How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Sussex: BSc (3 Years) and MChem (4 Years, With Industrial Placement Year or Summer Research Placements) Applied for by UCAS Code, Typical BSc Offer ABB–BBB With A-level Chemistry at B, Royal Society of Chemistry Accredited, With Requirements for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Sussex is near Brighton on the south-east coast of England. Chemistry is taught by the Department of Chemistry in the School of Life Sciences. This guide follows Sussex’s course pages, application page, transfers page, contextual-offers page and tuition-fee page for September 2027 entry, for UK applicants, international applicants (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students. Biology-related life sciences degrees sit in the same School; this guide covers chemistry only.

1. Degrees and UCAS codes

The course pages say September 2027 start, on campus. The website offers four versions of chemistry:

• Chemistry BSc (Hons): UCAS code F100, 3 years, typical A-level offer ABB–BBB. Accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry as partially meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem).
• Chemistry MChem: F103, 4 years (integrated master’s), typical offer AAB–ABB; accredited as fully meeting the academic criteria for CChem.
• Chemistry (with an industrial placement year) MChem: F102, 4 years, typical offer AAB–ABB. You can apply for up to a year on an industrial placement, normally in the UK or Europe, with a designated tutor in regular contact; if you do not secure one you transfer to the non-placement version. Recent students have been placed at AkzoNobel, GSK and Pfizer.
• Chemistry with Summer Research Placements MChem: F107, 4 years, typical offer A*AA (Chemistry at least A). You can apply to work on a research problem with a member of staff in the Department each summer before Years 2, 3 and 4, with funding for living expenses during the placements.

The BSc course page lists two optional “experience year” routes: overseas study (you must meet the academic requirements at Sussex and at the partner university) and a placement (you apply for and secure it yourself, with information and advice from the careers team). Students using US federal loans face extra limits on overseas study or US placements; see the website.

Year 1 core modules include Chemistry Laboratory 1 and 2, Electrons in Atoms and Molecules, Transferrable Skills for Chemists, Physical Chemistry of Molecules and Materials, Reactivity of Organic Compounds and Reactivity of the Elements. The page says Year 1 teaching is about 40% lectures and 60% practicals, with about 360 contact hours out of about 1,200 hours. Year 2 core modules include Core Laboratory Skills for Chemists 1 and 2, Structure Determination in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Symmetry, Bonding and Molecular Spectroscopy and Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry; Year 3 has Projects in Experimental and Computational Chemistry and Advanced Techniques in Experimental Chemistry plus options such as Green Chemistry, Drug Discovery, Catalysis and Chemistry of Functional Materials; MChem Year 4 is a full-year Chemistry Research Project. Sussex says the modules are planned for 2027/28 and may change, and that more detail will follow in January 2027.

Direct entry: you apply to a specific chemistry degree by UCAS code. The course pages do not give the rules for moving between the BSc and MChem after you arrive; this is not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask admissions. The website also offers Biochemistry and other life sciences degrees, which are outside this guide.

2. Prerequisites and entry requirements (2027 entry)

A-level: BSc typical ABB–BBB, A-levels must include Chemistry at B, and you will need to pass the science practical assessment (applicants who cannot take it are considered case by case). MChem and MChem with an industrial placement year: typical AAB–ABB with Chemistry at B; MChem with Summer Research Placements: typical A*AA with Chemistry at least A. GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics at grade 4/C is normally needed.

IB: BSc 32 points (Higher Level must include Chemistry, at least 5); MChem and MChem with an industrial placement year 34 points (HL Chemistry 5); with Summer Research Placements 36 points.

Other qualifications (BSc / MChem): Scottish Highers AABBB / AAABB (must include Chemistry, ideally with Advanced Higher Chemistry at B; AAAAA for Summer Research Placements); BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science DDM / DDD, plus combinations of a BTEC National Diploma with one A-level or an Extended Certificate with two A-levels; Access to HE Diploma in Science with substantial Level 3 Chemistry credits, for the BSc at least 39 Level 3 credits at Merit or above including 24 at Distinction (27 for MChem); European Baccalaureate 77% / 80% (83% for Summer Research Placements) with Chemistry normally at least 8.0; Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced ABB / AAB–ABB with two A-levels including Chemistry; T Level in Science considered case by case. For qualifications other than A-level, Sussex normally expects GCSE (or equivalent) Mathematics and two sciences at grade 5 (B).

EPQ: Sussex takes the EPQ into account and it can help if you narrowly miss your conditions, but it is not routinely included in the offer; alternative conditions that include the EPQ are sometimes made.

Admissions tests and interviews: the application page says some courses invite applicants to interview; the chemistry entry requirements list no written test or interview. Whether any applies is not given on the pages used for this guide; ask admissions.

3. UK applicants

Accepted qualifications are listed in the previous section: A-level, BTEC, Highers, Welsh Baccalaureate, Access to HE, Cambridge Pre-U, T Level and IB. The course pages give a typical offer and subject requirements for each, so check the version you are applying to.

Contextual offers: Sussex says a contextual offer gives reduced entry requirements, with the reduction varying by course. You qualify if, for example, you live in an IMD decile 1 or 2 area or a POLAR4 quintile 1 area, received free school meals at secondary school (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), have been looked after in care for more than three months, are estranged from your family, or have refugee status or Humanitarian Protection; most are identified automatically from the UCAS application. For entry to the first year the typical contextual offer is BCC at A-level; the chemistry course pages give BBC–BCC with Chemistry at B for the BSc and BBB–BBC with Chemistry at B for the MChem.

