Nursing (Adult)

Please note that advanced entry is not available on any of our Pre-Registration Nursing Programmes at this time.

Study with us in Cambridge, Chelmsford or Peterborough – and be a part of our supportive adult nursing community.

As part of your course, you’ll get the chance to immerse yourself in placements and build up the knowledge and skills to deliver patient care. You will get to experience a wide range of placements to support your learning, but can now choose whether to have most of your placements in primary care (community) or in acute (hospital) settings.

Our BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) degree is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, so you’ll be eligible to apply for registration once you graduate and kick start your career as a registered adult nurse.

Student nurses can take advantage of nursing training grants worth at least £5,000 per year.

Here at ARU, we’re dedicated to the continual improvement of healthcare and stand by the values of the NHS Constitution. We think it's important to reflect on what makes a great nursewhat makes a great nurse.

A compassionate nurse understands that patient wellbeing must be placed at the centre of the care they deliver. A courageous nurse uses good communication to advocate for what’s right for patients and commits to act as a role model. We’ll help you grow into a competent nurse and concentrate on developing your leadership skills.

We’re proud to have been shortlisted for Nurse Education Provider of the Year in 2023 by the Student Nursing Times. It speaks volumes about the quality of our teaching.

You’ll soon discover that ARU is a stimulating place to study adult nursing, with excellent facilities and registered, practising tutors who’ll make sure you’re being taught the latest techniques and give you the support you need to succeed. We make use of technology to support your learning too, with virtual reality scenarios and real-time assessment.

Our Nursing and Midwifery Council validated adult nursing degree course places equal value on clinical practice and theory. It’ll take you from university lectures to a variety of placements. You may well find yourself working with younger and mature adults at a GP surgery, attending health visits or in a variety of hospital settings, from A&E through to acute care and oncology.

Placements last around seven to 12 weeks and include both acute and community settings. There are opportunities in older person care, dementia care, district nursing, surgical setting and more. There’s also the option of a self-funded overseas placement at the end of Year 2.

You’ll be linked to one of our NHS healthcare trust partners for your placements.

If you study in Cambridge or Peterborough, you’ll do your placements in or around Cambridge, Huntingdon or Peterborough.
If you study in Chelmsford, you’ll do your placements in or around Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon, Harlow or Colchester.

We want to make sure you experience a variety of placements and that you graduate as an effective practitioner. Our placement maps will help you plan your travel before you start on the course.

On placement, you’ll be working shifts. This can mean early, late and night shifts, as well as working weekends and bank holidays. You’ll be supported by practice supervisors and assessors as well as staff from ARU.

Meanwhile, teaching usually takes place between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, and on campus time is supplemented by online learning and virtual lectures.

Each year, you’ll get allocated annual leave at set points to support you in balancing your course and relaxation time.

Throughout your time studying adult nursing at ARU, you’ll have the chance to share experiences with students from other health care courses, and to see how the professions work together to provide effective and seamless care.

We also offer our adult nursing course as a degree apprenticeship.

At ARU, you’ll be supported from day one with wellbeing services, money advice and careers guidance to help you through university and beyond.

Their courses are built around the skills and experience employers value. ARU are proud to be in the top 20% of UK universities for teaching quality (TEF 2023), and ranked #1 in the East of England, and #8 in the UK, for UG graduates in senior roles 15 months after gradudation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025). You'll have access to fantastic facilities thanks to £95m of investment - think SuperLabs, TV studios, law courts, mock hospital wards, gaming studios and more.

Wherever you're heading, ARU will help you get there.