Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has built a strong regional presence across East Anglia, expanding from its original Chelmsford and Cambridge sites to include Peterborough and, since 2024, Writtle following a merger that added agriculture, horticulture and animal science courses. The university recruits two-thirds of its home students from the East Anglia region and has become one of the country's largest providers of degree apprenticeships, alongside significant recent investment in teaching facilities, a medical school and specialist areas such as health and social care and computer games design.

Among nearly 30,000 undergraduates, more than 2,800 are degree apprentices studying across over 40 programmes with more than 1,000 employer partners. Recent spending includes a £2m investment in immersive learning technology, new engineering and robotics labs, a £1.2m library refurbishment in Chelmsford, and £2.5m from the Office for Students to expand computer games design provision by 2028. The university also offers a range of bursaries and hardship funds, including £300 annual awards for lower-income students and £184,866 distributed through 244 hardship grants in 2024-25, while accommodation costs for 2026-27 range from £5,298 to £11,419 depending on campus and room type.