Our Education and Student Experience

We aim to challenge and inspire our community of learners from every background to thrive, develop the skills they need for the future and lead the change the world needs, which is why we’ve been ranked 18th among UK universities in the influential Guardian University Guide 2024. Universities are ranked according to a number of factors, including teaching excellence, student satisfaction and career prospects. The guide is also accompanied by subject and discipline rankings with three of our subjects ranking in the top five, a further nine securing places in the top ten and another 12 subjects ranked between 11th and 20th place.  

Find out more about the Guardian University Guide 2024 results

We are dedicated to excellence in research and education, as well as creating a greener, fairer and heathier future for all, which is why we have been named as runner-up in the prestigious University of the Year award for the second successive year, in the influential The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. The guide is made up of a number of indicators including student satisfaction with teaching and wider student experience, research quality and graduate prospects. We also rose two places in the overall rankings within the guide, moving up two places to 11th nationally. 

Check out the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

We’re committed to inspiring our community of learners and giving them the skills they need for the future, through teaching excellence. We were awarded ‘solid gold standard’ in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework assessment, in recognition of our commitment to world-class teaching and learning environments, as well as employability for our graduates. The prestigious gold rating is underpinned by two aspects of the assessment – Student Experience and Student Outcomes and we are only one of four Russell Group institutions to achieve this ‘solid gold’ assessment. 

Find out more about the award.

We’re committed to digitally enhancing our student engagement and learning, to ensure that students from all backgrounds have access to education and support at any time. In response to student feedback, we have developed the MyExeter app which supports students at every step of their journey; from their first day until they graduate. Launched in September 2023, the app includes an overview of their day, including lectures and room bookings, one place to access all events and news relating to their life on campus, finding and booking study spaces, and many more useful features. We are also continually updating and testing the app with student feedback, ensuring that it continues to add value to their experience at Exeter. 

Find out more about the MyExeter app here.

As well as using digital innovation to improve the student experience, we are also supporting our students with digital transformation. Our Digital Hub service provides help and guidance to all students, with using the digital tools available to them at Exeter. We have physical Hubs on our Streatham and Penryn campuses, staffed by our expert Student Ambassadors and providing in-person support, as well as an online Digital Hub with helpful video and written guides to ensure our students can always find the answers they need. Our students can choose whether to book a session with an expert, find a guide online, or come along to one of our on-campus Hubs for in-person support five days a week.

Find out more about the Digital Hub here.

We have digitally transformed the process for our visa holding international students to comply with their visa requirements and confirm their attendance, making the experience more efficient. The dedicated Check In feature within the new MyExeter app is now enabled for 480 teaching locations across our campuses. This functionality avoids over 5000 international students having to attend ten physical meetings per year to confirm their attendance. Since the launch, we have continued to improve the process based on student feedback and have integrated the Check In feature into the MyDay timetable feature within the app, as well as adding a reminder functionality.  

Find out more about the MyExeter app here.

We are not only committed to a fairer society in which everyone has access to higher education, but also fostering an interdisciplinary approach that creates a sense of community and allows our students to tackle the biggest challenges of the future. We are proud to be a leading provider of Degree Apprenticeships nationally and the largest provider among the Russell Group universities. We work with over 450 employers and have over 3,300 apprentices enrolled across 18 programmes spanning health, engineering, digital, leadership and management. We work with both UK-based and global organisations to address skill deficits, ensuring that our curriculum aligns with current and future demands of the workforce.

Find out more about Degree Apprenticeships

We believe in a fair and inclusive society and in the face of the cost-of-living crisis we’ve been working hard to ensure that our students have access to the support they need to ensure their success at University. We offer a variety of support including offers on food and drink on our campuses, advice on saving money on bills and housing, mental health services and library resources. We also provide access to the Success for All hardship fund, which is available to students experiencing financial difficulties, alongside a wide range of bursaries and other funding opportunities. We have also recognised hardship as a reason to be able to apply for a deadline extension.

Find out more about our cost of living support

We create spaces that promote respect, community and inclusion across our campuses, which is why there is now a dedicated Muslim Prayer Room in Tremough House on our Penryn Campus. Opened in 2023, this space is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be accessed via Penryn Campus ID cards. The space allows for segregated prayer and has separate washing facilities for men and women. Prayer mats are provided and Jum’ah (Friday Prayers) take place every Friday starting at 1.30pm.

Find out more about places of worship on Penryn Campus

As part of our Strategy 2030 fairer goals, our apprenticeship programmes offer students alternative routes through higher education and their chosen career paths. Our radiography programme, which aims to support learners at all stages of their careers, is the first of its kind offering a full degree programme as part of an innovative “earn while you learn” model which the government is looking to roll out to reduce NHS staff shortages. With an average age of 35 and coming from a range of backgrounds, the first cohort of students to complete the apprenticeship are now embarking on their new healthcare careers as qualified radiographers.

