Advice for parents and carers

Find out how to support a child or young person through the university application process.

Watch our video for parents and carers

Our parents and carers video is from our latest virtual Open Day.

Supporting a student applying to university

Helping a child or young person decide what they want to do after school or college can be daunting. Our guide is designed to equip you with all of the information you might need to help you support your child/young person to make an informed decision.

Find out if university is for them

Talk about their plans for the future, do they want to go to university or do they have a career path in mind? They might not know what they want to do yet. To help them take a look at our why university? guide.

Research courses together

Offer to help research subject areas and courses with them. Get to know their interests and work out the subjects they are passionate about. Do they already have a career in mind or are they unsure where their subject might take them?

For guidance see how to choose a course and what to do with your degree.

Learn about the application process

Applying to university can be confusing, to help your child or the young person you are supporting get their head around it, why not also learn about the application process? Then you can support them if they do decide to apply.

See how to apply and how to write a personal statement.

Check fees and funding options

Understanding fees and how to fund studies can be confusing for both parents/carers and students.

See our video guide to fees, funding options and how to use the UCAS application system.

You can also see more information about fees and funding at Sussex.

Go to Open Days and virtual events

Visit as many universities as you can by attending Open Days. Many universities also have virtual events and online campus tours so you can see the facilities on offer and where your child could be living. Consider if they want to study at a campus or a city university.

Find out about virtual events and visiting Sussex.

Look at accommodation options

Knowing a child or young person is safe at university is a big concern for parents and carers. Spend time researching and comparing housing options. Are they happy with living on campus or would they prefer to be off campus?

At Sussex, most first year students live on campus in self-catered accommodation. We have a campus security team which students can call upon 24/7. We also have a team of residential advisors for each residence, so students always have a point of contact if they have any concerns.

In some cases we also help students if they would prefer to live off campus and rent privately.

Find out more about accommodation at Sussex and residential support.

Check the support available

Research the kind of support available to students while they study, so you have peace of mind knowing their wellbeing is being looked after while they are away from home.

At Sussex we have a skills hub and library where students can access study support. We also have English language tutorials for international students.

We also offer:

We also have a buddy scheme to help students make friends.

If you are a social worker, personal advisor or foster parent – Sussex also provides a package of support for students who are Care Leavers.

Our Students' Union offers more support and represents student views.

Next steps

If your child decides to go on to university, we have further advice on:

Why Sussex?

Find out everything that makes Sussex a great place to study, work and call your home.

From our beautiful location to our wide-ranging courses, there's plenty of reasons to study at Sussex.

Find out more

Contact us

For general queries, email study@sussex.ac.uk.

You can also register for updates about Sussex.