Fees: the course pages give Home fees of £10,050 a year (the same for Channel Islands and Isle of Man students). The fees page says Sussex keeps UK fees in line with the government maximum, which is “likely” to be £10,050 in 2027 and to rise with later government changes. The course pages do not separate fee status for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland; check Sussex’s fee-status guidance. An optional book bundle costs around £130.

4. International applicants

English: the course pages ask for IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component; scores are valid for two years, cannot be combined across sittings, and IELTS One Skills Retake is accepted. Other accepted tests: Cambridge CAE / CPE 169 overall with at least 162 in each skill; PTE Academic 59 overall and in all four skills (the Online test is not accepted); TOEFL iBT 80 overall with at least 17 in Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing. Nationals of the countries on Sussex’s exempt list (set by the UK Home Office; China is not on it), or people who recently completed a bachelor’s degree or higher there, normally meet the requirement. If you fall short you may take a pre-sessional English course.

Country qualifications: the course pages list typical requirements by country, for example Australia, Canada, the USA (AP tests) and European countries; if your country is not listed, Sussex asks you to contact admissions.

International Foundation Year: applicants who do not meet direct entry can take an International Foundation Year at the International Study Centre or an International Year One course and then progress to a relevant degree. Sussex also says that where direct entry is unsuitable it will automatically consider you for its own foundation years.

ATAS and visas: the application page says international students on certain science- or engineering-based courses must apply for ATAS clearance after receiving an offer. Whether chemistry is among them is not given on the pages used for this guide; follow your offer letter and the website. International students receive a CAS number to apply for a student visa.

International tuition: the course pages give £28,100 a year for international students on every chemistry version. Sussex says fees, once set, may rise each year. Scholarships: the course pages say details for 2027/28 are not yet set; check the scholarships pages.

5. Applicants from China

The China entry on the course pages says that for applicants with the Gaokao, Sussex will consider direct entry to the first year, normally with an overall average of 75%, including required subjects; applicants following a recognised International Foundation Year, or with one or more years of higher education at a recognised degree-awarding institution in China, are also welcome. The Senior High School Graduation alone is not enough for direct entry, but you may be eligible for the International Foundation Year and can progress to a relevant degree after completing it. Sussex adds that its entry requirements are guidelines assessed case by case.

The wording is the same on every chemistry course page: it does not give separate Gaokao percentages for the BSc and the MChem, or the percentage needed in Chemistry or Mathematics. These are not published, so ask admissions. English requirements are as above; the entry conditions of the International Foundation Year are on the International Study Centre website and are not given on the pages used for this guide. Interview and accreditation-body arrangements for Chinese applicants are also not given on those pages.

6. How to apply and timeline (September 2027 entry)

Full-time undergraduate courses are applied for only through UCAS. Sussex’s UCAS institution code is S90 (code name SUSX), and an application can list up to five courses. The page gives 13 January 2027, 18:00 as the initial deadline for most courses (Medicine has an earlier deadline of 15 October 2026), and says UCAS accepts late applications until 30 June but some courses may close earlier if they fill. For personal statement and reference rules, check UCAS; Sussex also has a page of tips for the personal statement.

If you receive an offer, Sussex invites you to an Undergraduate Visit Day. After you meet your conditions, Sussex confirms your place via UCAS when results are published; if results are not supplied by UCAS you may need to send them, and all results (including verification) must be submitted by 31 August. If you miss your conditions Sussex reviews your application and may offer a foundation year; you can request to defer for a year, but only once. Registration and pre-arrival information is sent in early September.

7. Transfers and second-year entry

Sussex’s transfers page says it accepts transfer applications for first-year entry to all courses and second-year entry to most, but not direct entry to the third or final year; courses that only take first-year entry are broadly Law, Medicine, Psychology and Social Work. The chemistry course pages say the BSc, the MChem and the MChem with an industrial placement year accept transfers into Year 2, while the MChem with Summer Research Placements does not.

Requirements: apply through UCAS and indicate the point of entry; have (or be able to achieve) 120 credits from your current UK university (60 ECTS credits if coming from outside the UK); the reference should come from a current tutor; Sussex looks at how well your current modules match its own, your school-leaving qualifications (in line with first-year entry), and your reasons for transferring. Second-year entrants normally need 120 credits from their first year with an overall weighted average of at least 60% (2:1 equivalent) and no resits. Exemption is given only for full years of study. Check the financial implications, especially if you would repeat a year.

Checklist

UK applicants

• Apply through UCAS (S90) with F100 / F103 / F102 / F107; BSc typical ABB–BBB (Chemistry B), MChem AAB–ABB, Summer Research Placements A*AA; submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00
• Home fees £10,050 a year; contextual offers if you qualify (BSc BBC–BCC)

International applicants (including China)

• IB 32 (MChem 34, Summer Research Placements 36); applicants from China can use the Gaokao (normally an overall average of 75% including required subjects) or an International Foundation Year
• IELTS 6.0 (5.5 in each component); international fees £28,100 a year; scholarships for 2027/28 not yet set

Transfer students

• BSc, MChem and MChem with an industrial placement year accept Year 2 entry (Summer Research Placements does not); apply through UCAS with 120 credits and a weighted average of at least 60%

Sources: Sussex website Chemistry BSc (Hons); Chemistry MChem; Chemistry (with an industrial placement year) MChem; Chemistry with Summer Research Placements MChem; undergraduate application; transfers; contextual offers; tuition fees. This is for September 2027 entry; the university website is the final authority.