First graduates grow with new university

The first students to graduate from a new university built to tackle a city's lack of higher education opportunities say they have enjoyed growing with it.

The purpose-built ARU Peterborough opened its doors in September 2022 and has about 1,700 students.

Principal Prof Ross Renton said a graduation ceremony at Peterborough Cathedral on Friday was a "historic milestone".

The Bishops Road campus was built after Anglia Ruskin University, the city council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority joined forces with the ambition to eventually offer courses to 12,500 students by 2030.

Prof Renton said: "This graduation also signals the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our university and community as we expand our academic offer with a range of new courses available to start this September."

Faaizah Hussain, 20, from the city, said she would be sad to leave having studied accounting and finance.

"I feel like I've grown with the university. We've grown as a campus, we've grown as individuals," she said.

She said the lecturers "genuinely care about your studying".

ARU Peterborough has clinical suites, midwifery labs, an engineering project room, a primary education room and computing and gaming rooms.

The campus is still under development and a £32m building called The Lab opened in November 2024 with facilities for microbiology, tissue culture and engineering workshops.

Zainab Hafeez, 22, a biomedical sciences graduate from Peterborough, said it was "amazing" to see the university grow around her.

"I came to this uni and have literally seen it grow."

Ms Hafeez initially planned to study at ARU Cambridge, but found out during an open day there that they were creating the new campus in Peterborough.

"That was just awesome and convenient for me.

"There was no university in Peterborough for so, so long here."

A final phase of the university, planned for between September 2025 and August 2028, will consist of more building work and a focus on its facilities for postgraduates.

Krishna Kukaneswaran, 21, graduated in accounting and finance and said she had "definitely grown as a person" during her time at the university.

"I've been able to secure quite a few work experience and internships across the last few years, definitely with the support of my lecturer and the university," she said.

Ms Kukaneswaran said she enjoyed being able to live with her family while studying.

"I was able to spend time with my family but also be at uni with my friends," she said.

Students graduating included those who finished undergraduate degrees, degree apprenticeships, postgraduate courses and professional development qualifications.

Paul Bristow, the mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said the city was a "higher education cold spot" before the university was built.

"It's helping people gain the skills and confidence to succeed and thrive in our local economy," he said.

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