The Principal Welcomes You to Varndean College

Welcome to Varndean College, a sixth form college with a strong academic reputation, located in the lively and cosmopolitan City of Brighton on a very attractive campus surrounded by playing fields and with views of the sea.

The country's Chief Inspector for Schools and Colleges has identified Varndean as a "particularly successful" college. Varndean has a high reputation for examination results and students progress to university and employment - with many of our former students now prominent in public life. Students at Varndean become involved in a wide range of enrichment opportunities in sport, music, drama and societies and there is a lively student union. Support for students is excellent whether this be from personal tutors or using important services such as welfare, careers guidance and additional support for learning, including language support.

Principal

Choosing Your Courses

At Varndean College we have a choice of three International Programmes:


The Programme

Studying 3 subjects plus General English in the first year of A-levels or Level 3 (L3) BTECS.

You leave with one L3 qualification plus an IELTs certificate


Dates of the course:

1 Sept 2025 – 19 June 2026

Tuition fee: £10,600

Accommodation fee: £8,940

General Entry requirements

  • You need to be age 16 to 18 yrs old
  • You need a minimum Secure English Language Test (SELT) level – see below
  • You need a Student Visa – see below
  • Your current school grades need to show good levels in the subjects you are choosing to study with us. We will convert your school grades to the UK GCSE grade equivalent to establish your entry levels. We will be asking for your latest school report with a written recommendation from your current school
  • You agree to live with a host family arranged by Varndean College or by your agent

The Programme

Studying 3 A-levels plus General English

You leave with 3 full A level qualifications plus an IELTs certificate


Dates of the course:

Year 1: 1 Sept 2025 to 10 Jul 2026

Tuition fee: £11,290

Accommodation fee: £9,630


Year 2: Sept 2026 to June 2027

Tuition fee: £10,710

Accommodation fee: £9,170

General Entry requirements

  • You need to be age 16 to 18 yrs old
  • You need a minimum Secure English Language Test (SELT) level – see below
  • You need a Student Visa – see below
  • Your current school grades need to show good levels in the subjects you are choosing to study with us. We will convert your school grades to the UK GCSE grade equivalent to establish your entry levels. We will be asking for your latest school report with a written recommendation from your current school
  • You agree to live with a host family arranged by Varndean College or by your agent

The Programme

Studying 6 IB subjects plus TOK, CAS and extended essay.

You leave with full IB qualifications


Dates of the course:

Year 1: 1 Sept 2025 to 10 Jul 2026

Tuition fee: £14,520

Accommodation fee: £9,630


Year 2: Sept 2026 to June 2027

Tuition fee: £12,760

Accommodation fee: £8,020

General Entry requirements

  • You need to be age 16 to 18 yrs old
  • You need a minimum Secure English Language Test (SELT) level – see below
  • You need a Student Visa – see below
  • Your current school grades need to show good levels in the subjects you are choosing to study with us. We will convert your school grades to the UK GCSE grade equivalent to establish your entry levels. We will be asking for your latest school report with a written recommendation from your current school
  • You agree to live with a host family arranged by Varndean College or by your agent

Secure English Language Test (SELT)


All our courses require an official Secure English Language Test (SELT) certificate as part of the Visa requirement

We accept certificates from three different providers:

IELTSLanguage Cert International ESOL SELTPearson PTE Academic UKVI
Short Year (1 year)Overall 5.5 with no category less than 5.0
Reading & Writing must be at least 5.5
CEFR B2
Note: Visa requirement is B1 but Varndean requires B2
43 overall
Visa requirement of minimum of 43 in each category
Full A levels (2 years)Overall 5.5 with no category less than 5.0
Reading & Writing must be at least 5.5
CEFR B2
Note: Visa requirement is B1 but Varndean requires B2
43 overall
Visa requirement of minimum of 43 in each category
Full International Baccalaureate (2 years)Overall 6.5 with no category less than 6.0
Reading & Writing must be at least 6.5
CEFR C156 overall
No category less than 46

All our courses require a UKVI STUDENT VISA


Please click on this link for information about the UK VI Student Visa www.gov.uk/student-visa

Choosing your subjects


Details of courses are listed in Section 11 of the International Application Form - please click here to download

All Courses are also listed in detail on the Varndean College website.

Application process and deadlines


  • 1. Apply by 30th June 2025 We are a very popular College. We will run a waiting list for any applicants who miss the deadline, but we cannot guarantee a place. If the college is full before the deadline date, then we will close early for applications and place a notice on the website.
  • 2. Your paperwork will be assessed
  • 3. You will be invited for an online interview to discuss your subject choice and answer any questions you may have
  • 4. You will be sent a Conditional offer
  • 5. A deposit payment is requested to hold the place
  • 6. You take the Secure English Language test (see section 12 on the application form)
  • 7. We send you an Unconditional Offer and the CAS
  • 8. You then apply for a UKVI Student Visa (see section 13 on the application form)
  • 9. If applicable, we allocate you a host family (between March – June) (see appendix B on the application form)
  • 10. We send you Induction and Orientation information (July)