Commuting to University
Join our vibrant commuter community. Whether you're travelling from miles away or just down the road, find everything you need to balance your journey with a full student life.
University is a journey, and for many of our students, that journey starts long before they step onto campus.
We know that commuting is about more than just a train ticket or a parking space. It’s about balancing the comfort of the life you’ve built at home with the exciting future you’re creating here.
We’re here to make sure you feel part of our community and truly connected to student life.
Why commute
Cost savings
Commuting from home can often mean significantly lower monthly outgoings compared with staying in halls. This extra flexibility often means less financial pressure, allowing you to focus more on your studies and the things you enjoy.
The comfort of home
Staying in your local area means you’re surrounded by the people and places that know you the best. Whether it’s having your family and friends close by for support or simply being in a space where you feel most relaxed, maintaining that sense of reassurance can be a huge boost to your mental well-being during your studies.
Settle in at your own pace
Homesickness is a common challenge for new students. Choosing to commute removes that hurdle, allowing you to integrate into university life at a pace that feels right for you. You get to dive into student life during the day, while having the option to return to your own routine at night.
A Clear Boundary for Focus
You may find that the journey to and from campus acts as a mental reset, where you can draw a line between study and relaxing. This ensures your home remains a sanctuary for rest and recharging.
Keep your lifestyle intact
By commuting, you can keep the lifestyle you’ve already built. Keeping that part-time job, staying involved with your local sports team, or maintaining existing hobbies. You get the university experience without compromising your current commitments.
Extra flexibility
Commuting offers the flexibility to tailor your schedule around your life. With excellent transport links to both Chichester and Bognor Regis, you have the freedom to decide how and when you engage with campus life.
Getting to campus
Our Chichester and Bognor Regis campuses are both easy to reach, with a range of transport options available. Once there, everything you need is available on campus, meaning less travel between lectures and more time getting stuck into student life.
Our Chichester Bishop Otters campus address is College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PE (what3words: worm.trucks.nights).
Our Bognor Regis campus address is: Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 1HR (what3words: maple.prone.secure).
For any questions regarding travel, please contact Travel Plan on travelplan@chi.ac.uk
Both of our campuses have easily accessible footpaths. Bishop Otter campus is a 25-minute walk from Chichester train and bus station, and our Bognor Regis campus is a 15-minute walk from Bognor Regis train and bus station.
The University strives to promote greener travel options, such as cycling, to improve the quality of life for those on campus, our neighbours and benefit the environment.
From Chichester railway and bus station to our Bishop Otter Campus takes less than 10 minutes by bicycle. Chichester District has many signposted routes, with a dedicated cycle lane going within 150m of the Bishop Otter Campus.
From Bognor Regis railway station, it is a short 5-minute cycle to our Bognor Regis campus.
West Sussex County Council host a fantastic online Cycle Journey Planner to help you plan your cycle route to campus, with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.
Once on campus, there are approximately 160 covered cycle spaces at Bishop Otter and 90 covered spaces at Bognor Regis.
There are also free-to-use secure bike storage compounds at both campuses, which are only accessible using a University of Chichester ID card.
Showers are available on both campuses, and lockers are available in the John Parry building at Bognor Regis, and the Tudor Hale building at Chichester.
Both campuses have fantastic local bus routes, with easily accessible stops. The bus stop that serves Bishop Otter is within the campus grounds and is sheltered, with a live timetable. For Bognor Regis, the bus stop is just outside the main entrance of the campus.
Free inter-campus travel
We offer free travel between campuses for students via the Stagecoach 707 bus on production of a valid University of Chichester student ID card.
There is also the Stagecoach 50 bus, which travels between the Bishop Otter Campus and Chichester city centre (Chichester Cathedral).
The inter-campus 707 service runs Monday - Saturday (excluding bank holidays) throughout the year. Please click on the links below for the full timetables.
Bus timetables
Weekend discounts
Students wishing to travel between Chichester and Bognor Regis on weekends can access reduced-rate travel on the public Stagecoach 700 service, with singles at £2.00 and returns at £2.75 on Saturdays and Sundays only. This offer is only available on the production of a valid University of Chichester Student ID card.
The University campuses at Chichester and Bognor Regis are served by Chichester and Bognor Regis railway stations, respectively.
Chichester Bishop Otter campus
Trains run from Victoria Station and London Bridge. Chichester is approximately 1hr 35mins from London Victoria (direct route).
