Your offer and confirming your place

Receiving your offer

If your application is successful, you will receive an offer from us via UCAS.

Your offer will be either:

• unconditional (if you already meet the requirements for your course. However, there may still be some non-academic conditions you have to meet and we may need to verify your qualifications)
• conditional (if you still have qualifications to complete, such as academic grades and/or meet English requirements).

If your application is unsuccessful and you’re not sure why, you can request feedback.

If you are unsuccessful, you should check the entry requirements and offer level for your chosen course. Not meeting the entry requirements is the most common reason why applications are turned down.

If you are still unsure about the reasons why your application has been turned down, contact our admissions team on +44 (0)1273 678416.

Accepting your offer

Once you have received decisions from all the universities you have applied to, UCAS will ask you to decide which offers you want to accept and which you want to decline.

You can accept one offer as your firm choice, and, if you want, a second university as your insurance choice:

• Your firm choice should be the university you really want to go to.
• If all of your offers are unconditional you will only choose a firm choice.
• If your offer is conditional and you achieve the grades for your firm choice university you will be given a place there. You will only be considered by your insurance choice if you are unsuccessful with your firm choice.
• If you narrowly miss the conditions of your offer, we will always look first at accepting you if you have shown a strong commitment to Sussex by choosing us as your firm choice.

To help you decide if you want to accept our offer, we invite you to an Applicant Visit Day.

When you have made your choices, log into UCAS Hub to notify UCAS. You must respond by the deadline given to you by UCAS, otherwise your offers will be declined.

You cannot easily change your firm (and insurance) choices, and so you must think carefully before you make a decision.

Verifying your results

All offers are subject to the verification of declared qualifications.

If you receive an:

• unconditional offer – we may still need to verify copies of your main qualifications (which might include certain GCSEs, or equivalent, where these are a specific requirement of your course)
• conditional offer – we will normally verify your main qualifications as part of confirming your place in the summer. However, if you have earlier qualifications (including certain GCSEs, or equivalent) we may need to verify these separately.

We will write to you if we need to see copies of qualifications – these must be submitted as soon as possible.

All verification of declared qualifications must be completed by 31 August. If you can’t provide copies of your qualifications by then, you will not be able to register and we may withdraw your place.

Confirming your place

The final stage of the admissions process happens in the summer with the publication of exam results.

If you are taking A-levels, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, BTEC qualifications, the Access to Higher Education Diploma or Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, we will receive your results automatically from the exam boards via UCAS.

If the conditions of your offer relate to any other qualifications then we will ask you (or your school or college) to submit copies of your formal results as soon as these are published.

All results must be submitted to us by the end of August. If you do not submit your results by then, you may lose your place.

If your offer is conditional on A-levels, you should check UCAS Hub as soon as you receive your grades.

• Meeting the conditions of your offer

  If we are your:

  • firm choice and you meet (or exceed) the conditions of your offer, your place will be automatically confirmed
  • insurance choice and you meet (or exceed) the conditions of your offer, you will come to Sussex if you are unsuccessful with your firm choice. If your firm choice accept you (whether you meet the conditions of their offer or not), you will go to your firm choice.
• What to do if you miss the conditions of your offer

  If you miss the conditions of your offer (whether we are your firm or insurance choice), we will review your application and we may still be able to accept you.

  We will give you priority if you have chosen Sussex as your firm choice. You will be able to see our decision in UCAS Hub.

  In reviewing your application, we take into account not only the grades achieved, but the spread of those grades, which subjects they are in, any additional qualifications you have taken (such as extra A- or AS-levels or the Extended Project Qualification), as well as any information (such as interview notes) from your original application decision.

  Having reviewed your application we may:

  • confirm your place on your original course (despite missing the conditions)
  • offer you a change of course (for example, to one of our Foundation Years)
  • turn down your application.

  If there is no decision showing on UCAS Hub, you should call us on +44 (0)1273 678416.

  Personal and academic challenges

  In reviewing your application, we will take into account any information you have provided about serious personal or academic challenges you have faced in the run up to your exams.

  You should let us know about any difficulties (for example, close family bereavements or prolonged illness) before the results are published. You should email this information to ug.applicants@sussex.ac.uk by the end of July.

  We recommend you ask your school or college to write to us, explaining the situation and, if you have had medical difficulties, you may want to send a doctor’s note.

  If having reconsidered your application, we are not able to offer your original choice of degree, we will automatically consider you for alternative courses. For example, we may be able to offer you a change of course to one of our Foundation Years (subject to space).

  Change of course offers

  If you miss the conditions of your offer and we can’t accept you on your original choice of degree, we will always consider you for alternative courses.

  For example, if your offer is for an MChem in Chemistry, we may offer you a place on the BSc version instead. Or, if we can’t offer you a place for first year entry, we may offer you a place on a relevant Foundation Year.

  If you successfully complete your Foundation Year, you are guaranteed progression into the first year of a linked undergraduate degree at Sussex.

  If you are made a change of course offer at confirmation, UCAS will explain your options and you need to respond to the offer through UCAS Hub by the deadline given.

  If you have any questions, contact our Undergraduate Admissions team on +44 (0)1273 678416.

Before you arrive at Sussex

When your place has been confirmed at Sussex, you will be sent registration and pre-arrival information. You will receive this in early September.

If you are an international student studying a certain science or engineering-based course you must apply for ATAS clearance.

If you are an international student and you are offered a place, you will receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number, so that you can apply for a student visa.

Arrivals weekend takes place in September.