Study Abroad in Brighton, England at University of Sussex

Study Abroad in Brighton, England at University of Sussex

4.62 · 141 reviews
Location
  • England
    • Brighton
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Direct Enrollment
University
University of Sussex
Degree Level
Bachelors Masters PhD.
Housing
Dormitory Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

$15,750
Price Details
Autumn / Spring semester: £11,750

Full year: £23,500
What's Included
Some Activities Classes
Jun 12, 2026
Jul 26, 2026
55 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Study abroad in Brighton, one of the UK's most vibrant student cities, with a semester or year abroad at the University of Sussex. Located beside the South Downs National Park and minutes from the seafront, Sussex combines academic excellence with an outstanding student experience.

Choose from more than 1,000 classes across nearly 30 subject areas and build a programme that fits your interests while earning credits towards your degree at a leading UK university.

Brighton is famous for its beaches, festivals, arts scene and inclusive culture. Central London is just over an hour away by train, and Gatwick Airport is only 30 minutes from campus.

Students value Sussex for its supportive teaching, international community and memorable student life. If you're looking for a semester or year abroad in England, Sussex offers the ideal mix of academic choice, global connections and life in a dynamic seaside city. Join students from over 150 countries and experience life at Sussex!!

Program Highlights

  • Ranked the happiest university in the UK in the Unifresher Happiest Universities 2026 Guide.
  • Constantly ranked among the top universities in the world. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 placed Sussex 201-250th in the world overall.
  • Sussex is ranked in the top 10 universities in the UK for Brighton's diverse nightlife (pubs, clubs and music venues) and political activities.
  • Over 1,000 top-tier classes to choose from - Sussex is known for its Humanities and Social Sciences field, with its Development Studies program being placed at number 1 globally in the QS World University Ranking.
  • Home of Premier League football team Brighton & Hove Albion

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

The University of Sussex offers comprehensive support for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) students through various initiatives, resources, and student organizations. These efforts aim to create an inclusive and equitable campus environment, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment for BIPOC individuals within the university community.
The University of Sussex is committed to providing robust support for LGBTQIA+ students, creating a safe and inclusive campus environment. Through its dedicated LGBTQ+ society, counselling services, and educational programs, the university works to promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. These efforts contribute to a vibrant and respectful community that celebrates LGBTQIA+ individuals and their contributions.
We offer comprehensive support for neurodivergent students, recognizing the unique strengths and challenges they bring to the academic community. Through its Disability and Dyslexia Support team, specialized accommodations, and tailored resources, the university ensures that neurodivergent students can access an inclusive and accommodating learning environment. By promoting awareness, providing assistive technologies, and fostering a culture of understanding, Sussex strives to empower neurodivergent individuals to excel in their academic pursuits.
The University of Sussex is dedicated to ensuring accessibility for all students, offering a range of support services to accommodate diverse needs. With a commitment to inclusivity, the university provides accessible facilities, assistive technologies, and personalised accommodations through its Accessibility Services team. These efforts contribute to an environment where every student can fully participate in academic and extracurricular activities, promoting equal opportunities and fostering a sense of belonging for all members of the university community.

Impact 🌎

We are deeply committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, actively integrating eco-friendly practices into its operations, curriculum, and campus development. Through initiatives such as sustainable transportation options, waste reduction programs, and renewable energy projects, the university strives to minimise its ecological footprint. By engaging students, faculty, and staff in sustainability efforts, Sussex creates a culture of environmental responsibility that prepares future leaders to address global challenges.
The University of Sussex places a strong emphasis on ethical impact by fostering a culture of social responsibility and ethical awareness among its students and staff. Through interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and partnerships with ethical organizations, the university addresses pressing societal issues and seeks innovative solutions for a more just and sustainable world. By integrating ethics into academic programs and encouraging critical thinking, Sussex aims to empower individuals who are equipped to make positive ethical contributions to society.

Popular Programs

Students in lecture theatre

The University of Sussex has one of the UK's largest schools of Psychology, with specialists in every area of psychology. Our faculty has been recognised for their outstanding teaching & we have over 40 classes to choose from.

The School has approximately 600 m2 of laboratory space, well equipped to support the needs of research groups, and an extensive range of general facilities, including 18 cubicles (for individual testing) and a large room used for the simultaneous testing of groups.

