

Adam Girsault, International Admissions Consultant
The University of Exeter is a leading UK university with a great community feel set over three campuses in Exeter and Cornwall. Streatham, the university’s main campus, is just 10 minutes by foot from Exeter city centre. The Devon campus is renowned for its blissful, green spaces and is only a 45 minute drive from the stunning Dartmoor National Park. The university is also in close proximity to the seaside. Exmouth beach – a true summer hotspot for students at the university – is no more than a 20-minute train ride away. Suffice it to say, Exeter is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful universities in the UK.

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The university offers a truly great sense of community given its centrally located primary campus in a town of about 130,000 residents. Students of the university – 22,000 strong – are said to almost “take over” the town, according to a 2016 The Guardian article. Green is a colour that characterises campus life. As well as the many leafy outdoor spaces, the sports gear of students is green. The unofficial motto for students and recently popular instagram hashtag “bleed green” is seen and heard everywhere. The motto seems to have a unifying effect on its students and is characteristic of the ‘family feel’ present throughout the university.
Student Life
On campus, there are plenty of societies and activities on offer to keep students happy and occupied. Students can choose from over 200 different societies, ranging from a student run radio station – XpressionFM – to Dance and Karate. Sport is taken very seriously at Exeter and Exeter was named The Times and The Sunday Times ‘Sports University of the Year 2015-2016’. Their “bleed green” motto is seen most visibly on the sports field through the obvious passion and care the students have when representing Exeter in anything ranging from rugby to water polo. With the university just recently investing over £6.5 million in a state-of-the-art training facility, known as the Russell Seal Fitness Centre, it is no surprise that students perform so well on the sporting field. The gym comes with over 200 fitness stations and the neighbouring Streatham Sports Park is home to 4 astro-turf pitches, 4 squash courts, a cricket centre, as well as a golf range and indoor tennis centre. Exeter truly offers everything when it comes to sport!
Academic Matters
Academically, the University of Exeter performs at an extremely high level. It is a Russell Group university and ranks as the 11th best university in the whole of the UK, according to the Complete University Guide 2020. The university particularly specialises in the humanities subjects – with the most popular courses taken by students being English, History and Psychology. Exeter is also considered to be in the top 10 for Medicine in the country. Research is also a strong point. In recent times, Exeter’s research has led to the discovery of a new form of diabetes (as well as a cure), and has been behind the creation of the world’s most transparent, lightweight and flexible conductor of electricity.
What’s great is that at Exeter academia and welfare are able to coincide. Before arrival at Exeter, all students are assigned a personal academic tutor who can assist with any academic queries as well as more personal problems.
Fun fact
A fun fact about University of Exeter is that it is where JK Rowling, author of the world-famous Harry Potter series, carried out her undergraduate studies. There is much chatter about the university campus being the source of inspiration for her novels. It has also been confirmed that the narrow Gandy Street – not far from the centre of the town – was actually the inspiration for the famous Diagon Alley. Look closely and you just might find the Leaky Cauldron.
Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, it seems clear that there is something special about the University of Exeter. From its great sense of community to academic and sporting excellence, this university really could be the one for you. With its own international airport, Exeter really is within easy reach of anyone from anywhere thinking of studying in the UK.
How Do I Apply?
For students wishing to apply to Exeter, strong academic results and rigorous preparation are needed.
What are the different stages of the application?
There are several steps:
- Apply on UCAS
- Receive a conditional offer
- Meet requirements from your offer
- Confirm your acceptance
The details of these steps are covered below and on the University’s website.
How to begin an application:
Candidates apply via the British online platform UCAS, and upload a letter of motivation (Personal Statement), their predicted exam marks, and a letter of recommendation from one of their teachers. Students may only submit one Personal Statement for all the universities they apply for (maximum of 5 choices). The Personal Statement, no more than 4,000 characters, should explain why students want to study their chosen course, what aspects particularly interest them, what steps they have already taken to engage with the subject (reading, conferences, internships etc), and, if possible, what aspects they are looking forward to studying.
Conditional offer and acceptance:
If students succeed in all these stages, in January they will receive a ‘conditional offer’ of admission. This means that they will be accepted if they attain the required marks (most often a high grade in your end of high school studies, and in a standardized English exam: 7.5 in the IELTS for example).
What is the deadline for applying?
Deadlines:
The deadline for applications to the University of Exeter is the 15th January of a students’ final year of secondary school or sixth-form college (Year 12).
When do you have to start preparing for the University of Exeter?
It is strongly recommended that students begin preparing from the end of Year 11 or beginning of Year 12. If possible, start any reading and thinking about what to write about in a Personal Statement as early as possible. Some candidates, particularly those with a weaker level of English, need to consider preparing even earlier. See this link for useful information for international candidates.
It is recommended that students try to find aspects of their chosen course that genuinely interest them and to think deeply about why they wish to study this subject – after all, students are applying to study this subject full time for at least 3 years.
Is it possible to visit the campus?
Upcoming visit days at Exeter are 19th October for the main campus and 23rd October for the Cornwall campus. For more information, see this page.
Fees:
Fees 2019-2020*
EU students | International Non-EU Students | |
Undergraduate Tuition Fees | £9,250 per year for all courses | £17,600 for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (Including Law) Costs for Medicine will be considerably higher: £35,000 per year |
*Tuition fees subject to increase with inflation in subsequent years
When taking into account the cost of any university, you should also consider the cost of living.
Exeter provides an estimate for the cost of living, which can be found on its website: they provide a detailed list of costs you can expect to incur including housing and social costs.
You might predict an annual average budget of around £10,000 per year, including accommodation, transport, personal expenses etc.