Today, with a student population of 31,000, we are one of the largest universities in the East of England, and a large provider of part-time education. Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000. Its campuses are located in Cambridge and Chelmsford, England, UK. History
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as its origins in the Cambridge School of Art in 1858 by John Ruskin: William John Beamont was also involved in the founding. The original location was near to Sidney Sussex college, however it subsequently moved to its present location near Mill Road, Cambridge. In 1960 this became the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT). In 1989 CCAT merged with the Essex Institute of Higher Education to form the Anglia Higher Education College. The merged college became a polytechnic in 1991, using the name Anglia Polytechnic, and was then awarded university status in 1992. Initially Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), it retained the word 'polytechnic' in its title because "the term 'polytechnic' still had value to students and their potential employers, symbolising as it did the sort of education that they were known for – equipping students with effective practical skills for the world of work" although in 2000 there was some self-doubt about including the term 'polytechnic' – it was the last university in the country to have done so. Wanting to keep the 'APU' abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former Chancellor), but the Governors decided to keep 'polytechnic' in the title.
