Studying at university from September 2020: FAQs

We will make sure that our on-site delivery conforms to social distancing guidelines. To minimise movement around campus, cohorts and small groups will be timetabled in several adjacent rooms and your lecturer will move between each room to help you.

If there is a local or national lockdown we will continue to support students and, unless told otherwise by public health officials, will continue to follow the National Institute for Health Protection guidance and ask all students to remain in their current accommodation. We will also move to online teaching, learning and assessment and support.

If all restrictions are lifted we will ensure that our students return to on-campus, face-to-face experiences.

Regardless of whether you're studying online or taking part in a socially distanced classroom activity, our teaching staff will always ensure that you are learning in a partnership between them and the students on your modules or course. Canvas will be closely monitored by staff and emails will be responded to within five working days.

Your course is designed to actively engage you and your peers in stimulating and challenging learning experiences. We want you to create lifelong memories of your course and we believe that working with peers, discovering your potential together, is key to this. And we expect the relationships and supportive spirit to carry from the classroom into the other experiences you have here at ARU – and vice versa.

Yes – the Students’ Union will be running both face-to-face and online services. Our independent, confidential advice service will be available to all students, regardless of where you are, to help you through any questions or challenges you might have. Student-run societies will continue to hold events and activities, from guest speakers or crafting to cook-alongs or meet ups, all students are welcome and there'll be something for everyone. The Students’ Union spaces in Peter Taylor House (Cambridge) and Tindal (Chelmsford) will be open for you to use in a way that complies with socially distant health and safety guidelines.

All level 3 students will be studying their first year with ARU College. These FAQs apply to ARU College level 3 students with the additional specific requirements below:

• students will use Moodle, ARU College’s Learning Management platform to access teaching resources
• ARU College will communicate with students via Zoom, ARU College website, email, telephone and face to face by appointment.

No; we'll do our very best to ensure that you are on campus for a continuous block of teaching at a time and we will consolidate your learning so that you don’t have to travel to campus every day. Your Faculty staff will be in touch with details of your timetable.

Our timetabling team is working to make sure we can safely observe social distancing across our campuses, in all of our classrooms and in specialist teaching spaces. It's likely that you'll be taught in much smaller groups and or in larger spaces.

This is unlikely as the face-to-face teaching and online teaching will, wherever possible, take place at the same time. You will of course be able to access teaching resources via Canvas, our learning management system, and your course leader will support you if you ask for help.

You may, at certain points during the year, be able to swap from face-to-face teaching to online learning, but should only do this in full consultation with your course leader as permission will be needed from your faculty.

This is unlikely as the face-to-face teaching and online teaching will, wherever possible, take place at the same time. You will of course be able to access teaching resources via Canvas, our learning management system, and your course leader will support you if you ask for help.

Staff are working hard across our University to share best practice for online learning. We're confident that, if you're learning fully online, you'll receive the same level of learning and support opportunities as those learning face-to-face.

All students will be engaged and supported equally and, as far as is possible, we will do our utmost to make sure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and succeed in their academic experience. This reflects our Student Charter where we share expectations of each other for ambition and responsibility.

At ARU we're committed to creating an active and inclusive learning experience. Working with, alongside and learning from other students is important in our teaching approach. It provides greater insight to the problems and ideas that are discussed on your course and helps you to develop skills that will serve you well in your future career.

Because of our ‘active curriculum’ and the expertise our staff have in using our online learning environment, your lecturers have many ways to offer what we call ‘unified active learning’. What this means is we value and know how to engage all of our students – wherever you are. For example, we often take a team-based approach to activities in which student groups can be formed of students on and off-campus. Some activities involve different roles, and we always value different perspectives. This means all of our students will be actively engaged to meet the same learning outcomes.

Our students will have access to a variety of curriculum software off-campus with no additional licence requirements.

Wherever possible your assessments will remain the same or will be slightly adapted so that they can be completed online. However, we've decided not to hold formal examinations at the end of Trimester 1 (December 2020); they'll be replaced by alternative assessment tasks which are appropriate to the module you are studying and the learning outcomes. If you have practical assessments that can only be done on campus, we will do everything required to ensure your safety.

