Writtle University College and ARU have merged. Writtle’s full range of college, degree, postgraduate and short courses will still be delivered on the Writtle campus. See our guide to finding Writtle information on this site.

Starting your course

A student with a backpack walking outside

Before your course begins, it’s useful to familiarise yourself with what studying at ARU looks like.

Below, you’ll find useful information about how to access your timetable, the different systems that you’ll be using to support your studies, and some of the services that are available to help you improve your academic skills.

Key dates of the academic year

Our academic calendar contains information on all the key dates you need for the academic year, including teaching weeks, examination periods and vacations for all taught courses.

Many of our undergraduate degrees are taught over two trimesters (Trimester 1, Trimester 2) but some are taught over three.

Teaching timetable

Your teaching timetable shows you your course and class times. To access your timetable, you need to make sure you’ve registered for your course on e:Vision. After registering, your timetable will be available for you to view within five working days.

Please note: if you register on or after Tuesday 19 December 2023, you will not receive your timetable until 3 January 2024 due to University closures over the festive holiday.

Visit e:Vision, then select 'My Studies' and your timetable will appear on the right-hand side of the home screen.

The timetable defaults to the current week, so don't worry if your timetable is blank at first. This is probably because teaching hasn’t begun yet. You can select the week you wish to view, or you can choose to view your timetable by trimester.

If your classes change a lot from week to week, you might find it easier to view one week at a time. If your timetable is the same most weeks, you’ll find the Trimester view easiest. However, even if your timetable seems to be the same most weeks, make sure you check it at the start of each week just in case any of your classes have changed.

You can view your timetable in the app. The app only displays the next three months of your timetable, so if you need to look further ahead, please view your timetable in e:Vision.

Information about the ARU app can be found below.

Don’t forget that your course induction takes place before teaching starts. This is a chance to meet new people and get to know more about your course. We have lots planned for you, so don’t miss out! Your welcome timetable is available on our timetable Course Induction (Welcome Week) page.

If you’ve studied with us before and are returning to study a new course, you’ll have a new student record. It takes up to five working days to create your timetable for your new course once your new student record is available.

You’ll have the same student number, but you’ll have a new record for your new course. When you log into e:Vision, on the home screen you’ll see a light blue box displaying your name, email and course name. If your most current course isn’t listed, please select the ‘change your current course session’ box. This will allow you to change your view, so you can see the record for your new course.

Get familiar with our systems

During your time at ARU you'll have access to a wide range of systems, each one important for your academic life. Below you can find out more about what each system is and what you will use it for.

Want access to your emails, timetable, maps and much more when you're on the go?

Our handy app will give you all the information you need to make yourself at home here. You can download it on your smartphone and tablet, so you always have access.

Based on student feedback, the app has all the functions you'll use most often as well as useful little pocket guides for when you need them.

Download the app now from the App Store (Apple) or Play Store (Android). The app works on all Android and Apple devices, but you'll need to use the web version if you're using a Windows phone.

Visit the ARU App page on My ARU for more information.

Canvas is ARU’s learning management system. You can use it to access information and activities relating to your studies, including module details, assessments and lecture notes.

You'll find your tutors using Canvas to share lecture videos, quizzes, worksheets, screencasts, discussions and interactive whiteboard notes.

You’ll also submit your coursework in Canvas, where required to do so and you will be able to access your grades and feedback once your module leader has completed the marking. You can access Canvas from anywhere by visiting canvas.anglia.ac.uk.

My ARU is your student intranet and the go-to place for everything you need to know about student life at ARU.

You should check My ARU regularly to keep up to date with important news and upcoming events. It’s also filled with information to support your studies, including advice about how to get a head start on your career, important information about learning and assessments, how to access and use learning tools, guidance on student finance and ways to get the most out of student life during your time with us. There’s also a specific area tailored to international students.

Most importantly, there’s a help and support hub, so if you’re facing any issues or have any concerns, you can reach out and access support from our dedicated student services.

If you’re prompted to log into My ARU, use your username: [[email protected]] and your ARU password.

If you’re already a student at ARU you can ask questions online at Ask ARU. It’s your way to access loads of information about university life. You’ll find helpful information about funding, managing your deadlines, your course, and lots more. You can also drop in and see us on campus at our iCentre and we’ll help you find the answers to your questions.

