Important additional notes
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email answers@aru.ac.uk for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.
You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.
We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.
If you don’t meet our advertised entry requirements you could consider Public Health with Foundation Year, which’ll give you the Level 3 qualification needed to apply for this degree. In your first year you'll make an application to apply for interview and if successful you'll be offered a place on the condition you complete the Year 1 (Public Health with Foundation Year) and meet the conditions of your offer.
Occupational health
You must have a satisfactory occupational health clearance in order to be allowed out on placement. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/IDC (Industrial Diagnostics Company) will undertake the vaccinations on behalf of ARU. However, if this is undertaken by a third party (your own GP), ARU is unable to reimburse the cost.
If you can produce acceptable evidence of already having the vaccinations you won’t need to have them again. However if you have not previously had the vaccinations you can expect to have the following.
- Measles immunity blood test
- Rubella immunity blood test
- Varicella (chicken pox) immunity blood test
- Hepatitis B immunity blood test
- IGRA blood test (TB screening)
- Hep B surface antigen blood test (Hep B surface antigen screening)
- Hep C blood test (Hep C screening)
- HIV blood test (HIV screening)
- Three or four Hep B vaccinations
- Two MMR vaccinations
- Two varicella (chicken pox) vaccinations
- One BCG (TB) vaccination
You’ll be contacted by the occupational health provider after you have firmly accepted your offer (minimum of six months before your course starts), who’ll first ask you to complete a medical questionnaire and arrange a meeting with the nurse.
Covid and flu vaccine
As your course has placements in care homes and/or NHS environments to fulfil Professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements, we continue to strongly recommend Covid and flu vaccination. This is to protect both yourself and the vulnerable people that you’ll come into contact with throughout your placements.
Please also be aware that if you were to catch either Covid or flu during your course, it may result in significant disruption to your studies. If you are unsure about vaccines, we suggest you seek evidenced-based information on vaccines from reputable sources.