The last uni to ditch the unfashionable ‘polytechnic’ tag from its name, the eventually-named Anglia Ruskin University is a higher education institution working with over 28,000 students.

With outposts stretching across the region, the uni straddles East Anglia with the two main campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. The university was created from two former polytechnics, and if you trace back far enough has its foundations in the 1850s when John Ruskin opened the Cambridge School of Art. 

The Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses are quite different, with the majority of part time and mature students based in Chelmsford. The Cambridge students may have the wider choice of bars to hop, but Chelmsford has plenty of spots to sample the notorious Essex nightlife. 

As one of the biggest town’s in the region, the centre is awash with Essex lads and lasses and proves to be quite a spectacle after a few beers. For the student community, the SU bar holds some of the best nights going long into the early hours. The campus is quite friendly and small, so everyone knows gets to know each other.