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.

Applications by under 18s to study at Anglia Ruskin University

We have procedures that apply to students who will be under the age of 18 when they start studying at our University. Read more about these procedures below.

Our policy

Our policy is to treat students who are minors as we do our other students as far as is possible. We will not act in loco parentis in relation to your child and therefore we need to raise with you a number of issues.

The principal issues are:

  • offer of a place at Anglia Ruskin University
  • teaching and other activities
  • tuition fees
  • residential accommodation
  • emergency medical provision
  • field trips
  • the Data Protection Act 2018
  • working through Anglia Ruskin University's employment bureau, ARU Temps

Offer of a place at Anglia Ruskin University

Your child's application will be considered using the set entry criteria for the course for which they have applied. 

Your child may be called for an interview. For applicants aged 16 years or under, we are happy for a parent/guardian to accompany the child, but not contribute to the interview itself. We will be able to provide time separately for any questions you may have.

Any offer made as a result of the application process will include conditions relating to the return of forms RMD009 and ADM050, which will be attached to your child's offer letter.

Teaching and other activities

Once your child has been accepted onto one of our courses, the Dean of Faculty will appoint a designated person to oversee all arrangements regarding their study, health, safety and welfare at ARU. This designated person will have had an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS; formerly Criminal Records Bureau) check. 

We must make you aware that your child will attend classes alongside other students, led by staff who may not have had such clearance. Your child may also mix with students and staff at University events and/or while accessing facilities such as the University Library.

Some tutorials may be conducted on a one-to-one basis. Where the relevant tutor has received Disclosure and Barring Service clearance, tutorials will continue on this basis. Where such clearance has not been received, arrangements will be made for another adult to be in attendance. It should be noted that this adult may be another student.

Tuition fees

If your child’s offer letter refers to tuition fees, we require you, as the responsible parent/guardian, to complete the Financial Guarantee Form ADM050. This will be attached to the offer letter. This will result in you being responsible for any outstanding debt relating to your child’s study at Anglia Ruskin University.

If you can provide evidence from the Student Loans Company that a tuition fee loan will be provided, you need not complete form ADM 050.

Residential accommodation

Our procedures state that students who are under the age of 18 at the start of their course cannot be accommodated in Anglia Ruskin University-controlled residential accommodation, or placed by our University in other residential accommodation.

It is therefore the parent/guardian's choice as to where and how such students are housed. You must take full responsibility for this; we recommend that you satisfy yourself of the suitability of any accommodation which your child is offered before entering into any rental agreement or contract.

Emergency medical provision

Since ARU does not act in loco parentis, you will appreciate that University staff may not authorise medical care for a student. It is therefore important that we have up-to-date records of your contact details so that, in an emergency, you may be contacted without delay.

There may be circumstances where we are required to act on the student's behalf, for example in dealings with the police, or medical emergencies – including mental health emergencies. In these cases, we will only take such action when parents/guardians cannot be reached within the timescale required by the particular situation.

Field trips

It is our policy that all reasonable care will be taken to in ensure the safety of our students. Risk assessments are carried out in line with our University policy by individual faculties, who liaise with the Risk Management Team should the need arise, and the best possible advice is given to students in terms of any risk faced.

However, we would ask you to note that we cannot provide or accept loco parentis (the role or power of the parent) in respect of any field trips. We will include a form with your child's offer letter about field trips; please sign and return this form to us.

If a student is undertaking an Anglia Ruskin University Students' Union based trip we recommend that you contact ARU Students' Union direct for information on risk assessments.

The Data Protection Act 2018

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, we're required to respect the privacy of our students and protect their personal data irrespective of age. 
We regret, therefore, that it is not generally possible for us to share with parents/guardians details of students' progress, etc. Students can choose to give written permission for their progress to be discussed with parents/guardians.

Personal data relating to a student may be given to close family or next of kin and emergency services in the case of illness or serious injury. This is necessary in exceptional circumstances to protect the vital interests of the student or other individuals.

Disclosures may also be made to the police or other regulatory bodies when the processing of such personal data is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest, namely prevention and detection of crime.

You'll find further information on how personal data is used in our Privacy and Cookies section.

Working through ARU Temps

Your child may wish to carry out part-time work while studying at ARU.

We recommend that you discuss this with them before admission, when issues such as work-life balance should be considered.

ARU Temps, which is Anglia Ruskin University's campus employment bureau, will take advice from the Anglia Ruskin Risk Management Team if necessary. We'll also ask you to sign a form to confirm whether employment while studying is acceptable or not acceptable to you. We'll include this form with your child's offer letter.

More information

If you have any questions about health and safety, please contact our Risk Management Team: [email protected].

If you have any questions about the legal issues raised above, please contact Paul Bogle, our Secretary & Clerk: [email protected].