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Planning your travel

Coming to study with us will be an exciting time in your life and, like most things, you'll need to plan ahead and get yourself organised.

To help you we recommend you read our Pre-Departure information below. It will answer most of the questions you may have about coming to study at ARU.

The most important things you need to do as soon as you have accepted our offer to study are:

  • make sure you have somewhere to live. Book your accommodation before you travel. If you want University accommodation it’s best to apply early, especially if you want campus accommodation or have a limited budget.
  • make all the necessary financial arrangements to pay your fees and have enough money for your living costs (rent, food, books). If you're not sure how much money you will need in the UK there is a sample budget in our Pre-Departure Guide.

Download our Pre-departure guides:

Pre-departure guide - Part 1: Planning your arrival

Pre-departure guide - Part 2: Arriving and Living in the UK

Our guides include:

  • University semester dates
  • our Welcome and International Orientation Programme
  • applying for University accommodation
  • how to pay tuition fees
  • examples of the cost of living in the UK
  • how to travel to our campuses
  • visa and immigration advice
  • arrival in the UK (what to expect)
  • healthcare provision in the UK
  • University contact details.

Look out for our arrival guides, which we'll be publishing on 25 November.

Making your travel plans

If you come from within the EU we recommend flying into Stansted Airport. Flights can be less expensive and it’s the closest airport to ARU, so very easy to get to our campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford by train or coach. Public transport is reliable, frequent and relatively cheap.

If you're travelling thousands of miles then Heathrow Airport is probably your only option.

Book your flights so that you arrive on the day of our Heathrow airport pick up service, Monday 13 January 2020. This service runs in the morning and the afternoon. It's a free service – you just need to pre-book online.

Preparing for your studies

Doing some preparation before you arrive will help you adapt quicker to your course. You can visit websites such as prepareforsuccess.org.uk; these self-access materials can help you refresh your English language and improve your study skills over the vacation period before you arrive.

Aside of that, we know it can take time to get used to the way we study in the UK. Once you arrive we can help with your English language as well as study techniques via our Study Skills Plus sessions.