New student registration

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 is now open for students joining us in March and April 2024.

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 in March or April 2024, your Registration Appointment will take place on one of our Studnet 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.

Latest Registration deadlines

It is important that you are on campus and complete the required registration steps as soon as possible, as this ensures your registration status is confirmed and you can begin attending classes as early as possible. By attending from the start of term, you reduce the chance of you missing essential welcome and induction information, as well as vital teaching and assessment on your course.  You should therefore aim to complete Online 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.

Summer Term officially starts on Monday 22 April 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.

By attending from the start of term, you reduce the chance of you missing essential welcome and induction information, as well as vital teaching and assessment on your course.  You should therefore aim 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.

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 operate latest registration deadlines. These are the latest dates a student is allowed to register by, so it is essential you complete all registration steps before the deadline, otherwise you will not normally be allowed to register for your course. 

Please note latest registration deadlines for all courses starting in January 2024 have now passed and no further extensions can be granted. As a result, if you were unable to register and would like to be considered for a future entry date (October 2024 or January 2025), please contact our Admissions Team via pgquery@essex.ac.uk to discuss deferral.

The latest registration deadlines for students starting a new course in April 2024 are published below. Please note all deadlines fall at 12pm on the date listed.

All Courses Starting in April 2024

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.

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