About ARU Cairo
Unlock your Dream Degree
ARU is an innovative global university with students from 185 countries coming to study with us. We were named the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023.
We’re the first university in the UK to receive the prestigious Entrepreneurial University Award from the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE), in part because of our support for enterprise and student entrepreneurship.
Students, businesses, and partners all benefit from the outstanding facilities at our University.
Our history
Our story starts in 1858, when the art critic, patron and philanthropist John Ruskin opened Cambridge School of Art. The art school grew to become Anglia Ruskin University, shortened to ARU, and it’s still at the heart of our modern-day campus in Cambridge.
Becoming ARU
Over the years, a number of colleges and institutes have become part of ARU. They include the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT) and the Essex Institute of Higher Education (formerly the Chelmer Institute – itself formed from the Mid-Essex Technical College and the Brentwood College of Education). At first, these colleges combined to become Anglia Polytechnic, and then Anglia Polytechnic University in 1992.
Writtle University College merged with ARU on 29 February 2024.
We’re proud to count graduates of all these institutions among our alumni.
Five main campuses
As well as Cairo we have campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle.
We’ve invested over £115 million in our campuses in recent years. Cambridge benefitted from a major redevelopment in 2011, and in 2014 we completed work on our dedicated healthcare site on Young Street. It houses state-of-the-art clinical skills labs including mock hospital wards. Young Street is also home to our specialist Music Therapy Centre. In 2018, we opened a brand new Science Centre and a Law Clinic.
Meanwhile, in Chelmsford we’ve embarked upon an ambitious programme of development. Originally based in the city centre, we moved to a purpose-built site in 1992. In 1995, Her Majesty The Queen opened the fittingly named Queen’s building, which is home to the University Library. It’s since been joined by (among others) our eye-catching Business School; Sawyers building with its SuperLabs; the Michael Salmon building, which houses cutting-edge medical simulation suites; and Arise Chelmsford, which offers labs, workshops and office space to small businesses. Our School of Medicine opened in September 2018; here, we’re training the region’s future doctors in state-of-the-art skills facilities.
We’ve had a campus in Peterborough since 2011 and in September 2022, we opened ARU Peterborough. Based in a brand-new building close to the city centre,, it’s home to custom-built facilities including a simulated hospital ward, science lab, and engineering lab,
A national and international presence
As well as our four main campuses, we have a number of partner institutions in the UK and overseas, giving you the chance to study for an ARU qualification near to home. This includes ARU London, where students study subjects including business, law and finance at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The first partnerships were formed in the early 1990s. Our International Office, set up in 1992, fosters further links, and makes sure that our international students receive the support and information they need.
Developing our expertise
Courses
As well as our four main campuses, we have a number of partner institutions in the UK and overseas, giving you the chance to study for an ARU qualification near to home. This includes ARU London, where students study subjects including business, law and finance at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The first partnerships were formed in the early 1990s. Our International Office, set up in 1992, fosters further links, and makes sure that our international students receive the support and information they need.
Research
In the last decade, we’ve forged ahead with our research work. We have research-active staff across the University, and a growing reputation in this area.
You’ll now find five high-profile research institutes and a cross-institutional research centre here. In 2011, we established the Global Sustainability Institute. It focuses on issues surrounding climate change and sustainability and has quickly gained a reputation for its topical, high-impact research and reports. Next came the Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research in 2014, which is carrying out valuable research into the impact of military experience on veterans and their loved ones.
Our newest research institutes were introduced between 2016-2019. The International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (formerly the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region), formed in 2016, focuses on research, professional development and knowledge exchange that will improve policing practice in the East of England.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research is dedicated to advancing the understanding of music therapy and its ability to effect positive change on health and human wellbeing. Most recently one of our specialist research units, which had long carried out high-quality research into vision and eye diseases, became the Vision and Eye Research Institute, and our Medical Technology Research Centre was established.
