Tuition fees and funding

On 4 November the Secretary of State for Education announced in Parliament that the government intends to introduce increases in tuition fees for UK students studying in England, and in maintenance loans for English students, for the 2025/26 academic year. These proposed increases are in line with inflation and are in recognition of the financial pressures that increased costs have placed on both universities and students. 

For full-time UK undergraduate students studying in England, the tuition fee will rise to £9,535 per year, an increase of £285, and for English undergraduate students studying outside London, the maximum maintenance loan will rise to £10,544, an increase of £317. Arrangements in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are different and managed by the relevant funding agency. 

The increases, which are subject to further parliamentary approval, are proposed to come into effect from 1 August 2025 and will apply to both new and returning students.  

It is the University of Exeter's intention to charge tuition fees at the new higher rate (with any subsequent further changes to the cap) for each year of your studies.  

You can read more about these changes here.

It is important to note that, for the vast majority of UK students, tuition fees are paid directly to the University by the Student Loans Company and students only begin to repay if they earn over the earnings ‘threshold’. The amount you repay for fee and living cost loans each year depends solely on what you earn, not on what you borrow, and therefore your expected monthly repayments will not increase as a result of this change.

Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, has a helpful explainer here.

The only exceptions to the standard fee are:

• BMBS Medicine: The standard tuition fee is applied per year for years one to four. Currently (March 2024) Home students are potentially eligible for NHS bursary funding to cover their final year tuition fees. Each country within the UK has different rules around this funding. Application for seeking that funding is the responsibility of each individual student. To find out more about current rules, please go to the NHBSA site.*
• Year Abroad / In Industry: If, as part of your four-year degree programme, you spend a full academic year studying abroad you will pay a reduced fee of approximately 15 per cent of the maximum fee for that year. If you spend a full year on a work placement (in the UK or abroad) you will pay a reduced fee of 20 per cent of the maximum fee for that year.

*assuming current external funding arrangements continue

Information about how your fee status is determined can be found below.

The tuition fees for international students starting their course in autumn 2025 are:

Please note that the prices listed above are subject to change as we work to ensure an outstanding student experience. Our current policy is to increase tuition fees in each year of study. We will confirm our fees and any changes that will apply during your course on this web page.

If we make you an offer of a place, we will confirm your fees in writing via email. For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in March each year. More information can be found on our Student Finance webpages.

Please refer to the international students section for full details of international student tuition fees and guide to living costs. Emergency financial assistance is available for international students via the Fund for International Student Hardship (FISH). Details can be found by following the link to the International Students section of the Student Finance website. 

Information about how your fee status is determined can be found below.

The fees charged for study at the University of Exeter fall broadly into two categories:

• Home
• International

Your fee status classification depends on whether you meet certain criteria such as having ‘settled status’ in the UK and meeting a three year ordinary residence requirement. Full information can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.

From 1 August 2021 the eligibility rules for Home fee status have changed for EU Students. Please refer to the UK Government website to see how this change affects you. Where EU students are not eligible for Home fees, they will be required to pay International fees.

Due to the Common Travel Area arrangement, Irish Nationals living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for Home fee status; further information around eligibility is available at the above UKCISA link.

Please note that the University is unable to determine the fee status of an individual until after an application has been received and we are in receipt of full information concerning individual circumstances. This will then inform the decision as to whether a fee status assessment should be conducted.

If you have received an offer and you think your fee status is incorrect you have 28 days, from the date of your offer, to query your status. To query your fee status within the 28 day period please contact us at ad-feestatus@exeter.ac.uk stating your full name, Exeter Reference number (or UCAS personal ID), programme for which you have been made an offer and providing details of why you think the fee classification is incorrect.

We base our decisions on an applicant’s residence status at time of application and do not hold applications or make offers conditional on fee status. If you are classified as an international student but your situation changes before you have received a decision on your application or after receiving an offer we will conduct a fee reassessment. You will need to submit your new information before 1 September in the year the programme starts, e.g. evidence of British Citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain being granted.

There are some circumstances where fee status can change in subsequent years, however this is very unusual.

Further details about exceptions can be found on the UKCISA website under the heading ‘Becoming ‘home’ after the course has started’.

