As more and more people apply for postgraduate courses at Essex, the University is holding a Postgraduate Open Day on Wednesday 18 March for others to find out about studying at one of the UK’s leading academic institutions.

Although still early in the postgraduate study application cycle, Essex has seen a 50 per cent increase in applications for full-time taught postgraduate courses and a smaller increase in applications for research programmes. The Postgraduate Open Day, taking place in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the Colchester Campus from 1pm to 2.30pm, gives visitors a chance to chat on a one-to-one basis with University staff from both the Colchester and Southend Campuses. They can also go on campus tours with current students. From 2.30pm there will be a number of talks on how to apply for study, life as a postgraduate and funding for students.

This Postgraduate Open Day comes just months after Essex confirmed its position as one of the UK’s elite research universities in the UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise, with more than 90 per cent of its research recognised internationally for its quality.

The University’s Student Recruitment Assistant, Elizabeth Hilditch, explains: ‘This is a great chance to find out more about postgraduate courses at the University. Essex was ranked ninth out of UK universities by The Times, The Guardian and The Independent, following the last Research Assessment Exercise, so is a great place for postgraduate study. We encourage anyone interested to come along on Wednesday 18 March.’

Free parking will be provided on campus for visitors. For more information about the Postgraduate Open Day, please contact Simon Greenwood on telephone: 01206 872384 or visit: www.essex.ac.uk/prospective/open_days/postgraduate.aspx?date=18-03-2009

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Notes to editors:
The Postgraduate Open Day will from run from 1pm to 4pm, on Wednesday 18 March, in Auditorium A of the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the University’s Colchester Campus.

To arrange a tour of the Southend Campus and accommodation, please e-mail: southendcourses@essex.ac.uk.