Set deadlines will largely remain unaffected. We know that it is important for you to finish your course on time wherever possible and so we aim to keep to current assessment deadlines. We do however recognise the challenges that COVID-19 is presenting, so if you need an extension or have to re-sit an assessment, we'll support you to do this.

You will be able to access at least some of your specialist skills sessions online. However, if your Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) specifies that certain specialist skills need to be acquired in face-to-face teaching we will bring you onto campus for skills teaching and provide a safe environment in which to learn and practise your skills. If you're worried about this, talk to your Course Leader or Personal Development Tutor/Personal Tutor in the first instance. We're working closely with PSRBs to agree our approach, and make sure that our students are properly supported.

No, your course leaders are working hard to ensure that online session and face-to-face sessions provide you with the same knowledge and skills. If a session can only be delivered face-to-face and you can’t or don’t want to attend on campus, your course leaders will arrange opportunities for you to catch-up at a late date.

You will be able to book time in labs, workshops and studios for self-directed study, when these rooms are not in use for timetabled teaching. Your Faculty will be in touch with further information about this.

We will support you to do lab- or field-based research whenever and wherever it is safe to do so. You should talk to your supervisor in the first instance to find out what is possible and, after this conversation, you might look to make changes to your research proposal so that you can continue to progress and finish your studies on time.

Our faculties are working closely with PSRBs to find ways of ensuring you progress on time and achieve your professional accreditation. A small number of courses may need to have some additional face-to-face sessions so that you can get the skills you need to achieve your accreditation or go on placement. Your course teams will be in touch if you are affected.

We have a Student Engagement Dashboard that provides information on your overall engagement with your studies.

Your course team and Personal Tutor/Personal Development Tutor will support you. You will be able to book tutorials with them online and meet them virtually via our online meeting facility. Please make your Personal Tutor/Personal Development Tutor aware as soon as possible so that we can put support in place to help you.

Whether you're studying entirely online or through a blend of face-to-face and online learning from September 2020, you'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course. Before starting the course, we recommend that you check our technical requirements for online learning.

If you have a computer, you will need to have a bandwidth capacity that enables you to take part in live-streaming events. This isn’t usually a problem if you have a reasonably good internet connection. We are working to select a single IT supplier to ensure everyone without access to a computer has an opportunity to secure one at a reasonable market price. We'll post more details of arrangements as soon as they are made.

Yes, although social distancing guidelines will need to be followed in line with Government advice. This is likely to mean that room capacities – including library and open-access computer areas – will be lower than usual, and we may have to limit the number of people using these facilities during busy periods. We are likely to introduce a booking system for the use of facilities so that you can organise your time on campus well.

You can access all support teams online and over the phone; there will also be a limited number of face-to-face sessions. The teams are Counselling and Wellbeing, iCentre, Academic and Money Advice, Study Skills Plus, Disability and Dyslexia Support, the Employability Service, Team ARU and the University Chaplains. Find out how to contact these teams.

The iCentre will be open for queries and you can access standard services (such as council tax letters, replacement cards, bank letters) once our campuses are open for teaching. Social distancing measures and procedures will be applied according to Government guidelines.

We've increased our hardship fund provision, in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 situation, to include a new laptop bursary, hardship grants and provision of emergency loans.

If you'd like some advice and guidance on finances, our Money Advice Service can help; email the team on moneyadvice@anglia.ac.uk.

If you pay your tuition fees in instalments and have concerns about making payments, please email our Credit Control Team: creditcontrol@anglia.ac.uk.

Our Counselling and Wellbeing service offers one-to-one counselling or mental health advising for ARU students. You can register and find guidance on booking a consultation at https://angliaruskin.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/counselling-and-wellbeing-register.

If one-to-one support isn’t what you need right now, we also have a variety of online resources and bookable workshops.

