University of Essex: Courses, Fees & Rankings

University profile

About University of Essex

The University of Essex is a public research university and a corporation formed by Royal Charter with charitable status, governed by its Council, Senate and Court. Its founding vision, set out by first Vice-Chancellor Sir Albert Sloman, was of a new kind of university where students could live and learn and where research really mattered. Teaching is research-led.

The main Colchester Campus sits in 200 acres of parkland at Wivenhoe Park, two miles from the centre of Colchester and within an hour of London and Stansted Airport. The Loughton Campus, on the edge of Epping Forest in east London, is home to East 15 Acting School. Teaching at the former Southend Campus ended in summer 2026, with all its courses transferred to Colchester.

Two faculties oversee teaching and research: the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Health. Their schools and departments cover computer science and electronic engineering, economics, business (Essex Business School, including Edge Hotel School), law (Essex Law School), government, health and social care, languages, literature and media, life sciences, mathematics, statistics and actuarial science, philosophy and history, psychology, psychosocial and psychoanalytic studies, sociology and criminology, and sport, rehabilitation and exercise sciences, as well as drama at East 15 Acting School.

Essex is known above all for the social sciences, with further strengths in science and health and in the arts and humanities. Its flagship institutes include the Institute for Analytics and Data Science, the Institute for Social and Economic Research, the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing and the Human Rights Centre. The University holds the UK's first Regius Professorship of Political Science and the world's first UNESCO Chair in Analytics and Data Science.

Student life centres on the Colchester squares and the Students' Union, which runs more than 70 societies, 40-plus sports clubs under the Essex Blades name and the VTeam volunteering programme. On-campus accommodation is guaranteed for the duration of a course (terms apply), with bills, Wi-Fi, contents insurance and Essex Sport gym membership included. Colchester also has the ESCALA Latin American art collection, the Lakeside Theatre and the Cine10 cinema.

The University has students and staff from more than 140 countries, and over a third of its students come from outside the UK. International students can prepare for degree study through pathway courses at the University of Essex International College, run with Kaplan International Pathways on the Colchester Campus. Essex belongs to the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) and the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance, with links to 320 institutions worldwide.

University information

Tuition fees

For Home, UK and Channel Islands undergraduates, the fee is £9,790 a year for 2026-27 and £10,050 for 2027-28. Edge Hotel School's accelerated degrees cost £11,750 (2026-27) and £12,060 (2027-28). EU and international undergraduate fees for 2026-27 range from £21,500 to £31,750 depending on the course, in five bands:

Band A, £21,500: humanities, health and social care, and sociology.
Band B, £22,600: business, law, economics, government, mathematics, sport and East 15.
Band C, £24,360: life sciences and psychology.
Band D, £25,050: computer science and electronic engineering.
Band E, £31,750: oral health science.

For 2027-28, international fees range from £22,575 to £33,350. A study abroad year costs 15% of the standard fee and a placement year 20%. Masters fees are set for each course and appear on the course pages.

International scholarships

International Undergraduate Scholarship: £5,000 off first-year tuition fees for overseas fee payers from specified countries, including all African Union member states and much of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Eligible applicants are considered automatically.
Undergraduate EU Scholarship: £5,000 off fees for each year of full-time undergraduate study, for up to three years.
International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship: £2,000 for the first year, for students with 34 or more IB points.
Global Talent Masters Scholarship: £5,000 off tuition fees for self-funding international masters students, based on undergraduate grades. Eligible applicants are considered automatically.
Masters (PGT) EU Scholarship: £5,000 off tuition fees.
Postgraduate Research EU Scholarship: £8,000 for each year of full-time study.
Early-bird Discount: £1,000 off the 2026-27 fee for overseas fee payers who pay in full by 19 August 2026 (October entry), 1 December 2026 (January entry) or 6 March 2027 (April entry).

UK undergraduate support

Essex Futures Bursary: up to £3,000 for UK students with a household income of £35,000 or less who start in October 2027. Households earning up to £25,000 receive a £1,000 cash bursary plus a £2,000 accommodation credit. Households earning £25,001 to £30,000 receive a £1,500 accommodation credit, and those earning £30,001 to £35,000 receive a £1,000 accommodation credit. Eligible students are considered automatically.
Access Essex Scholarship: a 100% first-year tuition fee waiver for 10 UK/Home fee undergraduates entering in 2027-28, limited to particular groups and regions. The application form must be submitted by 11:59pm BST on 30 April 2027, and successful applicants are told by 11 June 2027.
Schools and Colleges Membership Bursary: a £1,000 cash bursary for students progressing from member schools and colleges.
Further bursaries support care leavers, students with refugee status, and students from lower-income households on a year abroad or placement.

Other awards

Sports scholarships and bursaries are worth up to 100% of tuition fees for athletes competing at regional, national or international level. An Alumni Loyalty Discount of 20% on first-year fees applies to Essex graduates and former study abroad students. Research students can also apply for Faculty Studentships and doctoral training studentships through ARIES, CHASE, SeNSS and Soc-B. Eligible UK students can take out a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan of up to £30,301 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2025. US students may be eligible for federal direct loans. All awards are listed in the Scholarship Finder.

