Clearing Open Day

Whether approaching our Colchester Campus from London and the South or Ipswich and the North via the A12, take the exit marked Colchester (A133). Follow the A133 towards Clacton-on-Sea, ignore the entrance to the Knowledge Gateway, continue along the A133 then take the B1028 for Wivenhoe before turning right onto Boundary Road.

Parking

Please follow the Open Day car parking signs which will lead you to our allocated visitor parking, in Multi-storey car park. Parking during our Open Day is free. Our patrol staff should be on hand to show you where to go. The address of our Colchester Campus is:

University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ

If you are using a SatNav, please use the following postcode, CO4 3FA as this will direct you to the south side of our Colchester Campus, where you'll find Multi-storey car park.

Free off-peak return ticket with Greater Anglia

For Open Day we have partnered with Greater Anglia to offer you a free off-peak return ticket to Colchester. You can claim your free ticket on Greater Anglia’s Open Day page.

The ticket can only be used on the day of the event. You must travel with at least one fare-paying passenger, who must book their ticket at the same time as yours. The free ticket is only available for Greater Anglia services. Please read the full terms and conditions when you book.

Once you arrive into Colchester North train station, you can make use of the free shuttle bus service to bring you to campus. Follow signs for taxis and buses when you exit the station. Buses run every 20 minutes, and the journey takes about 20 minutes. The bus will drop you off close to the sport arena which is where you need to check in for day. 

Free shuttle bus 

We are running a free shuttle bus between Colchester North (main) Station and campus and back again. Buses will run every 30 mins with the first departure at 8.30am from the train station. The bus will leave from the station forecourt adjacent to Station Square and drop off on campus at car park A, close to the sport arena for event check in. For the return journey to the station please wait in car park A, the last bus will depart at 4.10pm. 

There are frequent trains from London Liverpool Street Station to Colchester with connections to Ipswich, Norwich, Felixstowe, Harwich and beyond.

We have three train stations in Colchester: Colchester Town, Colchester Hythe and Colchester North Station (also referred to as Colchester Main Station). Colchester North Station is the largest and has the best bus and taxi links so we recommend using this station. There is a taxi rank and bus stop at the station. The following buses will lead you to campus:

Route 87

Route S1

Further information about bus travel in Colchester can be found on the First Bus website and more information about travelling to our Colchester Campus can be found here.

We've created a collection of short, accessible videos to help you find your way around campus on the Open Day, highlighting step-free access routes.

• Step free access on our Open Day
• Journey from parking to check-in
• Journey from bus stop/taxi to check-in
• Journey from Essex Sport Arena to Tony Rich Teaching Centre and Essex Business School
• Journey from Essex Sport Arena to The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall
• Journey from Essex Sport Arena to Lecture Theatre Building and STEM Centre
• General Open Day information

If you or your guests have any special requirements, please email us in advance so we can make sure your visit is as smooth as possible.
The University is set across various levels, so please check out our Access Guide for further information or step-free routes around campus. Staff and Student Ambassadors will also be based in all main areas to assist you on the Open Day.
Toilets will be located in all main venues and gender-neutral toilets can be found in Students' Union on Square 3.

We appreciate that travelling to university events can be expensive and with rising costs, we want to ensure that as many of our prospective students as possible are able to visit us. We are therefore offering a bursary of up to £75 to help with travel costs to our Open Days.

Once you have checked in to the event you will be able to complete a travel bursary claim form online.

• Travel bursary - terms and conditions (.pdf)

Find out how to get to our Colchester Campus.

We’re offering discounted on campus accommodation for your open day visit. Use code ‘VIP’ to book for an overnight stay the night before or night of your open day (room only).