You can talk in confidence to a professional counsellor, a mental health adviser or a wellbeing adviser about any personal or university-related issues that are worrying you. This could be anything from minor concerns to major issues including grief, relationship difficulties, panic attacks, exam anxieties, stress and more.

We are monitoring Government advice and working closely with relevant bodies in sport to see what will be possible. We are also in regular contact with other universities to ensure that we all take a similar approach where appropriate. We're committed to providing as full a sports programme as possible. Our campus gyms are currently open, offering a range of facilities and fitness classes.

Safety of students and staff is a priority at ARU. We will ensure that you can enter our buildings safely and your appointment will be conducted in line with Government social distancing recommendations. We will use technology wherever appropriate to make this effective and you will be able to book computers when on campus.

All appointments can be booked online. You will be asked to select a date and time as well as the type of appointment you would like (campus, video conference or email). You should receive a confirmation email once you've booked.

We are not currently running our usual range of workshops due to the general demand on classroom space at the University. We've produced a range of ‘bitesize’ narrated presentations that cover the main points from our workshop series. These can be found on Canvas, our learning management system (student login required). Take a look, then book a one-to-one appointment where we can help apply the content to your specific assignment guidance.

In the first instance, we strongly recommend that you seek advice from your medical practitioner before deciding to study on campus or live in student accommodation. We have taken a number of steps to reduce the risk of viral transmission on our campuses. These include ensuring staff and students can socially distance around campus buildings and implementing hand/surface hygiene protocols. We also ask staff, students and visitors to wear a face covering in most indoor settings on campus.

If you have further individual concerns, our advisers in the Disability and Dyslexia Support team would be happy to talk these through with you. Please email disability@anglia.ac.uk to arrange an appointment.

Yes. As a university committed to inclusive practice, we recognise that some staff and students will be unable to wear a face covering, or may require others to remove a face covering in order to communicate effectively. This message will be re-iterated to staff, students and visitors. We also support schemes such as the sunflower lanyard and the government assets for digital or printable exemption cards should you wish to use these.

If you have a disability or a specific learning difference, our Disability and Dyslexia Support Service can support you in a range of ways.

We can help you develop your independent learning skills such as organisation or academic writing, and provide advice and guidance on applying for Disabled Students' Allowance.

We will also work with you to create a set of reasonable adjustments that inform your teachers and other key staff members of your needs. We will liaise with academic schools and other departments to ensure these adjustments are appropriately met.

We understand obtaining evidence is difficult at the moment. If you are unable to get evidence before your course starts please let us know; we'll put your reasonable adjustments in place on a temporary basis, usually until the end of the first trimester. We'll review the situation with you before the start of the next trimester.

Please email disability@anglia.ac.uk and we will arrange for you to have an initial consultation with one of our advisers.

If we feel that it is likely that you are dyslexic, we will start working to support you though one-to-one appointments immediately.

We will also refer you to a full diagnostic assessment for dyslexia should you wish. If the diagnosis is confirmed, we will create a Summary of Reasonable Adjustment to provide you with things like extra time in exams.

There are social distancing and other safety measures in place in our accommodation, along with guidance on how to stay safe while on campus. This will change and evolve as Government advice changes.

Take a look at our accommodation pages and, if you'd like to reserve accommodation, book online. Accommodation will, as in previous years, be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

If you’re currently living in an area where higher-level restrictions are in place, you should be allowed to continue to travel for work or to attend education settings such as university, unless local rules state otherwise. We are a COVID-19 secure environment.

Our Employability Service can help with that – contact us onemployability@aru.ac.uk between 9am–5pm Monday–Thursday and 9am–4.30pm Friday where an Adviser will be on hand to answer your questions. Take a look at the ARU Temps website for temporary work and AREA for business start-up support. You can also see our upcoming events and further FAQs on the Career Centre.

Of course! Many of ARU’s courses offer a placement year option, and for those that do not or for students who aren’t eligible we're happy to support you to secure short-term placements and internships. Contact the Placements and Employer Engagement team via email placements@aru.ac.uk and we will do our best to help you. We are available 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday and 9am-4.30pm Friday.

