New student registration

Joining us in October 2024?

We can’t wait for you to start your Essex journey with us this October!

To help you prepare for joining us, we’ll be keeping this page up to date across the summer.

You’ll be able to complete the online steps of registration from Tuesday 03 September 2024, when our Online Pre-Registration system opens.

We recommend setting up your Essex IT account as soon as possible after you get the email confirming your student record is ready. This will enable you to access our online systems and stay in touch via email across the period leading up to the start of your course.

If you are looking to make plans to arrive at the University, our Arrivals Weekend will be taking place from Saturday 28 September 2024. From Monday 30 September 2024 we’ll be hosting Welcome Week on our campuses, during which our main registration period will run*, as well as a range of essential induction activities relating to your course.

*If you are studying at our Loughton Campus, please note that in-person registration will take place on Friday 27 September 2024, so please ensure you make plans to be able to attend campus on this day. Further information on booking your registration appointment will be sent to you as we approach this date.

The remainder of this page contains helpful information on the steps you’ll need to do to complete registration for your course, so please familiarise yourself with this information.

Step 1: Set up your Essex IT account

Once your student record is ready, you’ll be contacted on your personal email to ask you to set up your new Essex IT account using our Get Account system. You will need to use your IT account to register with us online.

To set your Essex IT account up, you’ll need your PRID and your passphrase. These are the same details as you used in our My Essex applicant portal. If you’ve forgotten your passphrase, you can retrieve it online.

Step 2: Complete Online Pre-Registration

Online Pre-Registration for courses starting in October 2024 will open on Tuesday 03 September 2024. If you are starting a course with us before then, you should be able to access Online Pre-Registration now.

It is essential that you complete this as soon as possible, and before you attend your Registration Appointment.

We would encourage all new students to familiarise themselves with the Registration Regulations. 

Step 3: Paying your tuition fees

As one of the compulsory steps of registration, you will need to ensure the University is in receipt of the required amount for your tuition fees, before you can begin attending teaching and accessing other resources. 

It is therefore important that you ensure that any funding arrangements are in place as early as possible, including making payments with adequate time for these to clear before the start of term. Further information can be found on our How to Pay Your Fees page.

Step 4: Attending your Registration Appointment

After completing Online Pre-Registration and paying your tuition fees, you’ll need to attend a Registration Appointment. This is because we must see you in-person to be able to confirm your registration as an official student (please note the only exception to this is if you are registering on a distance learning course or a modular course, with no-person teaching, in which case you’ll be supported with completing these steps remotely).

If you’re starting a course with us before October 2024, your Registration Appointment will take place on one of our Student Service Hubs, details of which can be found below. You should aim to visit us to complete your Registration Appointment as soon as possible after you arrive, so your registration can be confirmed and you can begin attending teaching events without delays.  

At your appointment, we’ll need you to bring your ID/Immigration documents with you and these must be original/hard copy documents. We’ll use these to complete your Right to Study Check.

Please see details of where you need to visit to complete your Registration Appointment on your Campus, below:

Colchester Campus

You can complete registration at the Information Desk in the Student Services Hub, the First Floor of the Silberrad Student Centre. There is no need to make an appointment.

Loughton Campus

You can complete registration at Loughton Campus in the Student Services Hub, the Ground Floor of Hatfields House. There is no need to make an appointment.

Southend Campus

You can complete registration at the Student Services Counter, the Second Floor of the Forum. There is no need to make an appointment.

Completing your Right to Study Check

As a new student, you’ll be required to attend a compulsory in-person Registration Appointment. During this appointment we will review your original ID documents and evidence of your immigration status, to confirm you have the correct permissions to study with us. This is known as a Right to Study Check.

If you are a UK or Republic of Ireland student, we’ll need to see some ID documents, usually your Passport, to be able to complete your check. We can also accept alternative documents, so please review our guide for documents to bring to your appointment, hosted at the bottom of this section.

If you are an international student, we will need to see the original/physical documents at your in-person Registration Appointment.  This is so we can check and take records of your immigration documents, to determine your Right to Study before officially registering you as a student. This is part of our compliance with UK Home Office immigration rules.

We've produced this guide for all students to help you determine the documents you should bring to your appointment (.pdf)

As a reminder, we will not confirm your official registration as a student, until you have attended your in-person Registration Appointment and completed your Right to Study Check.

Key Dates

Autumn Term officially starts on Thursday 03 October 2024.

Please note some courses may have earlier start dates, but you will be advised by your department where this is the case. Further information on term dates can be viewed on our Key Dates page. Prior to term officially starting, we will be hosting Welcome Week from Monday 30 September 2024, during which our main Registration Hubs will be open to assist you in completing registration for your course before your teaching starts. During this week there will also be a range of essential welcome and induction events that will be hosted by your academic department and other services at the University, to help you integrate into our campus communities and prepare to begin your course. You should therefore aim to arrive on campus in time to partake in these activities.

There are a number of ways you can prepare for the start of term, including familiarising yourself with the steps needed to complete registration for your course and ensuring these are completed at the earliest opportunity. It is particularly important to complete Online Pre-Registration and make payment of the required tuition fees before term starts and then be on campus, ready to attend your in-person registration appointment (where your registration will be confirmed) at the start of term. 

It is important to note that you should not attend teaching, examinations or submit work until you have completed all required steps for registration (including payment of your tuition fees). This is in line with our Regulations relating to Registration.

In exceptional circumstances, where you cannot complete registration before the start of term, we may be able to support you by considering a request to register late. Any decision taken via this process will take into account the academic impact of you joining your course late, including any essential teaching you may have missed or assessed pieces of work, including coursework or examinations. Further information on this process will be published on this page as we approach the start of term.

Returning Students

As a returning student you will need to complete Online Registration at the start of each academic year to ensure you can continue to access and teaching for the next stage of study on your course.  This ensures that we know you want to continue as a student, so can keep your student record open and allow you to retain access to University facilities and resources.

You’ll also need to complete Online Registration if you are a student returning from a period of intermission.

Please note that in instances where you may have undertaken summer reassessment (i.e. in August or September), you will not normally be able to re-register for your course until your Resit Results have been published by the Board of Examiners.

For further information on completing the registration process as a returning student, please visit our Returning Student Registration page.