[5] Subjects include pharmacy, engineering, ecology, computing, art, architecture, geology, nursing, teaching, sport science, journalism, criminology and business.

[7] In 1858 the Brighton School of Art opened its doors to its first 110 students, in rooms by the kitchens of the Royal Pavilion.

There was a further merger in 1979, when the East Sussex College of Higher Education merged with the polytechnic, creating a campus in Eastbourne.

In 1994 the Sussex and Kent Institute of Nursing and Midwifery became part of the University, increasing the number of students based in Eastbourne.

Facilities on the Falmer campus include a library, computer pool rooms, restaurant and cafe/bar, and the Students' Union[20] cafe, aka The Hive, and shop.

[23] Facilities include the specialist humanities, art and design library at St Peter's House, computer pool rooms, a media centre, a restaurant and cafe.

Teaching and learning resources include rapid prototyping and design equipment including 3D scanners, CNS lathes and laser cutters, clinical skills and molecular biology laboratories, specialist labs for structural dynamics, geotechnics, thermal dynamics, hydraulics and avionics, a flight simulator, real-time trading room, and architecture and interior architecture studios.

The laboratories are one of the largest UK research teams dedicated to internal combustion engines, the development of laser-based measurement techniques, fundamental modelling and computational simulation.

Study facilities in Eastbourne include Queenwood library, computer pool rooms, a learning technologies suite, restaurants, and a Students' Union shop.

The School of Business and Law delivers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, part-time courses for professionals, and programmes for commercial organisations.

University of Brighton's International College provides academic preparatory programmes for students outside the EU.

On successful completion of their programme and achievement of the required grades, students can progress to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees offered at the university.

The University of Brighton also validates higher education courses taught at the KLC School of Design, London.

The BSU also organises a variety of activities and events throughout the year; including societies, sports, student media and more.

These include Turner Prize winners Keith Tyson and Rachel Whiteread (1982–85)[58] studied at the Faculty of Arts, Brighton, as did Keith Coventry, the winner of 2010 John Moores Painting Prize, the photographer Ewen Spencer, the artist Alison Lapper, the designer Julien Macdonald and the writer-illustrator Emily Gravett.

Former students also include the artists Paine Proffitt, Cliff Wright, illustrator of the Harry Potter books, the designer Julien Macdonald OBE, and musicians Natasha Khan, (who performs as Bat for Lashes), and The Haxan Cloak The list of students, lecturers and researchers once at Brighton includes Kate Greenaway Medal winners Emily Gravett, Raymond Briggs and Quentin Blake; children's writer-illustrator Lucy Cousins; Magnum photographer Mark Power; fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki; world champion bridge player Sandra Landy; and adventurer and conservationist Holly Budge.

Contributions made to modern visual culture by Brighton Faculty of Arts and Architecture members include Royal Designer for Industry George Hardie's cover designs for Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and several series of Royal Mail stamps, and John Vernon Lord's sleeve for Deep Purple's Book of Taliesyn.

[59] The longer history of the school of art in Brighton includes the artists Conrad Heighton Leigh, and poster designer John Bellany.

The artist Helen Chadwick took the sculpture course at Brighton Polytechnic (1973–76) and later returned to the institution to teach.

[61] The sculptor/woodcarver Robert Koenig, author of the woodcarving project Odyssey also studied on the sculpture course at the same time as Helen Chadwick.