Overview

The University of Chichester may be one of the smallest institutions in this guide, but what it lacks in numbers, it makes up for with an abundance of character.  The university is situated across two sites on the south coast, one in Chichester and the other in Bognor Regis. When established in 1839, Chichester was primarily a teacher training college, and the modern-day university retains a powerful presence in this field. Both primary and secondary teacher training secured a rare double of outstanding ratings from Ofsted, with the inspectors praising the university’s ‘superbly designed curriculum that is brought to life by high-quality teaching, mentoring and guidance’. The university also has a strong portfolio of arts, performing arts, healthcare and sport-related degrees. Applications were slightly down last year, but Chichester scores well on student support metrics. Roughly two-thirds of its intake come from the South East, and the university is pursuing growth in its provision of degree apprenticeship programmes. 

Paying the bills

Students from households with less than £25,000 of annual income qualify for a bursary of £300 per academic year. The same sum is available to undergraduate care leavers without the means testing. The university also set aside a £30,000 budget to subsidise educational psychologist assessments, with 99 students benefiting from this last year. Chichester also runs a gifted athlete programme which sees different standards of athletes receive tiered awards. At the higher level, successful applicants get free gym access, the use of sports science support services, branded training tops and £400. Those in the middle tier get the same perks with £200, and the lower tier receives all of the perks but no money. There is a guarantee of accommodation for all first-year undergraduates who make Chichester their firm choice. Prices for self-catered accommodation start at £4,718 for a 40-week contract, with £7,084 the lowest price for a catered room. There is an usually high provision of catered accommodation at Chichester.

What’s new?

Apprenticeships are on the up at Chichester. The university currently offers 11 courses, such as chartered manager, digital marketer, nursing associate, manufacturing engineer and senior leader, with an approximate intake of 100 new apprentices per year. By next year, it plans to add degree apprenticeships in data science, diagnostic radiography, biomedical science and speech and language therapy. It is anticipated that these introductions will help increase the university’s apprentice population by around 40%. Chichester has made significant investments in new halls of residence, too. One new block will be on the Bishop Otter campus in Chichester and the other on the Bognor Regis campus – both sites combined will provide around 500 rooms. The university has also recently refurbished more than 500 rooms, boosting its already strong accommodation offering.

Admissions, teaching and student support

There is a sizeable population of both first-generation students and south-east locals at Chichester. The university has achieved a good level of social diversity, and has plans to further increase the number of ethnic minority students on campus, too. As part of its latest access and participation plan, it has introduced initiatives aimed at enrolling more students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and is introducing a contextual offer scheme for the 2025 intake. For most courses, the contextual offer will be two A-level grades below the standard offer. The university provides a range of virtual resources to enhance the student learning experience, but lectures and seminars must be attended in person. There are a handful of online-only programmes of study. When it comes to wellbeing, many staff are trained mental health first-aiders, and the university runs a sexual health and guidance campaign soon after freshers’ week. Topics such as consent, drugs and alcohol are also covered during induction talks.