Majority of courses end at campus after 45 years

A majority of courses have had their final lectures at the University of Brighton's Eastbourne campus after more than 40 years in the town.

The university, which has had sites in Eastbourne since 1979, confirmed in 2022 that all three of its sites in the town would close by the start of the 2024/2025 academic year.

On Friday the academic year officially ended for most students on the campus, but some of its healthcare courses will finish in September.

The courses previously at Eastbourne will move to the university's expanded Falmer campus.

Former student Sam Smith said: "I think commercially and economically it will hit the town because the students were always in the restaurants and the shops."

The journalist, who studied at the site between 2017 and 2020, says he thinks the move “makes sense” as things will be “a bit more cohesive”.

He explained that the move would be better for students socially, although Eastbourne was good for those who did not like the "rough and tumble" of a city.

Alex Robertson, who studied sport journalism on the site, said: "I built up a lot of good memories there which will stay with me forever."

In 2022 about 1,500 students were based at three Eastbourne sites - Hillbrow, Darley Road and Leaf Hospital.

The university said the move was driven by the “desire to provide the best facilities" at its Falmer campus, where the courses will be moved to, following an expansion and improvements.

A spokesperson said: "We looked at options for staying at Eastbourne, but the campus there comprises a challenging mix of buildings, including a number from the Edwardian and Victorian eras which perform poorly in terms of accessibility, carbon footprint and the overall experience for our students and staff."

They added it was hoped the relocation of the sport and health science courses would provide new opportunities for collaborations with the university's School of Education and Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

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