Find out more about our radiography students.

We understand that an interdisciplinary approach to education contributes to a greener, fairer and healthier future for all, but how can we ensure our students are prepared for the workplace and the challenges of the future? Education Secretary Gillian Keegan MP formally opened our Centre for Degree Apprenticeships in October 2023, to ensure graduates are equipped with the skills they need to lead successful and fulfilling careers. We offer a range of programmes, including customised pathways that precisely meet the specific needs of employers. We work with over 200 UK-based and global organisations to address skill deficits, ensuring that our curriculum aligns with current and future demands of the workforce.

Find out more about our Degree Partnerships

Our Level 7 Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) degree apprenticeship is now accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).  This accreditation enables all past, current and future apprentices to register for the Wider Psychological Workforce Register. This official BPS registration enables access to resources, as well as giving apprentices the chance to influence policy, fight for mental health and improve working conditions. Our apprentices can therefore contribute to the strengthening of the NHS workforce and impact on clinical psychology services through greater stability and longer-term career planning.    

Find out more about our Clinical Associate in Psychology Degree Apprenticeship

We are committed to delivering innovative and exciting programmes to create a learning community that extends around the world. We understand that providing virtual spaces for discussion and knowledge exchange between students, academics and institutions, help us create a diverse society that can tackle the challenges of the future. Our Global Classrooms initiative is underpinned by five ‘pillars’; collaboration, global citizenship, sustainable virtual mobility, cultural competence and democratic learning. This international enterprise will not only enhance the student experience but will also give them the skills to work in a culturally diverse world. 

Find out more about Global Classrooms

We are always looking for ways to improve the experiences of our students, including ensuring an excellent on-campus living experience. We are currently seeking to increase our student accommodation by creating new and refurbished modern, purpose built living facilities. This will provide our students with the opportunity to live close to their campus and reduce the search for third party providers in the city. As well as accommodation this new development will include a reception, catered dining halls, shops and spaces for study and socialising.

Find out more about our West Park plans.

Our students are at the heart of everything we do, and we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the student experience. We asked our students what improvements they would like to see in their day to day lives at the University and we are now building a progressive web app (WPA) that supports students from the very first day of their journey until they graduate. This includes features that give them an overview of their day, from lectures to room bookings, maps to help them navigate the campuses and help finding spaces to book for study. We’re also asking current students to test the app and contribute to its design, ensuring that they have a say in the project.

Find out more about the University of Exeter App here.

We believe effective assessments and examinations are critical to the success of our students, and following a successful pilot in Spring 2023, we will be rolling out an upgraded version of the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE) in readiness for the new academic year. This new platform will deliver an improved user experience for students and colleagues, along with new coursework management tools. Assessments can all be undertaken and marked within ELE, along with enhanced marking and feedback tools such as annotations, that make it quicker and easier to track work.

More information about this project can be found on the Assessment Reimagined site.

We are building a new Multi-Faith Centre on Streatham Campus to create an innovative space which promotes respect, community and inclusion across the University. The centre will include a 50 person Muslim prayer space, as well as areas for quiet reflection, services and multi-faith activities. We aim to create a safe space for all students and colleagues to share, and the Student's Guild, local faith leaders and Chaplaincy team continue to be involved in the plans for the new building. 

Find out more about our new Multi-Faith Centre.

A strategic priority for our Education and Student Experience theme is to expand our degree apprenticeships to support learners at all stages of their careers, we have made significant progress in this area and have also set out our ambitions for the future. In October 2022 we launched the Centre of Degree Apprenticeships, with the core aim to grow the University’s degree apprenticeship provision ensuring exceptional quality of education. Together the Centre for Degree Apprenticeships and our Degree Apprenticeship Hub aim to provide opportunities, with the goal of enrolling 4000 new apprentices by 2030. This growth will be achieved by growing new and existing employer relationships and ensuring that the curriculum offer meets the skills needs of our employer partners both now and in the future.

Find out more about our apprenticeships.

We are developing a number of online programmes which will enhance and personalise student engagement, learning and support as well as ensuring that students from all backgrounds are able to access our education at any time.  We have already developed a MSc International Business as a fully online programme. In addition, our MSc Psychology conversion course is designed to provide a flexible approach to postgraduate education enabling individuals to enhance their career without interrupting it.

Watch our video the find out more about the MSc Pyschology course

Our Transformative Education initiative, which was launched in 2021, will use the power of education to transform our students’ lives so that they, in turn, can transform the world. The new framework is based around three key pillars - sustainability, inclusive education and racial and social justice. It will include actions such as addressing climate change through curriculum, creating an accessible learning environment and tackling racial and social injustices.

Find out more