The University of Chichester is based in West Sussex, with campuses in the historic city centre and the coastal resort of Bognor Regis. The University dates back to 1839, when it was established as a college for training schoolmasters before evolving to the community-focused University it is today where students are known by name and not a number.
The areas of study at the University are:
- Acting, Drama & Theatre
- Business
- Computing
- Childhood
- Criminology
- Dance
- Education
- Engineering
- English & Creative Writing
- Film, Media & Screenwriting
- Fine Art
- Games, Audio, Animation & VFX
- Health
- History
- Law
- Mathematics
- Music
- Musical Theatre & Cabaret
- Nursing
- Philosophy & Ethics
- Physiotherapy
- Politics & International Relations
- Psychology & Counselling
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Sport
- Teaching
It is well regarded for teaching excellence and has been rated as a top-30 UK university (Guardian University Guide 2025), currently rated 26th out of 122 institutions.
Student Life
- City Population: 114,521
- Student Population: 5,550
- Chichester is a picturesque city with beautiful surrounding rural and coastal areas situated in West Sussex in the south east of England. With its 12th-century cathedral and Georgian shopping centre, it offers a unique cultural and artistic experience.
- It lies between two areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the South Downs and Chichester Harbour - as well as other nature reserves, beaches and a dramatic coastline to the south.
- The campus in Bognor Regis is five minutes away from the seafront with easy access to Butlins, a multi-purpose arts centre and the Picturedrome Cinema, situated within a Grade II listed building.
Culture and Nightlife
- Chichester offers a wide variety of local pubs, bars and restaurants and the Students' Union bar has been awarded a Best Bar None award.
- A range of cultural and arts sites include the Chichester Festival Theatre, Pallent House Art Gallery, The Novium museum, the Oxmarket Centre of the Arts, the site of a Roman amphitheatre and the Regis Centre in Bognor Regis. Cinemas include the arthouse Chichester Cinema at New Park, which shows a selection of mainstream, small-budget and older films.
- Spectator sports include Chichester City FC and Chichester RFC, the main football and rugby clubs, both based at Oaklands Park. Chichester cricket club and hockey club share a clubhouse at Priory Park. The city is also home to Chichester Sharks Flag American football club and Chichester Falcons softball club.
- Chichester has a leisure centre complete with swimming pool, sports hall and fitness room; while the Chichester Watersports Centre provides the opportunity to windsurf, kitesurf and kite buggy. At Goodwood you can play golf, watch horse-racing, attend motor racing events and music festivals.
- The Bognor Regis campus is set within its own green campus, a stones throw from the beach, and has a stunning collection of teaching and study spaces in Grade I listed Georgian manor houses juxtaposed with state-of-the-art creative and digital technology and engineering facilities in the new £35 Tech Park.
- Bognor Regis is home to Butlin's Resort, located opposite the University campus. It includes a spa, entertainment and music weekends. Also nearby is Hotham Park, the Picturedrome, a low cost indie cinema, the seaside, a multipurpose arts centre, plus lots of events through the year including the famous Birdman contest. The campus and town is surrounded by areas of natural beauty, Pagham and Littlehampton Harbours, and is a great base for exploring the rural delights of West Sussex, luxury hotspots, vineyard trails, coastal cycling, sailing, jet skiing and kite surfing.
