Eligibility Our student memberships are available to anyone, aged 16 and above, studying at any school, college or university.
If you are under 16 years old, you can use our facilities:
upon paying the pay as you go fee of £4.50 and you are accompanied, and continuously supervised, by a person who is at least 16 years old.
Join the ARC
Use our online membership registration form to sign up today – check membership descriptions below before purchasing.
Sign up here
Membership durations
GCU Students
Free gym membership
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The free membership is for gym equipment use and timetabled classes only - indoor hall activities, such as basketball and badminton, are not included in the free membership. These activities must be booked and paid at the ARC reception desk.
The Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) located behind the Students' Association building can be booked for free by a GCU student. Please visit the ARC reception desk to check availability and to book.
How to register
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A membership form will be completed at the ARC reception desk (even if you have completed a form previously).
Student ID card
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A non-expired GCU student ID card must be produced when registering - a photograph of a card is not acceptable . This is required for identification purposes, to ensure entitlement and the card will be setup to allow entry through the turnstiles.
If your GCU student ID card has an expiry date of September 2026 you will only be given membership until 30 September 2026.
If you are a new student for 2026/27 session, you will need to wait until you receive your student ID card before registering.
Card sharing is prohibited Your student ID card is for your own use - membership sharing is prohibited by our terms and conditions. The turnstile area is covered by CCTV and each turnstile entry is also electronically recorded and immediately viewable by reception staff.
Additional information
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We are expecting high demand from GCU students, particularly in September and October, so please be patient when queuing at peak times.
We suggest to only register on the first day you intend on using the gym.
Gold memberships (Non-GCU students)
Student semester (September to April)
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Price Available to purchase online or at the ARC reception desk from 1 September, this £100 membership will automatically expire on 30 April irrespective of the purchase date, so we recommend buying close to 1 September to get the best value.
Benefits of this membership
Unrestricted access ARC timetabled classes Participating in any of our qualified instructor-led timetabled classes is included in this membership Inductions and fitness programmes Please visit the ARC reception desk to make appointments for these.
Basketball hoop, badminton and table tennis Use of a basketball hoop, badminton court or table tennis, subject to availability, for £2 per hour (discounted from £4.50 per hour) Please note that:Table tennis and badminton can only be booked for same day or next day Basketball hoop can only be booked same day (no advance booking) Other players with a gold membership will pay £2 per person per hour Other players without a gold membership will pay £4.50 per person per hour for first hour Activity time is used concurrently with other player(s) in the group, ie 4 people who book a hoop and pay for one hour will have 1 hour (not 4 hours) Basketball hoops: maximum of four people per hoop - more than this will result in a half-court hall fee being payable (£25 or £22 for students). Multi-use games area (MUGA)
Use of the outside MUGA is not part of this membership. MUGA can be hired for £17 per hour.
Health commitment Please read the Health Commitment Statement before you purchase a membership.
One month
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Price Available online or at ARC reception desk If purchased at the ARC reception desk, the membership will not automatically renew each month. If purchased online, the membership will automatically renew each month until cancelled - see our cancellation information .
Benefits of this membership
Unrestricted access ARC timetabled classes Participating in any of our qualified instructor-led timetabled classes is included in this membership. Inductions and fitness programmes Please visit the ARC reception desk to make appointments for these.
Basketball hoop, badminton and table tennis Use of a basketball hoop, badminton court or table tennis, subject to availability, for £2 per hour (discounted from £4.50 per hour) . Please note that:Table tennis and badminton can only be booked for same day or next day Basketball hoop can only be booked same day (no advance booking) Other players with a gold membership will pay £2 per person per hour Other players without a gold membership will pay £4.50 per person per hour Activity time is used concurrently with other player(s) in the group, ie four people who book a hoop and pay for one hour will have one hour (not four hours) Basketball hoops: maximum of four people per hoop - more than this will result in a half-court hall fee being payable (£25 or £22 for students). Multi-use games area (MUGA) Use of the outside MUGA is not part of this membership. MUGA can be hired for £17 per hour.
Health commitment Please read the Health Commitment Statement before you purchase a membership.
Early bird membership (Non-GCU students)
One month
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Price Available online or at ARC reception desk If purchased at the ARC reception desk, the membership will not automatically renew each month. If purchased online, the membership will not automatically renew each month.
Access times Your access card or RFID keyring will only let you through the turnstiles at certain times. These are—
Monday to Friday from 7-10am. Basketball hoop, badminton and table tennis These activities are not included in this membership. A fee of £4.50 per person per hour is payable.
ARC timetabled classes Participating in any of our qualified instructor-led timetabled classes is not included in this membership. A fee of £4.50 is payable.
Multi-use games area (MUGA) Use of the outside MUGA is not part of this membership. MUGA can be hired for £17 per hour.
Health commitment Please read the Health Commitment Statement before you purchase a membership.
After signing up online Immediate access When you complete the online membership registration process you will receive a membership confirmation email.
If you receive your membership confirmation email Monday to Thursday, your membership will be set up the following day. For Friday to Sunday, your membership will be set up the following Monday.
If you intend on using our facilities on the same day (or from Friday to Sunday as described above), you must show your membership confirmation email on your mobile at the ARC reception desk, whether or not this is your first membership, as your membership won't be fully set up yet .
Non-GCU students If this is your first membership, you must attend the ARC reception desk to have your photo taken and be issued with a RFID keyring to allow entry through the turnstiles.
If this is not your first membership, you will not need to attend the ARC reception desk if you still have the exact same keyring (or an ARC card) that was previously issued, otherwise you must attend the ARC reception desk for a new keyring. A charge of £2 for a replacement keyring may be payable.
