What do our students love about Sussex? We recently took to Instagram to find out. Here are some of your highlights:

Our diverse student population

We pride ourselves on being a very international and inclusive community. We have students and staff from all over the world, who bring different perspectives, experiences and opinions to Sussex, and you’ve told us how much you love this.

Every year we celebrate Sussex's cultural diversity on One World Week, which will run between Monday 10 March and Sunday 16 March 2025. A collaboration between the University of Sussex and the Students’ Union, the events range from creative workshops and dance classes to cultural festivals, exhibitions and food parties. Do you have an idea for an event? Funding applications are open until 17 February.

The Language Café also provides a social space every Tuesday to meet other students, practice languages and exchange cultural information. 

Our friendly atmosphere

Sussex is a welcoming and inclusive community. The Buddy Scheme, for example, matches current students with students who are new or would like to meet new people based on their preferences, such as interests, course or language.  Whether you are just in your second term or in your last year, you can join the Buddy Scheme, make friends and try new things. Joining a student society is also a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have 180 student societies to choose from!

Many of you enjoy the vibrant social life on campus, from Valentine’s Day activities at the Student Centre to the artistic programme of the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts and free public lectures all year round.

You also pointed out the collective sense of caring and passion of the Sussex community. From members of staff helping to make your time at Sussex the best it can be, to students taking part in the Students’ Union elections or volunteering in sustainability projects. You still have time to nominate yourself for a Students' Union officer position until Friday 14 February.

We have recently launched the Sussex Awards, which brings together the previous Education Awards and Research Impact and Culture Awards and celebrate the brilliant work of our staff and postgraduate researcher community who help to make your student experience special.

The awards provide you with the opportunity to say thank you to individual staff or teams, in your Faculty or the wider University, who have had a positive impact on your time at Sussex. Find out about the awards and how you can nominate.

Our beautiful campus

Whenever we ask students what they love about Sussex, our campus is always among the top three answers. From the brutalist style of the buildings to the cute rabbits playing outside the Library, our campus is full of remarkable spaces. Here you can find a list of our students’ favourite social hubs, hideaways and study places on campus, that we compiled last term with your suggestions.

Many of you also highlighted how green the campus is. Located on the edge of the Sussex South Downs National Park, our campus and surrounding areas are full of beautiful biodiversity. Student Digital Media Creator, Sophie, shared a video with her favourite nature spots on campus where she explains how being in nature can benefit our mental health.

We’ve also recently shared the results of the 2024 Student Spaces Survey. Your feedback gave us a great insight into what you love, what you would like to improve and what you would like to see on campus.  From your go-to café to the best study spots,  here is what you had to say.