Applying to Essex following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak

Yes. If you are interested in joining the University, but are concerned by current/future travel restrictions, we still encourage you to apply. It is highly likely that the situation in all countries will change a lot over the next few months ahead of our intake in January 2022 and October 2022.

Following the impact of the pandemic, we made changes to our teaching and assessment to ensure our students could still register for their course and study remotely until they were able to join us on our campuses. This flexibility has been in place for most courses for October 2021 and is likely to remain in place for January 2022 (further information for January 2022 will be available nearer the start of the course).

We know how concerned you must be about what this means for your future. We also know how hard you have been working to achieve your best and all the challenges you have faced. We want to do all that we can to support you at this time and to try and ensure you do not worry about your future and your opportunity to go to university.

We want to reassure you that we will continue to assess your application based on the information you have provided.

If we can make you an offer and you have accepted this as your first (firm) or second (insurance) choice, if your exams do not take place and an alternative assessment is used we will use these together with any other results or information available, to confirm your place where possible. If you are unable to complete part of your studies, we will consider your academic performance and the grades that are available.

In all cases, we will be as flexible as we can with our minimum grade requirements and will take into account any impact on your final grades as a result of COVID-19 disruption.

Private Candidates

If you are a private candidate, the government has stated that you will be assessed in a similar way to other students, by a recognised exam centre using an adapted range of evidence, and will receive a grade for each qualification you have registered for. Please contact your exam board for further information about their individual arrangements for private candidates who are registered with them if you are unsure.

We will be as flexible as possible. If you will need extra time to gather requested information, please just let your Admissions Adviser know.

If you are unable to obtain a certificate or transcript for your qualifications, either as a result of your exams being cancelled or due to other factors such as school closures, please provide what you can and contact our Undergraduate Admissions Team or our Postgraduate Admissions team. We may be able to accept proof of your results in an alternative format – this may include interim transcripts, copies of school/college/university records or a letter or email from your school/college/university.

We are aware that many of you will have had your studies interrupted and that some of you will either not receive the award you expected or will receive the award but with fewer credits. Please be assured that we will base our decision on your academic performance up until the point of any COVID-19 disruption.

We will normally expect you to have completed 50% of your final year’s study, and we will base our decision purely on your grades at that point. We will also be as flexible as we can with our minimum grade requirements and will take into account any impact on your final grades as a result of COVID-19 disruption.

If you are unable to obtain a reference at the point you apply, please don’t worry as you will be able to submit your application without one. If we need a reference and you are successful in gaining an offer, we will add this as a condition of your offer.

If you are currently holding an offer that is conditional upon obtaining a suitable reference or other information, and you are unable to get this due to the current COVID-19 situation, please contact the Admissions Adviser mentioned in your offer letter.

We are aware that some students might have difficulties taking their English Language test, either because they have been cancelled or postponed, or you are unable to attend test centres due to travel restrictions.

Please see below links for full details of the English Language tests that we can accept, including online tests, and the scores we require. Please note these are updated regularly with any additional tests that we are now able to accept:

• For undergraduate applicants who require a Student visa (.pdf)
• For undergraduate applicants who do not require a Student visa (.pdf)
• For postgraduate applicants (.pdf)

If you already hold an English language test that isn’t listed in the tables above, please list it clearly on your application and we can review it alongside your other qualifications. However, it may be that we still need to include an alternative English language test in any subsequent offer you may receive.

If you are required attend an interview as a compulsory assessment component for your application, we will contact you to arrange an interview remotely, either via Zoom or telephone.

Please see our Student visa and immigration guidance FAQs (.pdf).

Please see the UKCISA website for further Coronavirus (COVID-19) information and advice for international students.

We are now running in-person Open Days.

We also offer Campus Tours for those unable to make the open days but who want to look around the University.

If you can’t visit us but want to get a feel for our campuses, we have Virtual Tours and Subject Introductions available.

This year, our post-offer Applicant Days will be taking place online. If you have been made an offer to study at Essex, you will receive an email from us inviting you to a Virtual Applicant Day.