Study Abroad at the University of Brighton, England

First of all, the staff is amazing and very helpful. They assisted me with absolutely everything I needed. The professors are also very kind and always ready to help. The people I met at the university were all very nice, without exception. I can only recommend it to anyone.

During the introduction week, all the international students were taken on a trip to London, which was very nice because it really helped us make friends in a city where, as an international student, you don’t know anyone. The city itself is also very nice to visit, especially the beach.

All in all, the four months I’ve spent here have been awesome.

Everyday life and leisure
Brighton is only about an hour away from London by train. This is definitely a bonus if you don't want to live in the big city but still don't want to miss London. Brighton also has quite a few small shops and restaurants, especially in the ‘Lanes’ and the ‘North Lanes’. Brighton has its beautiful corners and of course the sea, but it is also very run-down in some parts. Brighton is also quite hilly.

Accommodation
We were all housed at the Falmer Campus, which is on the edge of Brighton and quite far out of the city centre. You always had to take the train or the bus and that always took quite a long time.

When I first started to think about studying abroad, there was no place I wanted to study more than the United Kingdom. After spending a semester with USAC, I have to say that this was the best decision I could have ever made. Those three short months enhanced my academic skills, and I grew more than I ever thought possible. As a socially anxious person, the group I studied with in Brighton are some of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Traveling to places I have only dreamt about, I grew out of my shell and became a person who is now more culturally aware and understands more about walks of life far different than where I come from. Because of the professors and instructors at the University of Brighton, I got to cover more than half the areas of the United Kingdom than I could've possibly on my own. At the end, I felt satisfied despite my limited time there, I felt like I didn't miss anything.

It was a fun and affordable program. There was a wide variety of lectures to choose from and learning was meaningful and engaging thanks to passionate lecturers and classmates. Study abroad team (Mary and Zoe) were really sweet and helpful. The city was vibrant and safe, since university students are the major part of the population from what I've heard. Also thoroughly enjoyed the field trips to Bath and Eastbourne and so on, they were very memorable. I recommend this program to those who want to experience British culture.

I studied abroad at University of Brighton in spring 2024. We had interesting classes and I made lifelong friends. I often travelled to other countries as it was easy to do so from Gatwick Airport. Then after a fantastic semester with wonderful support from Mary and the study abroad team, I decided to transfer from my home university in California to University of Brighton. The university team made it very easy for me to complete the transfer and I am very happy to be carrying out my studies here.

I had an incredible experience living and studying abroad in Brighton! I knew that I had always wanted to study abroad, specifically in England, and I chose Brighton because of its costal location and queer history. At first, I was worried about going alone (with no other person from my school) as I applied through USAC and had not previously made any lasting friendships in college. However, I quickly became part of an amazing group of people, some of whom are now close friends that I speak to daily. I loved the city (I highly recommend club Revenge) and reached a new level of independence through experiences like learning how to use public transport and how to actually cook for myself every day. The classes I chose were thorough yet fun and the program leaders from both USAC and UofB were always helpful and available. They also planned amazing outings and trips for us with lots of free time to do our own exploring. Overall, I wish I could live it all over again but, since I can’t, I will recommend this program in the hopes that others might find a similar experience!

I absolutely loved my experience abroad. I was surrounded by other study-abroad students and made life-long friends. Having others in a similar situation meant that I always had someone around who wanted to go travel, wander around town, or just laze by the beach. The town was wonderful, Mary and Zoe (my support/advisors from Brighton University), and I LOVED the beach.

Another thing I liked that doesn't necessarily have to do with the program itself is the cheap travel. You can get $15 flights to other countries and hostels for $10 a night. There is also an abundance of (relatively) cheap food everywhere I traveled. This allows those on a budget to still travel.

This was an experience that I will never forget. I loved my time and would absolutely do it again. However, if you are based in America, then you should be aware of some of the bureaucratic issues that arose. Getting a Visa is not particularly challenging, but you do need to pay attention to the details and to have time. Do not wait until the last minute. My college specifically had issues processing my transcript back, and scholarship money did not come in until the middle of November due to the delay in processing. So be careful.

I was very nervous about heading out to do my semester abroad at the University of Brighton, however it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Brighton itself is an absolutely wonderful place it’s full of so much queer culture and will make all members of the LGBTQ+ community feel welcomed and accepted. If you’re queer and trying to find a place to study abroad where you will feel safe and have fun, go to Brighton. The town itself has super fun queer nightlife with Club Revenge being my favorite.

Beyond that element, the university of Brighton’s study abroad office was absolutely wonderful. The staff takes you on many wonderful trips that were so extremely fun and were excellent ways to get to know your fellow students. My program also had a shared British Culture class with all my fellow study abroad students. It was wonderful because we all got to know each other pretty well and all relied on each other as we were all going through the same experiences.

Really though, the best thing was the people I met. I have met truly some of my best friends that I have full confidence I will know for the rest of my life. The people are what made my program truly excellent. If you’re not sure if you want to study abroad at Brighton, I would say absolutely take the risk and do it, it will be one of the best experiences of your life.