One of the UK’s largest universities by student numbers, Arden focuses on delivering online undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. The university is dedicated to producing graduates with the skills and knowledge that organisations seek. Arden believes that everyone, everywhere, has the right to access quality higher education.
Degrees from this university are internationally recognised, with many courses holding external professional body accreditation. The institution’s ethos of quality education and career-focused degrees has proven popular with students. Recently, it has been recognised for the quality of its online learning* and student satisfaction**.
Arden describes itself as a university in the cloud. The university’s online learning platform provides a rich and engaging learning experience, hosting online tutorials and lectures. Students access digital course materials, participate in forums, and submit assignments online.
As students progress through their courses, they engage with tutors and fellow learners in live seminars and one-on-one sessions via Zoom. Dedicated student support services are also available online.
Traditional university rankings are not designed to accurately measure online institutions. They focus on on-campus, face-to-face teaching for students who are fresh from college, and many ranking factors don’t apply to online, mature learners. As such, institutions like Arden, The Open University, and Birkbeck often do not feature in these league tables.
However, the university holds degree-awarding power and official status, meaning its qualifications are recognised in the UK, Europe, and globally. Additionally, many of its programmes hold external accreditation from chartered professional bodies.
*The university received 5 stars for online learning from the QS World University Rankings in 2024. ** It is ranked in the top 16 out of 149 UK universities and higher education providers for student satisfaction, according to The Times Higher Education’s analysis of the 2024 National Student Survey.
Many of Arden University’s courses hold additional accreditation from professional bodies. For some courses having this accreditation is essential to gain a professional licence to practice, psychology and accounting are examples, while others offers a pathway to chartered membership which can be essential for certain roles in some sectors.
iLearn is the name of the digital learning platform developed by Arden to be an online university campus. In addition to digital learning environments, the platform includes a community section called Unitu, which hosts student groups. Throughout a student’s studies, there is a diverse calendar of online events, including coffee mornings, workshops, and guest lectures.
Arden’s online library offers an impressive collection of half a million eBooks and tens of thousands of journals. The university also ensures that all required reading lists for every course it offers are available in its online library.
The University understands that returning to study as a mature student balancing work and life commitments can be intense. When studying with Arden, you have access to tutors and a dedicated student support team for one-on-one support. They also runs regular workshops covering study skills, such as academic writing and critical thinking.
All of Arden’s courses can be completed full-time or part-time, offering highly flexible options that allow students to pace their studies according to their availability. There is also the option of study breaks for students facing life events that temporarily prevent them from continuing their studies.
The certification awarded does not indicate the learning method and is the same as for on-campus courses. The university holds a graduation ceremony in the UK, as well as offering an online option for graduates who cannot attend.
Arden University Campus
Arden House
Middlemarch Park
Coventry
GB
CV3 4FJ
Use these links to view the full rankings (Opens in a new window)
ARTU Ranking (Out of 45 UK universities included in their table)
QS World University Rankings- QS Quacquarelli Symonds rankings data– (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)