Students in campus building

Sussex's School of Global Studies offers over 60 modules for students in the world-ranked disciplines of Development (1st globally) and IR (world top 100).

You will learn from experts making a difference across the world who are committed to social justice and challenging global inequality, addressing the most pressing global issues of our time – global inequalities & justice, climate/environmental change, war & peace.

About University of Sussex

University of Sussex
University of Sussex Logo
City
Brighton
Students:
17,300
Year Founded:
1959
International Students:
5,000

The University of Sussex is a leading research-intensive university near Brighton. We have both an international and local outlook, with staff and students from more than 100 countries and frequent engagement in community activities and services. Sussex was the first of the new wave of UK universities founded in the 1960s, receiving its Royal Charter in 1961.

Program Reviews

4.62 Rating
based on 141 reviews
  • 5 rating 63.83%
  • 4 rating 34.04%
  • 3 rating 2.13%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.05
  • Support 4.3
  • Fun 4.55
  • Housing 3.8
  • Safety 4.6
Showing 113 - 120 of 141 reviews
Hanna
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Semester Abroad at the University of Sussex

Over all I'm happy with my experience at the University of Sussex. The modules that I've been taking have all been very interesting and the lecturers engaging. I had some struggles while working on my time table, as many of my lectures clashed. The staff was very helpful in this process and I managed to change some of my modules after arriving on campus. Academically, I feel that this term has been very rewarding.

I found the social scene a bit difficult to get a grip of. I took four modules that were not connected to the same program, which meant that I didn't have any classmates that were in more than one of my classes. This made it more difficult to get to know people, but there are a lot of different societies on campus and that is good for socialising.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would also get a job outside of uni, to become more integrated in society. As I feel that my choice of modules were not optimal for me to socialise and have a consistency in meeting the same people for several hours a week, I think that this would have been a good complement to my studies.
87 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks Hanna for taking the time to write this review!
It's great to hear you found your modules interesting and engaging.

Eva
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Unexpected

What surprised me most is how uni became one of the things I did not have to worry about at all (the coursework was easy and the teachers were nice), but instead I spent all my time worrying about making friends and not being lonely in my very small room. You really need to take the initiative, go out and make friends. My advice: go to as many freshers activities as you can! Go to any club, go discover Brighton with a group, do the campus tour. The people I met that way are the ones I am still in contact with, over a year later! And after freshers week is over try to stay in contact, and of course, JOIN the clubs you tried out in freshers week. What hit me hardest was coming home to an empty room after spending all day with friends or in class, and having to cook for 1, try to enjoy myself, watching another netfilx show. Luckily I ended up making friends with whom I could cook together and who felt the same way!

What would you improve about this program?
The program itself was done very well in my opinion. We were provided with housing, transport from the airport and a lot of meetings with other exchange students within the faculty and in general. I would have liked a Facebook group or another kind of group in which ALL exchange events were announced since many of the events were empty because people didn't know about them.
89 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks for your review, Eva!
It sounds like you have been very proactive in going out to make friends and the most of your experience, which is great for us to hear!
Thanks also for your improvement recommendation!

Emma
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review Exchange University of Sussex

My exchange has been a great experience! I was quite nervous the first day, but after a few hours I already felt comfortable. I live with 40 other exchange students in a hotel with a big kitchen and living and dining room. It is so much fun, since whenever you want to do something there is always somebody up for it. I can recommend everyone this experience! Even when you've already travelled and met a lot of different people from different countries, this experience will still be new and exciting because you now live with these people in everyday 'normal' circumstances instead of traveling. Brighton is also a very fun city with a huge amount of cute (vegan) cafes, pubs and clubs. There really is something for everybody! You'll love it here!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
British people never seem to be cold. I'm from the Netherlands so I thought there would be almost no cultural differences, but when British people go out they just don't bring a coat. Girls often wear short dresses and I get cold just by looking at them.
84 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks Emma for taking the time to review Sussex!
I loved reading your 'most surprising' thing... It's quite true, isn't it! :-)

Roxanne
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review Exchange University of Sussex

My experience at the University of Sussex was lots of fun. The university is enormous and there are many facilities. The education level is quite relatable to Dutch universities. Especially for Global Studies, there are various events almost every day. These are interesting talks with professors and professionals which you can attend.
Brighton is a real student city and there are many social opportunities. These are also very much aligned with the Student Union of Sussex. The inhabitants of the city are largely student so there is something going on every night of the week.
I had my own accommodation as I didn't want to share a room with someone and rather lived in a regular house. This is something that is achievable if you spend enough time on it. The Facebook group of the university of very helpful for this and quite reliable as they check if you are a student at the university.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The strictness of ID-checking with alcohol consumption. The UK is very strict about this. You need to bring your ID everywhere. Even if you look and are around 25, you need to show your ID.
84 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks Roxanne for this review!
It sounds like you really engaged with Brighton, which is awesome!

