Induction

The Doctoral College Online Induction Portal is an online portal which allows you to learn about the University, the Doctoral College and its teams, along with all the student support services and how to get started with your degree. In order to access the portal you will have needed to have registered as a student first.

We recommend that all new PGR students should work through the induction portal before attending the face to face or online induction. 

In order to access the portal you maybe required to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), if it is your first time connecting to university systems. If you setup the Microsoft Authenticator app, please do not uninstall it without setting up a backup method. Full details about MFA can be found on the MFA website.

The January 2025 induction date is to be announced; registration is not yet open.

We will be holding a face to face induction for all new PGR students on the Streatham campus. This is a chance for you to hear from the Dean of the Doctoral College, Doctoral College staff as well as from support staff from around the University. It is also a great chance to meet other PGRs, and make connections. 

The induction includes a Welcome from the Dean and Assistant Director’s welcome, and will cover the following topics and activities:

• Doctoral College
  

• PGR Support 

• Wellbeing with interactive session 

• Student Guild 

• Lunch

• INTO
  

• Researcher Development and Research Culture
• Mapping your Doctoral Journey with Lego Serious Play Workshop

Please look out for more details in the email communications sent out to you prior to your start date.

The January 2025 induction date is to be announced; registration is not yet open.

We will be holding a face to face induction for all new PGR students on the Penryn campus. This is a chance for you to hear from the Dean of the Doctoral College, Doctoral College staff as well as from support staff from around the University. It is also a great chance to meet other PGRs, and make connections. 

You will receive a Welcome from the Dean and Assistant Director’s welcome; the induction will also include the following topics and activities:

• Doctoral College 

• PGR Support 

• Wellbeing
  

• Student Union
  

• Lunch
  
• Researcher Development and Research Culture 
• Mapping your Doctoral Journey with Lego Serious Play Workshop

Please look out for more details in the email communications sent out to you prior to your start date.

The January 2025 induction date is to be announced; registration is not yet open.

This is a chance for you to hear from the Dean of the Doctoral College, Doctoral College support staff, and other student support services. This online induction covers information for all campuses. 

Please look out for more details in the email communications sent out to you prior to your start date.

After the session, these talks will be recorded and held on the Induction Portal. 

There is a variety of support available to international students when they arrive from the International Student Support team. Including information about BRP collection, international student clearance, registering with a health centre, opening a UK bank account and police registration.

Outside of the inductions ran by the Doctoral College for new PGRs, there is a variety of support available to new PGRs including:

Wellbeing Support

The Wellbeing Team are here to support you throughout your studies, the team provide free advice, guidance and support to help you engage with your studies and manage your health and wellbeing.  The link below will provide you with an overview of support that you can access:

Health and Wellbeing |   | University of Exeter

Students Guild (Streatham and St Lukes Campus)

We are your students’ union at the University of Exeter, and we exist to make your university experience as amazing as possible. Every student is automatically a member (it’s free​), and being a member opens up so many opportunities for you. You are the Students’ Guild – we are led by you and all other students, with your elected Full-Time Officers representing your interests at the heart of everything we do.

Whether you’re on campus or joining us online, you can join and lead societies, vote in elections, have your say on what’s on offer for students, access our support services, and much more. We can't wait to welcome you!

Visit our Freshers' Hub

Your Full-Time Officers

Your Students’ Guild is led by Full-Time Officers who are elected by the student population each year to represent you on different aspects of your student experience. Your Officers can’t do their job without you, so make sure to let them know how you’re finding your time at Exeter. Whether you’ve got a change you’d like to see or you want us to start doing something, you can get in touch with them on their social media or via email. Meet your officers here.

What We Do

We offer a range of opportunities, including over 250 societies and groups for you to join, chances to represent your student community on issues that matter to you, and providing advice and support when you need it. We're here to make sure that you 'Love Exeter' during your time here.

Our Values

We will support you to thrive and have the best time at university. Students will be empowered to get involved, develop their skills, shape their experiences, and become active change-makers. Diverse, student-led communities will be supported, represented and celebrated. Collaboration will be at the heart of what we do, working with students on lots of opportunities to engage and Love Exeter, as well as on issues that matter most to you.

Student Voice

All students at Exeter are part of a community – from your academic department and the local community of Exeter, to numerous student-led communities and networks – and we're here to make the voice of your community heard on the issues that matter to you. Every department has student reps to represent your academic needs at every stage of study, and the reps are led by a team of Department Officers (two for each department) who you can contact if you would like to provide feedback on any aspect of your teaching, learning or wider student experience. Find out how you can get involved in running a campaign or representing your community by talking to our team of Officers and student reps, or visiting the Student Voice website.

Activities

Joining our amazing student-led societies and attending events is one of the best ways to meet new people outside of your course. Societies are groups that are set up by students and run by student committees with a shared interest. They can be anything from fitness and faith, to culture, charity and other interests. There are also international, postgraduate and academic (course-related) societies across the whole range of University departments. A full list of the student groups that are available for you to join can be found here, and you can find out how else you can get involved by visiting the Activities website.

Give It A Go

Our Give it a Go events and activities are all about giving you the chance to try something new and have some unique experiences whilst exploring the local area and making friends! We’ve got events running throughout the year with plenty of chances for you to get involved. Most of our events are free or very low cost, with no long-term commitment. Find out more on the website.

Advice

Your academic experience is central to your time at university, but it can sometimes be complicated to know where to go or who to ask, and we know it can sometimes be stressful. Our Advice Service are here to help you, providing free, confidential, and independent consultations to make sure you are always informed and feel supported. if you find yourself in a difficult situation, we are here for you. If you have a challenging time, or you have heard, seen or experienced something that is not okay and want some advice about what your options are, we can offer a safe space to do this. You can get in touch by visiting the Advice team website.

The SU (Penryn Campus) 

Detail to follow. 

New Students Guide

The New Students' Guide, details what you need to do at each stage of joining the University. 

You will need to complete mandatory training courses.

If you wish to explore other courses, you can find recordings and slides from previous training sessions on our ELE page, and can view our upcoming courses here.