Applicants / Prospective students
First Things First
If you are applying for a degree at the University of Chichester and have a disability, mental health condition, long-term health condition, or think you may have one, we encourage you to share this with us as early as possible. This will help us understand your needs and ensure that appropriate support can be put in place for you from the start of your studies.
Although you may have already shared information about your needs with your school or college, you will also need to disclose this to the Student Support Service at the University of Chichester so that we can assess your support requirements and discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be available.
How Do I Share My Needs?
To begin this process, you will need to tell the University about your disability and/or long-term health condition by completing the online “Tell Us About Your Disability and/or Long-Term Health Condition” pathway on the Student Support Portal.
- Applicants can access the Student Support Portal through the Chiview Applicant Portal.
- Current students can access the Student Support Portal through Chiview.
Please note: When you register as a student and create your Chiview account, you will be asked whether you consent to your information being shared with Student Support Services. It is important that you select “Yes”, as this will allow you to access the portal and complete the pathway. If you do not provide consent at this stage, don’t worry. One of our Advisers can update this on your behalf with your permission, enabling you to access the Student Support Portal.
Any information you share with the team will be treated as confidential. You will need to provide suitable evidence of your need, such as a recent Educational Psychology Report or medical evidence from a doctor or another specialist, as appropriate, to support your request.
What Happens Next?
One of the advisers will review your application and evidence and contact you, using the email address you shared in your UCAS form, to draw up your support for your approval.
The adviser will:
- Go through the supporting documents submitted and/or request further supporting evidence if you have shared any additional condition(s),
- Create a support plan for teaching, learning and exam adjustments and/or for work placements if your course offers placements,
- Advise you on how to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
- Go through the type of accommodation you may need based on your needs
If required, the adviser may arrange a meeting with you (in person or remotely) to discuss your needs in more detail. During this meeting the adviser will have a discussion with you about the impact of your needs on your course, the type of support and adjustments that have worked for you in the past and any other information that you think may be useful for the advisor and your department to know.
You are welcome to attend these meetings on your own or you may find having your parent/carer/partner with you particularly helpful.
Interviews & Auditions
If you are invited for an interview or audition, please contact the Student Support team if you think you will need reasonable adjustments as part of this process. We will do our best to support you, in liaison with the Academic Department involved.
Checklist
We look forward to welcoming you to the University of Chichester and meeting you in person when you start your course with us. Below is a list of what you will need to share with us:
- Have you shared your needs with the Student Support service?
- Have you shared with the Student Support service all your supporting documents?
- Are your contact details such as email and address up to date?
- Have you selected your three choices of accommodation and completed the form for the Priority Accommodation?
- Have you applied for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)? If you are an Apprenticeship student, this does not apply to you
- If you have your DSA in place, have you completed your support pathway so that we can set up your support if applicable?
- If you have not disclosed your needs on your UCAS application form or if you suspect you have a disability, please contact the Student Support service to arrange an appointment with one of the advisers.
The difference between support at school / college and support at University for students with additional needs
For many students who have received support or adjustments at college the transition to university can be confusing, not least because the language and terminology used about Special Educational Needs (SEND), disability and support is very different. Take a look at this guide which helps to explain these differences in language and terminology so that you can understand what you need to do to access the support and adjustments you need at university: Disability at University: A glossary of terms.
