Dear Student,
What a remarkable academic year it has been to date, and as we rush headlong into Spring, I thought a short update might be of interest.
Over the last week, we have had our second annual Leavers Ball for all of those students who recently graduated. Over 500 graduates joined us for an excellent evening of celebration at the Westminster Plaza which was hugely enjoyable for all involved. I also had the pleasure of joining some of our alumni for the ARU Alumni Awards evening to recognise their achievements. These proved the summit of the trimester celebrations, having also enjoyed five Top Achiever Awards, where the joy and excitement of some of our very best students was a delight. Evenings like these remind us all how education can transform the lives of individuals who fully commit themselves to their studies. Many congratulations to all Top Achievers, all those receiving employability awards, completing Peer-to-Peer mentoring programmes, and of course, all graduating students.
All this on the back of an academic year which saw ARU named the University of the Year in the Times Higher (THE) Awards; ARU named the University of the Year at the Social Mobility Awards; ARU receiving a Gold Award (the highest) in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF); in addition to ARUL being named third in the UK for graduate satisfaction in the 2023 National Student Survey (NSS). What a year indeed!
But of course, these successes and celebrations are the end result of tremendous hard work by everyone across the entire organisation, from our wonderful students through all of our excellent academics, and professional and support services. Working together we can achieve great outcomes for all. These awards and events continue to make ARUL even more attractive to future students. For example, over the last academic year, we received 7,338 applications, completed 3,304 academic interviews, undertook 2,205 English language tests and enrolled 2,825 new students. So we turn away approximately 62% of applications. No student joins our Foundation level without being interviewed and accepted by one of our academics, and about 85% of all of our students go through either (or both) an interview and English test. Congratulations to all of our students again for securing a place at ARUL.
We piloted a new student integration exercise with our January intake, encouraging students to complete activities on the VLE called INTO ARUL, to help new students understand their services and responsibilities, as well as preparing them for HE study. Feedback was excellent, so we will look to expand and improve this over the next few intakes. We have also created a new Student Engagement Team, who will be contacting and supporting all students whose attendance and performance is beginning to drop. Every student is critical to us, so please do let us know if you are struggling in any way so that we can organise help and support for you before your academic study suffers.
Looking forward, we have some exciting highlights coming up including nine graduation ceremonies in July, Trimester 3 Welcome Week commencing 30th April, together with many employability, Top Achievers, and student-led events. We will be offering another Enterprise Hub event focused on supporting budding entrepreneurs for everyone interested. I will also be holding a Student Town Hall Event on the 7th of May at 1 pm which will be hosted jointly with our Student Union; I hope to see you there. Finally, I am delighted to announce that our East India Dock Campus continues to grow. We have taken on the first floor of the Import Building, which will come into use in Trimester One of 2024.
These remain challenging times nationally and internationally, with continuing instability across the Globe and difficult economic conditions in the UK. Never has a good education been more important, so can I encourage you to continue to focus on your academic studies, and remember to build those broader skills through our employability schemes. This is your opportunity to build and protect your future, so please grab the opportunity with both hands. Remember that we are here to support you, so submit all of your assessments and invest as much of your time as possible in your education. But if you are struggling, we are here to help, so reach out to your PDT, the iCentre, DoS Team, or the Wellbeing Team; we are all here for you.
As ever, many thanks for your continuing commitment to your studies and I look forward to seeing you at our various future events.