Southend Campus
Our Southend Campus is based in the heart of a vibrant and modern seaside city less than an hour from London
Welcome to sunny Southend-on-Sea – home to the world’s longest pleasure pier and seven miles of award-winning coastline.
The Essex seaside city, Southend-on-Sea runs along the South East coast of England, connecting the Thames estuary to the North Sea.
Living and learning by the seaside
If you’re joining our School of Health and Social Care, East 15 Acting School, or Essex Business School, you may well be studying at our Southend Campus.
From high-tech dental skills labs, learning hub and study spaces, to water sports and beaches, Southend campus offers a unique experience, the perfect environment for living and learning.
Famous for its beach resort and pier, the city of Southend-on-Sea provides plenty of opportunities for a wide range of water sports and leisure activities.
Southend is renowned for its landmark pier – the longest of its kind in the world, its award-winning beaches, and its illuminated nightlife.
The city also has its own airport, and a train ride to London takes less than one hour.
Living and learning in the heart of the vibrant coastal city of Southend-on-Sea, you'll have access to everything you need to enjoy your life and studies at Essex.
With over 300 places to eat, award-winning nightlife, a theme park, museums, sporting opportunities, and even an international airport, we think you’ll discover there’s much more besides the seaside in Southend.
A city centre campus
Situated behind the high street, our campus is right in the heart of this lively coastal city, utilising many of the great cultural and sporting facilities Southend has to offer. You can check out the layout of our campus on our Southend Campus map, but here's a quick breakdown:
The Forum is home to a state of the art library and learning hub, with lecture and seminar rooms. With a gallery, café and lecture theatre, the Forum also provides a dynamic social space for both student and local community activities.
The Gateway building is where our academic departments are based and is also next to our Student's Union lounge. Lectures are held in modern teaching spaces with panoramic sea views.
We have mock hospital wards and a dental skills lab with the latest simulation 'phantom heads' for our Oral Health students to practice on.
The building also houses a purpose-built suite for East 15 Acting School, featuring modern rehearsal studios, a dance studio, an Apple Mac editing suite, a 30-camera VICON motion capture volume, and a dedicated voice booth.
Clifftown Theatre and Studios are situated in a magnificent Victorian church in the heart of Southend’s conservation area was converted into our Clifftown Theatre. The church nave, with its original organ and stained-glass windows, was redesigned into the main stage. This versatile building also houses multiple spaces for performance, rehearsals, fight performance lessons, and aerial skills practice for the Acting and Physical Theatre course.
University Square Accommodation is your home away from home, just two minutes from the Gateway Building but still close to Southend's shops and nightlife
The Students’ Union
When joining Essex, you’ll become an automatic member of the Students’ Union. Whatever you want to do, we’re here to make it happen. Nothing is too big or small.
Find out more about about the Students’ Union.
The Students Union (SU) Lounge is fully run and owned by students and is the ideal place to catch up with friends. This is your home-from-home, for studying, grabbing a coffee and a snack, playing Xbox or Playstation, or just hanging out between classes.
The Mezz is a social space that stays open after the SU Lounge has closed.
Being right in the centre of Southend means you have immediate access to the city's thriving nightlife of bars, clubs, restaurants and cinemas. For things to do and places to go off-campus, check out our Southend local area page.
After all that study, sport and play, you'll need a place to rest, refuel and recharge your batteries. Check out our accommodation, numerous local food outlets, and our Faith Centre. And if you need support with your physical or mental health, or advice about money or exams, visit our Student Services Hub or contact our Student Wellbeing team for more help.
Sports facilities
You'll be living in a coastal city with access to a vast range of facilities and activities, especially water sports, including kite-surfing and open water swimming!
Just Play is our free SU social sport programme focused on getting you active, making friends and having fun without major commitment. Activities include football, table tennis, badminton, Pilates and gymnastics
Indoor sports: Southend has a lot to offer the sporty student who likes a roof over their head. From rock climbing to racket sports, swimming to skating.
Water sports: For the adventurous, who like a bit of kayaking, diving or kite surfing, check out what's on offer along Southend's coastline.
Student accommodation
Starting university is about so much more than just studying - it's about making lifelong friends, growing in independence, encountering new cultures, nationalities and experiences.
We know that for some, moving away from home may seem like a daunting prospect; after all this might be the first time you've lived away from your family. That's why at Essex we try our hardest to help you settle in, starting by guaranteeing accommodation for all our degree students for the duration of their course (subject to conditions).
University Square accommodation is perfectly placed to enjoy the many attractions and facilities Southend has to offer. There are seven houses around a central enclosed courtyard and each contain flats for eight to ten students, with shared kitchens.
- Conveniently located just off the High Street
- Two-minute walk from our Southend Campus
- 493 ensuite rooms, 61 studio flats and 1 self-contained flat
- 3 wheelchair adapted studios and 4 wheelchair adapted ensuite rooms
- Large common room with three wide screen televisions and vending facilities
- Launderette
- Outside, enclosed podia area with seating
- 24 hour security on-site
- Available for undergraduates and postgraduates
With its lively, state-of-the-art facilities and a close-knit international community, Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning.
Famous for its beach resort and pier, the city of Southend-on-Sea stretches along seven miles of award-winning coastline, providing plenty of opportunities for a wide range of water sports and leisure activities.
At the University of Essex we offer a series of extra-curricular activates to enhance your career outcomes. Our Careers Service team offers a variety of different services and support sessions to ensure you are making the most of your time at the University.
Our careers Service team can help with:
- Careers events
- Industry networking opportunities
- Consistent advice and guidance
- Modules woven through your degree programme focused on employability.
On our campuses, we have numerous employment opportunities to boost your development alongside an award-winning Students’ Union volunteering initiative.
Opportunities at Essex go beyond our vibrant county... With many of our degrees, we offer placement years and years abroad. You can study, work or volunteer at one of our partner institutions around the world.
Studying or working abroad gives you the chance to immerse yourself in another culture, develop your independence and boost your confidence, giving you an enormous advantage when you enter the global job market.
We believe that learning extends beyond your degree programme. That’s why we offer a comprehensive experience to expand your knowledge and prepare you for whatever life throws at you.
Students with 'Essex' sign
Students with 'Essex' sign
Languages For All is an award winning programme designed to open you up to a world of different language opportunities.
Whether it’s taking your first step towards an international career, or to challenge yourself to something new, our language courses give you the opportunity to learn a language at no extra cost alongside your degree, enhancing your employability skills and broaden your horizons.
Data For All is designed to give all students, regardless of their previous experience or the subject they are interested in, valuable data skills.
Skills such as using raw and unstructured data to determine trends, patterns and correlations. These skills are vital in all career sectors to help companies spot opportunities and negotiate risks and help our graduates become more attractive in a booming job market.
Chat to our students online
There are some questions only students can answer, Unibuddy is a chat platform that you can ask our students and staff your questions directly.
Find out more about your subject
Explore our undergraduate courses, postgraduate Masters and research degrees by subject, and find the perfect programme for you.
Fees and finance
University fees can be confusing to get your head around. But, we are here to help with this. Our Admission Team will help you with your fee status when you apply.
Funding
We offer lots of funding opportunities to support students. Browse our full range of scholarships and bursaries before applying to see what you might be eligible for.
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