chance to try something completely new.
Sports and fitness
There are lots of options for sports and recreation activities through the University's sports programme: Sussexsport. You can play tennis, squash and badminton or drop-in for a yoga, dance, pilates, trapeze, circuit training or an aerobics class. Facilities include two sports halls, fitness rooms, dance studio, squash courts, tennis courts and soccer, rugby and cricket pitches.
"So the campus has a range of facilities available. We have sports centres. We have cafes, restaurants, pubs. We have the clubs and societies. We have walks in the woods, very close by. You can easily walk to the fields. If you need to get away from it all, it's safe and beautiful. We have lovely flowers and trees, you know? And people interesting, it's just fun. We've got a great Library with a really fantastic range of books and journals but also a very good online facility, you know, in terms of other sort of online facilities, if you like, we've got the virtual learning environment, Canvas, which is incredibly interactive. And that's also an important part of the environment, if you like.
What I really love about living and working in Brighton and East Sussex, is that you've got a really lovely mix. You've got a lot of culture lots of nice sort of museums and art galleries, as well as lovely places to eat, a very diverse range of places to eat, from around the world. You've got a diverse range of people. It's a very international place to be. You are also surrounded by countryside so you've got the best of both worlds. You've got Brighton which is a city and it's only an hour away from London on the train. So you're right close to the capital. You've got the sea, and you're surrounded by countryside. What's not to like it's just great. I love living here."
Career opportunities
As a city with a large variety of industries, there are many career opportunities in Brighton.
As the city is just an hour from London by train, there are also a lot of career opportunities for those who are willing to commute.
All our academic programmes at the International Study Centre have a variety of employability boosting activities integrated within their modules. These are specifically designed to develop your skills and knowledge to give you a head start in today’s competitive graduate employment market.
Become a Student Ambassador
We have an exciting opportunity available at the International Study Centre to develop your social media skills and contribute to our social channels!
Get involved in taking over our social media, writing fun blogs, hosting Q&A sessions, shining bright at events, starring in our marketing materials, sharing your daily activities, and creating engaging content through photos and videos.
Of course, this would also be an impressive experience worth adding to your CV. Once your Student Ambassador role comes to a finish, you will receive a LinkedIn recommendation from us based on your performance.
“Choosing to apply to the Student Ambassador position was way out of my comfort zone, I can just be honest about that. But I'm grateful for the opportunity and it made me get more skills and apply them in my daily life. It made me more open to speaking to different people and getting different perspectives from other ambassadors.”
– Awrad, a previous Student Ambassador
