University of Exeter

History

• Originally founded in 1855; Royal Charter Granted in 1955.
• Establishment of Cornwall Campus in 2004.
• Establishment of the University of Exeter Medical School for entry in 2013.

Notable alumni

• Will Young
• JK Rowling
• Frank Gardner (BBC Security Correspondent)
• Nick Baker
• Emma B
• Steve Bell (cartoonist)
• Rhod Gilbert (comedian)
• Steve Backshall
• Caroline Lucas (leader of Green party of England and Wales)
• Peter Phillips
• Thom Yorke
• Dennis Gillings (Quintiles)
• Jeremy Budd (IBM)
• Simon Greenberg
• Claire and Les Halpin

Location and transport

• The university has three campuses: Streatham Campus and St Luke's Campus are in Exeter and the Cornwall Campus is at Penryn near Falmouth.

Entry standards

• A*AA–BBB. Visit the website for information on entry requirements at Exeter.

Student mix

• Undergraduate students, men:women 47:53
• Undergraduate students: home:overseas 88:12
• Undergraduate entrants: state:public school 71:29
• The university receives around 6.5 applications for every undergraduate place.

Course flexibility

• Flexible Combined Honours. This scheme is available in both Exeter and Cornwall and enables students to combinemodules from a number of different fields of study not otherwise available through an existing Combined Honours programme.
• Free choice modules.Many programmes include the opportunity to take a 30-credit module outside the main subject of study. For example a foreign language, a leadership module or an IT module.

Teaching standards

• Exeter has one of the highest National Student Survey rankings in the country, being in the top ten since the survey began. In 2010, the University came 8th for Overall Satisfaction and 4th for Teaching in the UK.

Research standards

•  In 2010–11 Exeter secured nearly £55 million in research grants and contracts and research income grew by 23%. The University’s success at securing external funding extends to funding for postgraduate students, such as the new South West Doctoral Training Centre from the Economic and Social Research Council, one of only 21 such centres nationally.
• Exeter’s increasing strength in science and technology is reflected by the doubling of awards granted from the BBSRC in the last year.
• Exeter’s Research and Knowledge Transfer Strategy includes a £210-million investment that will build on the University’s success to consolidate outstanding research and teaching in key areas.
• Research investment at the Cornwall Campus includes the development of the £30-million Environment and Sustainability Institute.
• The University of Exeter is a major player in global warming research, with links to the Met Office through three jointly-funded professorships. 

Academic strengths

• Nearly 90% of Exeter's research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels in the latest (2008) Research Assessment Exercise.
• Sixteen subjects were ranked in the top ten, with 27 in the top 20 (based on percentage of research categorised as internationally excellent or world leading).
• Eleven subjects were ranked in the top ten for Overall Satisfaction in the 2011 National Student Survey: General Engineering, Materials and Minerals Engineering, Geology, Italian, Archaeology, Film Studies, German, Theology, Drama, Psychology, Sociology, Arab and Islamic Studies, Management Studies, and Sport Science.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• In the 2011 National Student Survey, Exeter scored in the top ten for teaching, academic support, personal development, and overall satisfaction.
• The Main Library is one of a small number of academic libraries in England that are open 24/7 throughout the academic year. Exeter has one of the highest UK academic library ratios of printed books to students with a stock in excess of 1.2 million and a dedicated Ready Text collection of the very highest demand items.
• Across the campuses, the libraries have completed a £9-million investment.

Disability services

• Visit the website for information about disability services at the University of Exeter.

Students' Union

• The Students' Guild plays a big part in creating buzz and energy around campus.
• The Students Guild won the NUS Students' Union of the Year in 2010.
• The Guild boasts over 170 affiliated societies, with thousands of members between them. The RAG appeal by the Guild raised over £80,000 in 2010–11 with the money donated to ten local charities.

Sport

• £11-million has been invested in sport and this includes a £2.25-million indoor cricket centre  and tennis facilities to LTA standards on the Streatham Campus. A further £8.1 million in developments to the Sports Park will include creation of a new fitness suite, renewal of pitches, covering of courts and a new pavilion for outdoor sport, with work due for completion before September 2013.
• Exeter finished 8th in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) rankings in 2010–11.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The University’s £275-million investment in facilities on the Streatham Campus is now nearing completion. This has included a £130-million investment in new on-campus student residences, a £48-million student-facing redevelopment of the heart of the campus called The Forum, a £25-million investment in the Business School and £25-million for new facilities for Biosciences. This extensive programme will be completed in the Autumn of 2012.
• The Forum will be completed in the Spring of 2012. This exciting new development, at the heart of Streatham Campus, will create an inspirational mix of outside and inside space that will deliver a new Student Services Centre, new technology-rich teaching and learning spaces, a 400-seat lecture theatre and retail and catering outlets.
• The Cornwall Campus offers the very latest in academic, research and residential facilities, designed to meet the expectations of students in the 21st century. The latest development is the £30-million Environment and Sustainability Institute will help put the University at the forefront of environmental and climate change research.
• A further £100 million investment, which includes upgrading the IT network and an investment in sports and physics facilities, has also recently been announced.
• A £20-million disease research centre is also due to be built on the Streatham Campus, later this year. The centre concentrates on research looking at how cells operated and how diseases were caused, and will bring together 200 scientists, mathematicians, physicists and biochemists. The research will also focus on designing better diagnostic and therapeutic tools for alleviating illness.

Availability of part-time work

• The Career Zone on the Streatham Campus will help with information on graduate jobs, term time work, project placements with local companies, skills training and volunteering.