How to apply for a Masters course

We are looking for ambitious, enthusiastic and motivated students. You’ll have the passion to succeed, the independence to take on your own projects, and the ability to go above and beyond.

A Masters degree student studying at the University of Sussex.

Choose your course

Choose from more than 200 Masters degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) courses.

We offer full- and part-time courses and some courses include an integrated placement year.

If you are an international student with a student visa (students outside the UK), you can only study Masters courses full-time.

How to apply

Most applications for Masters courses starting in September 2025 are made directly to Sussex through our application portal.

apply now

Read our short guide for using the application portal.

A small number of postgraduate courses follow a different application route. These are:

Medicine and health

If you’re applying to study a course in medicine, you must apply to Brighton and Sussex Medical School via the University of Brighton.

PGCE courses

For postgraduate primary, secondary and School Choice courses, you should apply through GOV.UK Postgraduate Teacher Training.

Social work MA/PGDip

If you’re applying for the Social Work MA or PGDip you must apply through UCAS Undergraduate.

Online courses

For our online courses you should follow the applying link on the relevant course entry.

Sussex MBA starting in January 2025

You can apply for our Masters of Business Administration (MBA), starting in January 2025, using our previous postgraduate application system.

Entry requirements

To find the specific entry requirements for your course, see our Masters courses.

You also need to meet our general entry requirement: at least an upper second-class (2:1) or lower second-class (2:2) undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) depending on the course you are applying for.

If you’re an international student, you need to meet our English language requirements, or successfully complete our pre-sessional English course.

Check our entry requirements for UK applicants and entry requirements for international applicants.

If you need a visa to study in the UK, we provide you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). You can view and download your CAS statement through the postgraduate application system.

Pre-Masters programmes

Pre-Masters programmes are designed to improve your English language level, study skills and academic knowledge ahead of postgraduate study. Find out more.

When to apply

We begin to consider applications in late November for entry to Sussex the following September.

Courses can be in high demand, so we recommend that you apply as early as possible. We do have maximum capacities for subjects and will close courses to new applications once they are full.

The latest you should apply would normally be:

UK applicants – one month before course start date
International applicants – two months before course start date.

High demand courses may close much earlier than the above deadlines, so you should apply as soon as you can.

There are also some courses with earlier deadlines. Check our Masters courses for specific deadlines.

You must also submit your application earlier if you apply:

without formal academic qualifications
with professional qualifications
on the strength of relevant experience.

The deadlines are to make sure that, after receiving any offer, there is enough time for you to arrive for induction and the start of teaching.

The earlier application deadline for international students is to allow additional time to complete the visa application process and, if required for the course, to obtain clearance by the UK Government’s Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS).

Find out about ATAS clearance on the Student Hub.

Fees and funding

You may be eligible for a Masters scholarships or a Postgraduate Masters Loan to fund your studies.

If your application is successful, you have your fee status assessed. If your fee status is unclear, we’ll ask you to complete a questionnaire, and if you disagree with the outcome of your fee status assessment, you can appeal.