New Delhi: With normal studies on hold due to COVID-19, the UK-based University of Essex, a public research university, has announced the Essex Preparation Program (EPP), a special, free online course to help incoming students prepare for college. The online course, which is offered free to students, is specially designed to prepare students from India and around the world for their university studies. For six weeks, students explore independent learning, critical thinking, academic integrity, and many more areas.

Students may qualify for financial aid after the course

The course is open to anyone applying for undergraduate study at the University of Essex, and if they complete the course and register to study at Essex for the 2022-23 academic year, they will be entitled to financial aid of £250 (INR 24,000). Completion of the EPP is optional, but the University of Essex believes this will give students a good start in their studies.

The university launched the EPP last year to help incoming students. The course has been enthusiastically received by school and college students, received positive feedback from teachers and school counselors, and has had a positive impact on student achievement.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Lorna Fox O’Mahony said of the initiative: “We were delighted with the level of commitment to this program last year, the enthusiasm of students to begin the university after the interruption of their studies and their determination to succeed. in their new classes. Following extremely positive feedback from students and teachers, we have built on the success of the EPP platform to lend a hand to this new cohort of students. We are committed to making sure they feel confident and ready to take on the challenges of college.

“We recognize that these students have gone through a difficult time during the pandemic, and we want to do everything we can to help them succeed,” added Professor Fox O’Mahony. “We already have over 500 students enrolled in this year’s program, so it promises to have even more of an impact this year.”

Over 1,700 students enrolled

Last year, more than 1,750 students signed up for the six-week program, which included 12 live Zoom workshop sessions coupled with an online course. This year, the University of Essex expects more students to take part in the PPE, which has been further developed following student feedback and will be integrated with other degree preparation programs and activities. students during welcome week at Essex.

New for this year, Essex is also offering an MPP (Masters Preparation Programme) for postgraduate students. Essex also offers two other programmes, one for Years 12 and 13 and one for Years 10 and 11, which are designed to be a source of high quality information, advice and guidance that students can work on independently or that teachers can use in the classroom.

Students can also register and view full program details at