| Royal Agricultural University

I worked in the IT industry for many years and like many reached a point during the first lockdown in 2020 where I questioned whether I was on the right career path. I wanted to do something that I felt would contribute more and maybe make a small difference to the world. In July 2020 I spoke to Kelly Hemmings about the Royal Agricultural University’s Wildlife Conservation Foundation degree. I was hooked, gave up my job and started as a full-time mature student in September 2020.

Graham Pollard

Chief Operating Officer

Simon Costa

Treasurer

Colin Carville

Finance Director

Contextual admissions is a term used to describe the use of additional information, including school performance data and socio-economic markers, to provide context for an individual student’s university application and achievement.

At the Royal Agricultural University we want to encourage students from a wide range of backgrounds to participate in higher education. The additional insight gained through contextual information allows us to recognise a student’s achievements and identify their potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience.

12 Dec 2022

A new Land Laboratory Teaching Centre, which will provide an integrated, state-of-art, facility to train students in climate-smart, resilient agriculture and land management, is to be built at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) after the University won £5.8m of funding from The Office for Students (OfS).

Awarded in the OfS’s Capital Funding Competition, the funding will allow the University to develop the new centre in the ground floor of the Cirencester university’s existing Frank Garner lecture block as well as build a new “wet laboratory” extension by

I didn't have any doubts about coming here, because of the amount of farmers in Zimbabwe, they kept saying go to the Royal Agriculture University.

Not only have I met really fantastic friends, but I feel like I've made some good contacts here.

The common aim with our courses, is to set the bigger picture of the environment being the area in which we must all operate. It's all about giving different experience, of different farming systems, under different environmental challenges and conditions.

My RAU experience

Embarking on a career in agriculture was made possible after choosing to study for a degree in a subject I was, and still am, really interested in. The RAU FdSc Agriculture and Farm Management course gave me the opportunity to gain both practical experience and theoretical knowledge in a diverse and growing industry.

A particular draw to the RAU was its rural location and expertise in education for well over a century.

My RAU experience

I have a real passion for wildlife, so the British Wildlife Conservation course really appealed to me. It combined a practical hands-on conservation approach with supporting academic theory, which builds a good foundation for my career in the conservation sector. The work placement element of the course is particularly valuable. I completed mine at Itchen Valley Country Park as a Volunteer Park Ranger, and gained key industry contacts and real-life conservation experience.