Yuna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Fantastic experience

I applied to Sussex because I wanna deepen my research in the field of international development. Through the exchange year, I met a lot of enthusiastic and great professors, tutors and students. Due to the linguistic barrier, sometimes it waa quite hard to catch up the lecture, but tutors are very kind to help me. Also, the location of the uni is perfect... close to the beautiful sea and just an hour away from London. As a student from abroad, I really enjoyed Brit culture. Additionaly, I had a chance to live with British flat mates, so I was able to learn a lot of things from them. Lastly, this is very important one, the staff members of international student support unit are very kind and always helpful. I just wanna thank them, because without there support, I couldn't make my exchange year much better!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Bonfire night! The air was quite chilly, but the bonfire was so so beautiful.
84 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks Yuna for your review - and rating Sussex as 10/10!!
It's so good to hear you had a great and engaging time here... And got to attend bonfire night!!

Evelyn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing time in Brighton

I had such a great time studying at University of Sussex. The independence of living abroad on your own is such a refreshing experience, and having the ability to travel around Europe is an opportunity that should definitely be taken advantage of (budget allowing, of course). I come from the suburbs in Georgia, where public transportation and everything being in walking distance isn't really a thing. Living in Brighton was definitely a new experience, and I absolutely loved it. Academically, the University of Sussex was just right for a semester abroad. The courses do not have an excessive workload, but I still felt challenged with my coursework. The professors are willing to help, the campus environment is friendly, and the people you meet come from around the world, so you learn so much just from sitting down and talking to someone who came from the other side of the world than you.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I wish I would have done more traveling throughout the semester instead of cramming it in at the end. I definitely would have planned for more, since I don't know when I'll be able to come all this way again.
85 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thank you, Evelyn, for taking the time to review Sussex!
Georgia to Brighton is a big difference - you seem to have made the most of your time here, which is great to hear!

Huie Jaen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience

University of Sussex is very welcoming to us as a foreign student and I can always discuss my problem with the academic advisor and lecturer here, they are really helpful and kind to me. Transport at Brighton is always very convenient to us, I bought a three month ticket and get cheaper with student price, we just need to install Brighton and Hove buses app and scan the QR code every time we board on the bus and we are ready to go to any where within the city. Since University of Sussex is a quite big campus, there are many bus stops in the campus, so no worry to walk from class to class, as you can board on bus to go to the bus stop nearby to your class. Another thing I like to praise is that the lecturers here are all very professional and responsible, they response quickly to any questions we had and willing to sacrifice their time to help us solve it, for example my economic lecture class recording had subtitles for it as many students said they’re not used to his slang. Overall, I would like to thanks Sussex to giving me such a happy and meaningful memories.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Alcohol is sold in campus convenience store. Because back in my country, this is impossible to happen.
94 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thanks Huie Jaen for writing this review!
It sounds like you got very savvy with how to get around for less!
So great to hear you had such good experience with the lecturers here.

Katy
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review on Autumn Semester of University of Sussex

My exchange studies in the University of Sussex is extremely fulfilling and fun! The workload is not heavy yet I did learn a lot of practical skills in the school of media, film and music! The lecturers and tutors are very nice. There are plenty of holidays as well so that I had much time to travel around the United Kingdom and Europe. The only thing I am quite disappointed about is the housing. The school did provide off-campus accommodation for overseas exchange students (they do not provide on-campus ones for us), however, the hotel i was allocated is not quite student-friendly. I lived in a twin room in which I have to share only one table, one chair and one closet with my roommate. The kitchen of the hotel is not in good condition as well.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Better to find your own accommodation rather than those provided by the school.
88 people found this review helpful.
Response from University of Sussex

Thank you, Katy, for this review of Sussex!
It's great to hear you got to travel to Europe during your time here...!
Thanks for your feedback, too, it's really important to hear this :-)

Questions & Answers