You can also contact us by email at [email protected] with your question. If you would like to arrange an appointment with an adviser, please call +44 (0)1245 686700 (Monday–Friday 10am–4pm, excluding bank holidays).

Getting support with your studies

While a lot of your university study is done independently, we’re still here to support you to achieve the best grade possible. If you think your academic skills could do with some improvement, but you aren’t too sure where to start, please reach out and make the most of the support available to you during your time at ARU.

The step up to university study can feel daunting so make the step with confidence with Study Skills Plus.

Study Skills Plus is here for all students to provide advice and guidance on researching, writing, referencing, maths and lots more. Everything is available to all students, no matter what or where you're studying.

Once you've registered with us, you can select from a wide variety of Study Skills Plus resources as well as one to one appointments to help you enhance your chances of success.

Visit Study Skills Plus on My ARU

At ARU we welcome students with disabilities and specific learning differences and aim to provide a fully inclusive learning environment for all. The Disability and Dyslexia Support service offers information, advice and specialist support to students with disabilities, including mental health conditions, ongoing medical conditions and specific learning differences, such as dyslexia.

Find out more about Disability Support

If English is not your first language, we can help. English Language Fix is a free service from the ARU Language Centre to support you while you study. We offer a range of academic English classes and one-to-one academic language consultations.

Develop your language skills with English Language Fix

Keeping healthy and staying safe

Your health and safety is a priority of ours, and we have 24/7 security on our campuses to help keep you safe. There are also a few things we recommend you do when you arrive to look after your health and safety, such as downloading the SafeZone app and registering with a GP if you’re moving to live near the university. You can find more information about how to look after yourself below.

If you’re moving to live on campus or in the city, make sure you register with a doctor when you arrive. You can find out about medical services on or near our campuses on the Campus Medical Services page on My ARU.

If you need urgent attention, please see our emergency help and crisis support page.

There are some illnesses which students can be more prone to, including meningitis and mumps. Cases are relatively uncommon but it’s important you know what to do if you’re worried.

It's important to be aware of the symptoms of meningitis and mumps, and to know what action to take if you, or someone you know, is showing any signs of the illness.

Meningitis

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the lining of the brain. Bacterial meningitis is quite rare but can be very serious and needs urgent treatment. You need to get a MenACWY vaccination if you haven’t already had it.

Have you had your meningitis jab?

Before starting ARU, make sure you’ve had the MenW vaccination from your GP to protect yourself and others. Students up to the age of 25 can get the vaccine for free, just speak to you doctor.

Meningitis advice
Emergency contacts for meningitis sufferers

If you think that you or someone you know may have meningitis:

  • call 111 or your local GP
  • go to your nearest Accident and Emergency centre
  • call 999 for an ambulance.

Describe the symptoms carefully and say that you think it could be meningitis.

Mumps

Mumps is a viral infection. It mainly affects the salivary glands, but sometimes other parts of the body are affected. Mumps normally affects children, but can occur at any age. Mumps is normally a mild illness, but complications sometimes occur. This is why immunisation is important.

What are the usual symptoms of mumps?

There may be no symptoms, or only very minor ones. The immune system makes antibodies during the infection. These fight off the virus and then provide lifelong immunity. It is therefore very rare to have more than one episode of mumps.

What to do if you have mumps

Mumps is contagious. We advise you to not attend University for one week after you had the initial symptoms. Please do not attend social events or classes and remain isolated as far as practically possible if you think you have mumps. Please contact your GP surgery if you believe you have mumps.

If you fall ill with mumps, you will need to visit a doctor quickly. If you need medical advice but it is not an emergency, you can call the NHS by dialling 111.

More information about mumps can be found on the NHS website.

It’s easy to get caught up in your studies, but you also need to make time for self-care and prioritise your mental and physical health. From Wellbeing Workshops to positive mental training apps and free counselling, you have access to lots of resources that will help you maintain a positive outlook during your time here.

Visit our Health and Wellbeing hub to find more details about the support on offer to you.

Your safety is a priority of ours and while Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough are generally safe cities, it’s important that you’re always aware of your surroundings and report any concerns that you have.

For quick and easy access to ARU security and first aid, you can download the SafeZone app. Visit our Safety page to find out more about how you can keep safe at ARU.

Incidents of harassment

We’re committed to making sure all students and staff are treated with dignity and respect, but if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to report an incident of harassment, whether it involves another member of the ARU community or not, you can use our Unsilenced tool.

Find out more about Unsilenced.