Anglia Ruskin University

Student life

Accommodation

ARU offers a range of accommodation on  on both the Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses. There are options to live on campus in university halls in Cambridge or our student village on our Chelmsford campus. University accommodation is open to international students studying undergraduate or postgraduate degrees. For students who prefer to live in private accommodation our residential services team can help you with searching for private accommodation and offer advice and guidance.

IT Facilities

Whether our students are studying remotely or on campus, they'll have access to Office 365, Microsoft Teams and Adobe Photoshop CS6 as standard. We also have a number of Mac and PC suites on our campuses that are equipped with the latest software.
If you're studying a creative course in our Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, you'll have use of Adobe Creative Cloud software.
We've a huge online collection of e-journals, e-books and databases, and they’re all available 24/7. During semesters, our campus libraries in Cambridge and Chelmsford stay open 24 hours, four days per week, and in each library you’ll find a significant collection of course-relevant materials. There are plenty of study spaces, including group work zones, silent study areas, multimedia playback, networked PCs, wireless connectivity, and standard IT applications.

Cambridge and Chelmsford City life

Cambridge is renowned worldwide for its history, exquisite architecture and huge cultural appeal. One of the best things about Cambridge is its size. It’s compact, and easy to explore on foot or by bicycle. Or, of course, you can wander down to the River Cam and hire one of the city’s famous punts. It’s a glorious way to sightsee. And what will you see? You’ll discover a network of medieval streets and passageways, college courts, gardens, bridges and churches. Sometimes there seem to be theatres, galleries, craft markets, cafés and tiny second-hand bookshops around every corner.

Chelmsford is a city that has something for everyone. Fantastic shopping, restaurants, cafes and bars, plus year-round entertainment and events. Here's what to expect when you move to Chelmsford. Chelmsford has its very own personality and huge appeal for a compact city just 35 minutes from London. It's known as the birthplace of radio, thanks to its connection with Guglielmo Marconi who opened the world's first wireless factory here in 1899. As a student here, it won’t take you long to get used to the friendly, laid-back atmosphere the city exudes. Small enough to never overwhelm but big enough to explore and discover your own highlights, Chelmsford is a city that quickly feels like home.

ARU Students' Union

ARU Students' Union, is all about representation. Everything ARU Students’ Union do is led by students, for students. They're independent from the University and you get to decide how they’re run and what they do. You can vote in our elections, get your voice heard through student councils or take part in campaigns.
SU events are a great way to meet new people and get settled into the city. Throughout the academic year, the Students' Union, our Societies and the University host a wide range of events that you can attend. All of the events are not-for-profit and any money we make is put back into the SU and used to benefit you. Any student can join a society, and new members are always welcomed.

Sport

Whether you have aspirations of competing in the Olympics, representing your university, trying a new sport or taking part in fitness classes, we've got something for you. Gain experience, learn new skills and have a positive impact on sport at our university.
Our Campus Sport programme is run by a team of Sport Activators each year. These students help to coordinate various sports sessions, such as badminton, volleyball, table tennis and basketball. Sport Activators also assist with promotion of sport around the University and will all undertake a sports leader qualification.
Our Sport Scholarship is designed to support talented athletes during their time at ARU. International applicants are able to apply for a sport scholarship. There are two levels of scholarship, ranging from £1,400 up to £12,500 per year.