Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd, City Campus

Good School Overall - But teaching quality should be improved for certain courses and professors.

I just graduated with a bachelor's degree in Information and communication technology, and I can truly say that the IT department at Ara is a disaster. Please read this review before you consider studying at Ara, and I strongly recommend you think twice before studying IT at Ara.I cannot speak for any other Ara department and am specifically talking about the IT department.I started at Ara doing a Lv.4 certificate in Information technology before I started my degree pathway of software engineering. Most of the tutors are disconnected from the industry for too long and don’t know what modern requirements of IT professionals are. The fact that they are not teaching GIT and version control at all is devastating and evidence enough.Some teachers are arrogant and condescending while they are teaching and cannot handle any criticism about the content.In some courses it took the teachers months to give the marks back. There was only one course where I received any feedback for my assignments. It obviously common practice in the IT department to not give students feedback on their assignments. All you receive is your mark after weeks, sometimes months. But we all know how important it is to receive feedback on assignments.Another big disappointment at Ara studying IT are the computers. It takes several minutes for the machines to boot and for most programming classes you really need to bring your own laptop if you want to learn something. Very unsatisfying.I have officially complained several times during my studies about a variety of things and always filled out the course evaluation, but I can say that in my three years, things just got worst, and I could not see any improvement. Some teachers are not turning up for class, sending their assistance who are most of the time other students. There is a general lack of interest of the IT department to help students becoming IT professionals.The administration of the IT department is slow and highly lethargic. You do best to directly go to the manager of the IT department if you need any documents early. Don’t expect any of the administration team to invest 1 minute in your time. Sandy is the only person there who seems to be competent.Again, the fact that they are not teaching anything about GIT or version controlling is a disaster and clearly shows that they are not trying to keep up with the industry. However, there are so many more things wrong.I was one of the top students in my class and was in close contact with other top students who all agreed on numerous occasions that they would never recommend studying IT at Ara.The software engineering stream is especially lacking staff and IT practitioners who know of what they are talking about, classes of Lv.5, and 6 courses are most of the time overbooked. Some students had to sit on the floor, bringing their own machines to be able to participate.I was an international student and believe that the tuition fees are a rip off compared to the quality of education you receive in this institution. Even half the price would be too much. I think in general that New Zealand should not take financial advantage of international students. The tuition fees should be decreased soon, but they are increasing it annually. And yes, I know that Ara is not responsible for the fees.The IT department is old, and you can still see the cracks of the 2011 earthquake in most of the classes. 50% of the classes are not having any computers, but some teachers are asking the students to bring their own machines which is a joke in my opinion. As mentioned, the remaining 50% of the computers are way to slow and sabotaging the education of the students who unfortunately enrolled.I could write for hours of what must be improved and this is just the tip of the iceberg.As an international student, I can only recommend choosing another education provider unless Ara’s IT department has shown major improvements.And ARA, please start teaching GIT!

I like Ara it helps me Learn and stay Focus

I am studying the Bachelor of Design here at Ara. This school is fantastic, you are learning industry terminology and skills, and each day presents something that challenges your thinking. The services that Ara also offers to students are also fantastic. Ara supports all students to succeed.

Got a great free haircut from a trainee barber overseen by two excellent friendly tutors

Visiting Area institute for the first time was amazing. It reminds me of my yesteryear while studying at uni. I felt young again. Rubbing shoulders with those young student was really cool. Enjoyed my experience so much. I felt welcome and the environment was really conducive for studying, not matter the field you might choose .

I just have to say that the student support for enrollment is absolutely outstanding. I visited today to get help with an application and left feeling absolutely overwhelmed with support, what an incredible feeling. I feel so confident that I have chosen the right place to study. Huge credit to your enrollment and career support team ☺️

I studied for my certificate in Project Management in November 2021. I believe I have passed with excellent marks but I don't know for sure as I still haven't received my results (over 8 months after the course finished). After contacting Ara and ecampus to find out what is happening, they just pass the buck onto the other institution, and now I haven't heard from either for over two weeks. I am very disappointed in their after course service as I loved the course.