Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) traces its origins to 1858, when the art critic and philanthropist John Ruskin founded the Cambridge School of Art. Over the following century a number of colleges joined the institution, which became Anglia Polytechnic and was granted university status as Anglia Polytechnic University in 1992. Writtle University College, one of the oldest specialist land-based institutions in the UK, merged with ARU in February 2024.
Today ARU teaches across four main campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle, with ARU London offering business, law and finance programmes in the capital. Teaching is organised into four faculties: Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences; Business and Law; Health, Medicine and Social Care; and Science and Engineering. The university is well known for its nursing, midwifery and healthcare courses, and its School of Medicine in Chelmsford has been training doctors since 2018.
ARU was named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023 and holds a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework. Its research in sixteen subject areas was rated world-leading in the Research Excellence Framework 2021, and in 2021 the university received the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its music therapy research supporting people living with dementia.
Information for International Students
Anglia Ruskin University welcomes students from more than 185 countries, and its International Office has supported overseas applicants since 1992. The International Student Advice Service is the first point of contact, assisting students before they travel with pre-arrival guidance, immigration advice and practical help reaching campus, and a dedicated International Orientation Programme helps new arrivals settle into university life. English language support is available for students who wish to strengthen their academic English alongside their degree.
Once enrolled, international students can use the university's iCentres for registration, student ID and help opening a UK bank account, while the Student Advice Service offers guidance on study skills and the UK university system. ARU also provides a free and confidential Counselling and Wellbeing Service, a money advice team, scholarship funding for eligible international students, and membership of the ARU Students' Union from the first day of study.