Alongside these institutes is a range of research groups, dedicated to subjects as diverse as ecology, finance and economics, cyber security, and political history.
The Government’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 rated ARU research in sixteen subject areas as ‘world-leading’.
ARU today
We’ve seen lots of changes since 1858, but one thing has remained the same. We’re still passionate about transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research.
Today, students from more than 185 countries study with us. Our students are at the heart of our University: their educational experience engages, challenges and empowers them to reach their full potential.
We have always been inclusive, and actively encourage students from a wide range of academic and societal backgrounds to study with us. We measure our success by their success.
Our research and innovation draw on the breadth of ARU strengths to develop ideas and solutions which have the potential to transform lives and communities and enrich our curriculum.
We’re known for being welcoming, and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and a Mindful Employer.
We also value the wider ARU community, as it has the potential to create a university that is greater than the sum of its parts.
ARU in the future
Our strategy outlines the goals we’ve set ourselves for the next ten years. Published on 16 June 2017, the 25th anniversary of us being awarded university status, it’s the latest chapter in ARU’s story.
Our vision and values
Our vision
Transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research.
Our values
Ambition
We are determined to achieve our goals and continually strive to enhance our University for the benefit of all.
Innovation
We will apply our collective and individual creativity to conceive and develop new ideas, implementing them for
the benefit of the communities we serve.
Courage
We are bold in taking the decisions we feel are right, even when it is difficult to do so.
Community
We greatly value working collaboratively, supporting each other and helping everyone to achieve their potential.
Integrity
We do what we say we will do and are fair and transparent in our decision-making and actions.
Responsibility
We take decisions and act in a way which respects environmental, societal and economic considerations, and
which best supports those who study and work with us.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Here at ARU, we’re committed to valuing and celebrating
our diversity and promoting equity and inclusion.
Our strategy outlines the goals we’ve set ourselves for the next ten years. Published on 16 June 2017, the 25th anniversary of us being awarded university status, it’s the latest chapter in ARU’s story.
We seek to develop our people and equip our students for life in a multicultural and diverse society. Our aim is to provide a supportive environment in which to work and study, where treating others with dignity, courtesy and respect is standard. This ethos is reflected in our vision and values and our strategy, Designing our future 2017-2026.
To track our progress and to fulfil our Public Sector Equality Duty, we publicly report on our pay gap figures as well as our staff profile and recruitment data annually. You can find these reports on our staff data page.
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (EDISG), Student Success Steering Group (SSSG) and Access and Participation Steering Group (APSG) promote inclusion and respect for diversity among ARU staff and students respectively. All groups report into our Corporate Management Team.
Statement and objectives
All staff and students have a responsibility to comply with our aims, with senior managers leading the implementation of our policy and action plans.
In order to achieve our aims of a more inclusive culture at ARU we have developed EDI objectives for 2021 to 2025.
Equity, diversity and inclusion for staff and students
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for students page provides details of services, policies and practices in place to support students.
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for staff page provides details of our staff inclusivity networks, as well as our memberships, commitments and accreditations. We also require staff to complete mandatory EDI training and provide support and development events on a regular basis.
We have a dedicated page covering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Writtle College.
We run University-wide programmes such as our BAME Advocates and have joined the 10000BlackInterns programme. We also conduct research across the University that shapes our understanding and development of equity, diversity and inclusion policies and practices.
What's in a name?
Our story starts in 1858, when the art critic, patron and philanthropist John Ruskin opened Cambridge School of Art. The art school grew to become Anglia Ruskin University, shortened to ARU, and it’s still at the heart of our modern-day campus in Cambridge.
Get in touch
Have a question you want to ask about studying at ARU Cairo? Send us your questions via our contact form and we’ll get back to you very soon. We look forward to helping you receive the best education at ARU Cairo.
ARU Cairo Team
Keen to get in touch with one of our staff members directly? Send us an email.
Student guide
Download your copy of the ARU Cairo student guide to find out why studying with ARU Cairo at ARU is the choice for you.