For placements on health and social care courses, we are working closely with all our placement partners to work out when and how you can safely experience your placement. We may change the order of your modules slightly so that you do more of your theory modules first if it is not safe for you to go on placement. Your Faculty will be in touch with further information about placements.

We're committed to providing an outstanding educational experience and excellent support for all our apprentices. Following close consultation with employers, professional bodies and the Students' Union, we are planning for the majority of ARU apprentices to learn off campus from September to December.

The exceptions will be Town Planner, Chartered Surveyor and Bioinformatician. For these programmes, employers will be able to choose if their apprentices study online or via a blend of campus and online learning. If you are learning on campus, you should receive confirmation of your learning timetable in early September 2020 so that you and your employer can plan your work schedule.

As you will be aware, travel abroad is being discouraged by the UK Government at the moment. Until international travel resumes and is safe, it is not going to be possible for you to study abroad. As circumstances change we will keep you updated.

No, you will not need to apply for a Tier 4 visa to study online in Trimester 1 (September–January). However, you will still need to evidence that you meet Tier 4 visa requirements so that you can apply for your visa to join us on campus in Trimester 2 in January 2021.

If you select online delivery you will not receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)/Tier 4 sponsorship for the first trimester. You will be issued one for Trimester 2 provided you have registered for Trimester 1 and confirmed you will be moving from online to face-to-face delivery.

It is important that you can evidence that you can meet the Tier 4 visa requirements in preparation for us issuing your CAS and applying for your visa to join us on campus. This includes previous visa history, and meeting the UKVI maintenance requirements.

Yes, you will still be required to pay the £4,000 deposit towards the cost of your course. You will also be required to pay a total of 60% of your year’s tuition fees in order to complete course registration.

While we cannot guarantee this, we will work with you before you start your course to check that you meet all of the Tier 4 visa requirements.

Yes, if you don’t choose the study online option we will be expecting you to join us on campus. We look forward to meeting you.

Yes, you can start online, but will need to travel to the UK as soon as you receive your Tier 4 visa.

If you are joining/joined our online pre-sessional with IELTS 5.5 or above in all skills, or an alternative English test with scores at CEFR B2 or above, we should be able issue your CAS. You will first need to register on the pre-sessional course, engage with the learning, pay your degree deposit of £4,000 and meet our CAS requirements. You can then apply for your visa while you are studying the pre-sessional course.

All other students can be issued their CAS upon successful completion of the online pre-sessional English course. It is important that you start preparing your CAS/visa documents as soon as possible, including your financial documents if applicable, so that we can issue your CAS without delay.

If you do not receive your visa in time to arrive in the UK for the beginning of the trimester, you can start to study your course online by completing online registration. This includes paying 60% of the first year fees. Upon completing online registration, you can join the online orientation sessions and welcome events, and start studying your degree online. This way you will not miss any online teaching. When you receive your visa, you can travel to the UK and continue your studies on campus.

We accept IELTS for UKVI, Pearson PTE Academic UKVI and LanguageCert International ESOL SELT B1 or B2 (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking). For full details on SELT requirements, please see the UKVI guidance.

We will check your documents and offer guidance on the visa application process before we issue your CAS to minimise the risk of refusal, but the final decision is taken by the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration).

If your visa is refused, please tell us straight away. Provide a copy of your refusal letter and your consent for us to contact the UKVI on your behalf.

One of our International Student Advisers will contact you to talk about your options, which may include applying for an Administrative Review (where the UKVI assesses the decision). If this is not possible or successful, we will consider issuing a second CAS on a case-by-case basis.

Our online option supports those students who cannot travel because of the coronavirus pandemic. We will be reviewing the need to offer further semesters online as the situation around the world changes.

If you wish to study your whole course online, we have a range of distance learning options that may interest you.

As exam result dates vary, we suggest that you get in touch with your country manager to discuss further details and visit your country page.

Yes, and you'll find all our contact details here.