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.
Masters Open Day
Come along to our Masters Open Day on Saturday 15 March from 12:30pm to 4:30pm. It’s an in-person event, where you’ll get to meet our teaching and support staff, explore our beautiful Falmer campus and see why studying at Sussex could be your next step.
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.
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 .
PGCE courses
For postgraduate primary, secondary and School Choice courses, you should apply through .
Social work MA/PGDip
If you’re applying for the Social Work MA or PGDip you must apply through .
Online courses
For our online courses you should follow the applying link on the .
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. .
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).
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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.
Tuition fee deposits for international Masters students
If you are a self-funded international student starting a Masters course, you are required to pay a tuition fee deposit. Find out more.
Check our Masters courses to see tuition fees.
