Sussex Downs College is one of the best state colleges of further education in the UK as confirmed by the British government inspection results. In 2006 it was awarded the prestigious British Council Beacon Award for International Student support. The College is located in the beautiful historic town of Lewes and the lovely seaside town of Eastbourne, less than one and a half hours south of London by train.

Sussex Downs College has 5,200 full-time students, of whom 400 are international and European students. Each year more than 93 per cent of the College’s students progress to colleges or universities to further their education or find employment in commerce and industry. Each year more than 800 students qualify to enter UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge and London.

Academic strengths
Sussex Downs College offers seven English language programmes to accommodate all levels of language ability. Students are encouraged to take Cambridge or IELTS examinations and may also gain academic or vocational qualifications on some courses. Emphasis is placed on general English with plus elements or preparation for academic study and the IELTS test. The College is one of the largest IELTS exam centres in the UK making it a good place to prepare for IELTS.

The College offers foundation programmes in art and design, business, computing and science. These programmes give Sussex Downs students access to more than 60 different degree courses with its principal partners: Brighton University, Middlesex University, University of Surrey, Kingston University and Sussex University.

Sussex Downs College also offers a GCSE course and a pre-A-level programme. There are 40 GCE AS-level and A-level subjects on offer as well as many BTEC programmes in vocational fields, which enable successful students to progress to university or start a career.

Examination results are excellent and the success rate on these programmes is outstanding. The College has a 97% pass rate at A-level, including 68% of grades at A, B and C in June 2005 on the Lewes and Park campuses. International A-level students have a 98% university progression rate with 50% of students entering the top 14 ranked UK universities.

There are also two-year Foundation Degrees in Computing, Multimedia and Music Production.

Facilities
Sussex Downs College has modern campus facilities that include language laboratories, self-access learning centres, refectories, large libraries, large information technology centres, internet and email facilities, technical workshops, scientific laboratories, sports centres and campus residential accommodation.

Student life
Sussex Downs College provides award winning student support for international students studying away from home, including a personal tutor, personal counselling, specialist academic guidance and advice, visa application assistance, medical assistance and advice, accommodation service, airport collection service, English language support, careers guidance, university application advice, and a social and sports programme.

Sussex Downs College has a good reputation for sporting achievement and international students are usually able to participate in a wide variety of sports.

The College also offers recreational activities for students to enjoy, meet new friends and develop their abilities. Sussex Downs has an active Students’ Union with international student representatives. Parties, discos, theatre outings and other social and sporting events are organised.

The College was awarded the AoC/British Council Beacon Award for International Student Suport 2005-2006