Arriving at Southend

We know you’ll be eager to get setup, ready to begin your time at Essex. The first step in this process will be to setup your Essex IT account, which unlocks your access to key systems, such as our Online Pre-Registration portal and your University email account. You’ll receive an email to your personal email address once your Essex IT account is ready to collect.

Once you’ve completed your Essex IT account setup, you’ll need to complete Online Pre-Registration, where we’ll ask you to provide a photo for your University ID card (known as a Registration Card), as well details on where you’ll be staying during term time and emergency contact details. These are all essential in enabling us to get your Student Record setup, so we recommend you complete these as soon as possible after Online Pre-Registration opens.

Once you've completed this step, you’ll have access to our online Welcome portal where you can start exploring where you’ll be studying for the next few years and meet your department.

As a new student, once you have completed Online Pre-Registration you’ll also need to attend an In-Person Registration Appointment on campus. This will include completing a Right to Study check, registering you as a student and issuing your Student Registration Card. The appointments will take place at specific Registration Hubs located on each of our Campuses and appointments will usually be managed by a booking system that you will be given access to once you have completed Online Pre-Registration.

One of the first things you’ll probably want to do when you arrive is get settled into your home.

First, you need to print off your Arrivals pass (which is available at the end of your e-induction) and have your ID, as you will need this to collect your key. When you arrive in Southend you'll need to collect your keys from University Square reception, which is open 24 hours a day. The earliest date you can move into your accommodation is the date specified on your letter of allocation.

Our accommodation allows you to walk to your lectures with ease and there are also many private accommodation options which are within walking distance of the campus, so you don’t have to use public transport.

• See more details on where you can collect your key, luggage, parking and moving into your new accommodation.

Get to know your Residents' Assistant

The Resident's Assistants (RAs) are students just like you and are employed by Residence Life to help you settle in, answer any questions you may have and organise fun events to help you meet other people. Every student living in campus accommodation is allocated to a specific RA and every off-campus student will also have the opportunity to contact an RA for support. If you live in University Accommodation, your RA will be emailing you when you arrive to say 'hello' and make sure you feel welcome in your new home.

Find out more about Residence Life services.

Register with a doctor

As a student studying on a course for more than six months, you're required to register with a local doctor throughout your period of study if you live on campus or in the local surrounding area.

Register as soon as possible after you arrive, in case you should suddenly need medical treatment.

Let us help you from A to B and explore the local area: 

• Download our Find Your Way app
• Explore beyond the campus
• Check out the cycling facilities at our Southend Campus
• Bus discounts for Essex students

Your departmental induction is your essential opportunity to learn more about your department and your course, and to talk with key members of staff like your personal tutor. You’ll also have the chance to meet the people you’re going to be studying with.

Your department will be in touch before you join us with more details and we’ll also be sharing everything on our events pages.  Information may be shared with you by email or Moodle (our virtual learning platform that can be accessed once you have set up your Essex email account).

For more information please see your department pages below:

 Faculty of Arts and Humanities:

• East 15 Acting School
• Edge Hotel School
• Essex Pathways
• Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies
• Essex Law School
• School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies

 Faculty of Science and Health:

• School of Life Sciences
• School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
• Department of Psychology
• School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
• School of Health and Social Care
• School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science

Faculty of Social Sciences

• Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies
• Department of Economics
• Essex Business School
• Department of Government
• Department of Language and Linguistics
• Department of Sociology and Criminology

For students starting their degree, Welcome Week will be a big part of getting started at Essex. One of the first things you'll need to do to let us know you are coming to Essex is to complete your registration.

You will be introduced to our online Welcome Portal where you will get to know the Students' Union, how to get started in your studies and the resources available from our student services.

You will also be introduced to your department/school and receive an informative induction from them. Alongside the academic information, we are designing online Welcome activities for you to get stuck into, including useful videos for settling in and ways to help you get to know those on your course with you. There will be information about keeping you safe on campus, learning online and starting/continuing your studies, our values at the university, who to contact for student services and support. Plus, you will be able to access your online departmental induction as a resource all year round for you to refer back to whenever you need.

You will still be able to volunteer and make a positive impact on the local community with our VTeam (Volunteering Team), and we are developing a programme of open air activities which maximise the space on our campuses. We'll keep you updated with our plans!

There will also be a variety of one-off, online programmes delivered throughout the year, such as virtual photography workshops, art workshops, origami workshops, card games, karaoke, virtual celebrations of cultural events - if you can't be on campus, there'll still be plenty of things to do!  

From tennis to yoga and dance classes to climbing, we've found a way to help keep you active on campus. To find out what we've got planned visit our sports pages.