Alternatively, you can travel from Waterloo to Havant and change there for Chichester.
Chichester train station is a 25-minute walk from the Bishop Otter campus.
Bognor Regis campus
Bognor Regis is on the direct London Victoria and London Bridge line (approximately 1hr 45mins).
The train station is a 15-minute walk away from the Bognor Regis campus.
Student discount
Students can save 1/3 on train travel using a 16-25 Railcard, which costs £35/year and is available to all full-time students, including mature students.
There are good road links to both Chichester and Bognor campuses.
Demand for car parking spaces, especially on the Bishop Otter campus, can often exceed the spaces available, which is particularly acute during term time.
Parking controls and restrictions are implemented for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the University, equity of access and fairness.
On-campus parking
On-campus parking is chargeable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is restricted to eligible vehicles with a registered account.
Eligibility for on-campus parking accounts is dependent on term-time address. Check out our list of excluded postcodes to see if you're eligible.
For any other vehicles, parking charges are payable via the PayByPhone app as per the usage terms stated in the signage in the car parks.
Students with a valid Blue Badge can apply for free parking by registering with the relevant documentation.
See our Car Parking Regulations for more information.
Motorbikes
There are 70 motorcycle spaces across both campuses. Neither of these requires a permit to park, although motorcycles must be parked in the designated bays.
Electric charging
We have a limited number of EV charging points on both campuses, allowing you to charge your vehicle while you study.
Commuting tips
Save on your commute. If you get the bus or train, a season ticket is often cheaper than buying individual day tickets. Unizone is a special discount for students ran by Southern Railway and Stagecoach offer discounts for student travel.
Do coursework while you commute. If you're travelling by bus or train, why not use that time to catch up on any coursework or prepare for your lecture.
Share the drive. If you drive to university, find others who live near you to car share. You can split parking and petrol costs, and it gives you some company on the commute.
Make the most of university facilities. It can be easy to just go to uni and come back home, but remember, you’re paying for these resources! The services on campus and the staff are great, so definitely use them as much as possible.
Separate uni and home life. You may find it beneficial to do your university work on campus, so when you get home, you can use it as your place to decompress.
Talk to others who commute. Many of our students commute to university. You may find someone who does the same journey as you that you can commute with, or if both of you drive, you could lift share.
Find somewhere on campus to relax. Cloisters at the Bishop Otter Campus, and the beach near the Bognor Regis campus are both perfect places to unwind between lectures.
Join a society. It's a fantastic way to meet people with similar interests outside of your course. If you choose one that meets during the day, it's the perfect way to spend time between lectures.
Get to know your course mates. You already have a common interest, and they're people you'll know for your whole time at university.
Explore Chichester and Bognor Regis. Get to know the shops, restaurants and local attractions that are a walk or bus ride away from your lectures.
Connect on social media. You can join our Freshers group on Facebook. Find out what's happening at the university, join discussions and connect with others.
Attend Freshers' Week. Also known as Welcome Week, it is a great way to make friends, as everyone is in the same boat of not knowing anyone. You'll also get to meet people outside of your course.
Support on campus
We want our campuses to be more than just a place where you attend lectures. We’ve designed our spaces to ensure that, as a commuter, you have everything you need to stay comfortable, productive, and connected from the moment you arrive until your journey home.
- Lockers are available in the John Parry building at Bognor Regis and the Tudor Hale building at Chichester.
- The Learning Resource Centre on each campus has a café, social areas, library resources, IT rooms, silent study areas and bookable areas for group work.
- Restaurants, cafés and the Students' Union shop across both campuses.
- Indoor and outdoor areas for studying and relaxing across both campuses.
- Student's Union social spaces, including Zee Bar on Bishop Otter campus and The Hub on Bognor Regis.
- Showers are available on both campuses.
- Free WiFi across campus.
- Access to microwaves to heat food.
Making the decision to commute
Deciding whether to live on campus or commute is about more than just a bus route, it’s about how you want to experience university life.
To help you navigate the pros and cons of both options, we've put together some questions to help you decide where to live while at university.
- How much money (if any) would you save if you commuted to university, factoring in travel and food costs?
- How far would you have to travel each day, and how long would it take?
- Would your commute be reliable?
- Could you use your commuting time to study, or would it be dead time?
- Would you be worried about missing out on social events/opportunities to make more friends?
- Would you be comfortable with studying at university if you had to hang around for several hours between lectures?
- Would you prefer to keep your home comforts or have more independence?