From the 2021/22 academic year, new and continuing students living in the Crown Dependencies (the ‘Islands’), who come to England solely for the purposes of higher or further education study, will be eligible for home fee status, on the basis of 3 years’ residency in the UK or the Islands. The UK Government confirmed this eligibility in December 2020. For information on support available to you for tuition fees and living costs you should contact your island education offices.

Please visit our Student Finance webpage for Channel Islands students for more information.

You will not have to pay for the cost of your tuition up front. You can take out a tuition loan which you don’t have to start repaying until you are earning more than £25,000* a year. Repayment rates on loans will be at 9% of salary over £25,000*. The government will meet the cost of writing off any remaining debt after 30 years.

_{*subject to confirmation from Government}

We are committed to attracting and supporting the most talented students to the University of Exeter, irrespective of your financial background. As part of these arrangements, we will be offering financial assistance in the form of reduced fees and bursaries to encourage more applications from students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also provide expert financial advice and guidance to offer the best practical help and support possible to ensure you are able to make the most of your time at Exeter.

Find out more about financial support.

• BMBS Medicine: The standard tuition fee is applied per year for years one to four. In year five the tuition fees will be paid by the NHS*
• Year Abroad: if, as part of your four-year degree programme, you spend a full academic year studying abroad you will pay a reduced fee of approximately 15 per cent of the maximum fee for that year. If you spend a full year on a work placement (in the UK or abroad) you will pay a reduced fee of 20 per cent of the maximum fee for that year.

*assuming current external funding arrangements continue

Exeter is proud to be one of the top universities offering Degree Apprenticeships. These innovative new degrees combine university study with paid work in a professional role related to your degree. One major benefit of choosing a Degree Apprenticeship is that the cost of the degree is met through the apprenticeship scheme so there are no fees for you to pay; you'll also earn a salary throughout your studies.

These degrees offer great employment prospects, as you'll have gained valuable work experience prior to graduating. Our degrees are delivered and developed in partnership with employers. As an applicant you can find yourself working for an amazing company, including those who are often among our top graduate employers.

Partners have included IBM, the Met Office, Renishaw, BT, Laing O'Rourke and Airbus.All of our Degree Apprenticeships lead to full Exeter degrees.

Find out more about Degree Apprenticeships.

Funding from tuition fees will continue to be invested in the things that matter to students, to maintain our exceptional student experience and reputation as one of the best higher education institutions in the UK and worldwide. We are committed to ensuring that if you have the potential to thrive at the University of Exeter, you will be able to study here irrespective of your background and financial circumstances. We continue to work with the Students’ Guild and FXU to ensure we have the right support in place to give you the best possible opportunities to achieve outstanding academic results and to secure graduate level employment.

Our investment in student facilities in recent years has included £145 million in learning spaces, research facilities, a students’ services centre and refurbished library facilities; £130 million in student residences; and £20 million in improving our sports parks. We have also continued to invest in recruiting additional world-leading academic staff to deliver truly exceptional education and research. At our Penryn Campus we are investing in the Penryn Heart Project, a Postgraduate Centre and a new Sports and Family Centre.

We will continue to work closely with the Students’ Guild and FXU in order to identify the future areas of investment based on student feedback. Each year both students’ unions are involved in the University’s budgeting processes to ensure that student priorities are recognised in our business and investment plans: for example, in the last year we have delivered improved Muslim prayer space and increased investment in the student wellbeing service as a direct result of our discussions with student representatives.

Year Abroad

Approximately 15 per cent of the maximum fee for that year.

Year in Industry

Approximately 20 per cent of the maximum fee for that year. 

Semester Abroad

If you are studying abroad for a semester or other portion of time less than a full year, you will pay the full year fee.

Yes: students who have received undergraduate loan support from SFE/SFW/SFNI/SAAS (i.e. tuition fee loans or loans for living costs) towards an integrated Masters course are ineligible for a future PG Masters Loan from Student Loans Company (SLC).

This also applies if your course changed part-way through and you graduated without obtaining a master’s level award. It may be possible to obtain further funding if you demonstrate compelling personal reasons (CPR) to the SLC for having not completed the previous course.

The Guild Advice team can offer advice and support when submitting a CPR request to the Student Loan Company: contact the Guild Advice team here.

For more detailed information relating to the above rule please see PG - SFE Masters guidance AY 2324, Page 26, Section 4.2.

There is more information about our tuition fees and the financial support available to students on our Student Finance website.

If you have any specific questions, please contact sid@exeter.ac.uk