History
Founded in 1961, the University of Sussex has a long-standing reputation for providing world-class education to all. Our distance learning courses give you the opportunity to study at Sussex, from wherever you are in the world.
Education
We worked with course developers and design specialists to create a truly accessible, intuitive and engaging Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Forget commuting to campus and vying for a seat in a busy lecture hall; the VLE brings the University to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. All you need is a laptop, phone or tablet and a WiFi connection.
Research
We are a research-intensive university, attracting leading academics and students from over 100 countries world-wide. We challenge convention, fostering radical and progressive ideas to provide students with a distinctive education experience.
Career
Our Careers and Employability Centre provides specialist 1-2-1 careers support and guidance and is available to you throughout your time studying with us. You’ll also have access to a wealth of online sources such as guides to CV writing and will be invited to attend careers workshops delivered especially for Masters students.
University Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2025
201
2024
201
2023
201
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2025
246 -28
2024
218 22
2023
240
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2024
201
2023
201
2022
-
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2025
-
2024
245
2023
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Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Student services
Student Success Information Advisors will be your first point of contact for all queries during your studies, and they are also on hand to ensure you’re aware of key dates including payment and assessment deadlines.
Library services
As a student studying online at Sussex you’ll have full use of our online Library catalogue and learning resources. You’ll be able to access thousands of eBooks, journals, newspapers and databases. We also have a dedicated Librarian for online courses, who’ll help you with using the Library and sourcing the resources you need.
ICT services
With online students joining us from all over the world and studying at different times, we understand our IT support can’t just be 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday BMT. We therefore offer a 24hr IT service for students who are experiencing any technical issues.