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Undergraduate entry

Applications for October 2027 entry are made through UCAS (institution code E70), with up to five choices. Applicants not applying through UCAS that year, including independent and mature applicants, can apply directly to the University. Entry requirements vary by course. The LLB Law, for example, asks for 128 UCAS tariff points from at least the equivalent of two full A-levels, or 32 points in the IB Diploma including at least two Higher Level subjects. Tariff-point offers can be made across A-levels, AS levels, the EPQ, BTECs, OCR Cambridge Technicals, Cambridge Pre-U, the WJEC qualifications and Core Maths, and the University also accepts T-levels, the IB Diploma and Certificates, QAA-approved Access to HE Diplomas and other qualifications. Applicants with lower predicted grades can still apply. Their whole application is reviewed, and they may be considered for related courses, including foundation-year degrees.

Contextual offers

Applicants living in the UK who come from underrepresented groups can receive contextual offers of up to two A-level grades (or equivalent) below the standard offer. These offers cover A-levels, Level 3 BTEC Extended Diplomas, combined tariff qualifications and the IB, and eligibility is set out in the Contextual Offers Policy.

UCAS dates (2026 entry cycle)

Applications opened on 2 September 2025, and the equal consideration date was 14 January 2026 at 6pm. The final date to apply before Clearing was 30 June 2026, and Clearing opened on 5 July 2026. Offer holders who had all their decisions by 31 March had to choose firm and insurance places by 6 May 2026, and outstanding academic conditions had to be met by 3 September 2026. Deferred entry is considered for all courses except East 15 courses and Oral Health Science. Some courses, including East 15 programmes and nursing, require an interview or audition.

International undergraduate entry

Each country has its own page showing how its qualifications compare with UK entry requirements. Students who do not yet meet direct-entry requirements can take a Foundation Certificate, International Year One (entry to the second year) or a Pre-Master's at the University of Essex International College on the Colchester Campus, run with Kaplan International Pathways. Passing at the required level with good attendance guarantees progression.

English language requirements

All applicants need GCSE English at grade C/4 or equivalent. For first-year degree entry, applicants who need a Student visa (other than nationals of majority English-speaking countries) need at least IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each component, PTE Academic 60 with 59 in each component, or a TOEFL iBT taken before 21 January 2026 with 82 overall. Foundation-year entry requires IELTS 5.5 with 5.5 in each component, and direct entry to the second or final year requires 6.5 with 5.5 in each component. IELTS and PTE results are valid for three years and TOEFL results for two. Individual courses can set higher IELTS levels, and health and social care courses have their own requirements. Pre-sessional English courses at the International College can meet the language condition of an offer.

Postgraduate taught entry

Masters applicants need a UK degree or an equivalent international qualification. Some courses have extra requirements. Official transcripts must be included with the application, and a CV or reference is needed for some courses, such as the Essex MBA, pre-registration health courses and MA Social Work. For October 2026 entry, applications from those needing a visa closed at 12pm on 4 August 2026, and other applicants could apply until 30 September 2026. For January 2027 entry, applications close on 14 December 2026 for visa applicants and on 4 January 2027 for others, while School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering courses close on 7 December 2026 for all applicants.

Postgraduate research entry

Most research degrees require a good masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. Applicants apply online through the myEssex for Applicants portal with transcripts and a CV. Applicants to the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences submit a research proposal, and applicants to the Faculty of Science and Health complete a departmental pro forma. Proof of English proficiency is not needed at the point of application.

Visas and CAS

International students on courses longer than six months need a Student visa, which requires a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University. To receive a CAS, students usually pay a tuition fee deposit or show sponsorship from a recognised sponsor. The deposit deadline was 21 August 2026 for October 2026 entry and is 14 December 2026 for January 2027 entry.

Colchester Campus (Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ) is the main campus, set in 200 acres of parkland two miles from Colchester city centre, and home to more than 10,000 students from over 140 countries. Since the 2026 closure of the Southend Campus, all courses outside East 15's Loughton programmes are taught here, and the University of Essex International College (Kaplan International Pathways) also runs its pathway and pre-sessional English courses on site.

Library and study: the Albert Sloman Library and a range of quiet and collaborative study spaces, plus film studios and editing suites and specialist departmental facilities.
Sport: the Essex Sport Arena, the Evolve gym and Sports Centre beside South Courts, a climbing wall and a Sports Therapy Clinic.
Arts and culture: the Lakeside Theatre, the Art Exchange gallery, the ESCALA Latin American art collection and the Cine10 cinema.
Support and services: the Student Services Hub on the first floor of the Silberrad Student Centre, the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service, an on-campus health centre, a Faith Centre, and cafés, restaurants and bars, including the SU Bar.
Residences: North Towers, South Towers, The Pastures, University Quays, The Copse, The Meadows Flats, The Meadows Townhouses, South Courts and Wolfson Court, in self-catering flats with shared kitchens, plus en suite, shared and adapted rooms. Rents start at £82.88 per week (2026/27 prices) with bills included. Undergraduate contracts typically run for 39 weeks and postgraduate contracts for 50 weeks.

Loughton Campus (East 15 Acting School) sits on the edge of Epping Forest, a five-minute walk from Debden Underground station on the Central line. It has three sites:

Hatfields: a Georgian dower house set in five acres with a small lake, and home to the Loughton Campus Library.
Roding House: rehearsal rooms, a green room and café, a sound recording studio, a video editing suite and the costume department.
Unit Four: the Stage and Production Management department, with a large workshop, paint shop, prop shop and teaching spaces.

Loughton has its own Students' Union (SU Loughton) and café.

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