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