Frequently asked questions

The UCAS code for Exeter is EXETR and E84.

There is no campus code for our campuses in Exeter (Streatham Campus and St Luke’s Campus). If you are applying to the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, Cornwall the campus code is C.

We welcome applicants with varied experiences and different backgrounds and we have a commitment that no student with potential is deterred from applying. Entry requirements can be high but a wide range of qualifications and experience are considered. 

Before you apply you should check that you meet

• our general entry requirements (includes tables for UK, EU and international qualifications)
• the academic requirements and any additional selection criteria for the specific course for which you intend to apply; these can be found in the individual course pages

You can find further information about Our offer and decision in our applicants area.

If you would like advice on your eligibility, please contact the Admissions Office.

Occasionally the University admits students who are under the age of 18 years. In most cases this will be a very temporary situation, as the student will be approaching their eighteenth birthday. The University treats all its students as independent, mature individuals and students who are under the age of 18 years will be treated in the same way. For further information, please see our policy for students under the age of 18. There is no upper age limit.

For detailed information see our pages on Applying.

All applications for full-time study must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) using their Apply online system. You can do this through your school or college, if they are registered with UCAS, or independently. Full details and instructions can be found on the UCAS website.

You should apply for part-time programmes direct to the University’s Admissions Office and not through UCAS. Application forms are available from the Admissions Office and should be returned between 1 September and 30 June immediately preceding the September entry. You need to apply before 15 January to be guaranteed equal consideration with full-time applicants applying by the UCAS deadlines.

Applicants for the PGCE must apply through UCAS Teacher Training (UTT).

Yes. Where you live does not determine which universities you can apply to so for example if you live in Exeter there is no reason why you can’t apply to the University of Exeter, if it offers the degree you are interested in.

No, this is certainly not the case for Exeter. Each application we receive is considered individually. For most of our programmes we publish typical offers made as a range, and when deciding what offer to make for any one student, we take a range of factors into account, including predicted grades and other contextual information.

Information on parental participation in HE may now be entered on the UCAS form but is not mandatory and we do not use it in making admissions decisions. As part of our admissions policy, we take into account relevant contextual data that can be verified and which may have affected your academic attainment to date. However, there is no guarantee that contextual information will necessarily mean the offer of a place, as each application will be considered holistically.

Your application should normally reach UCAS between 1 September and 15 January in any given application year. Applicants for Medicine must apply between 1 September and 15 October.

We guarantee that all applications received by the UCAS deadline are given full, equal and careful consideration. Applications received after this date will be considered on an individual basis, depending on availability of places. To check if a programme is still available, please view the UCAS website.

We will consider applications for second or later years entry subject to places being available with the exception of the following programmes which are normally only available for first year entry due to the nature of first year modules within the first year at Exeter:

• BSc Applied Psychology (Clinical)
• BSc and MSci Natural Sciences
• LLB Law

For full details please see How to apply for details

Applicants for the Study Abroad programme should apply directly to the University, and full details are in our Study Abroad at Exeter site.

Applicants for one or two semesters should apply directly to the University.

Applicants who wish to spend up to one year or semester in the UK as a recognised part of their course at their home institution should have completed at least two years of undergraduate study for admission to any of our programmes.

You must follow regular programmes of study as offered to full-time students (please refer to our subject and course pages for programmes of study).

A statement of academic record (transcripts) will be issued at the end of a module and sent, as requested, to your home institution. To apply you will need to send us an application form and DBS form.

There are currently approximately 16,026 undergraduate students and 4,186 postgraduates. For further information about Exeter see our Facts and figures page.

Please refer to our DBS webpages for further information.

The University operates a ‘gathered field’ procedure whereby applications received between September and January will be considered but a decision may not be conveyed until the end of January or later. Where this procedure is operated, candidates will be informed accordingly. Decisions on applications submitted by 15 January will normally be made by the end of March. On occasion it is not however possible for us to make all decisions by this date and it may take a little longer where we have applications (received by 15 January equal consideration deadline) where information is required to make a decision, interviews are taking place, or application numbers have increased.

UCAS allows you to amend your choices up to 14 calendar days after your initial decision. You can amend your choice within UCAS Hub during this period. After 14 days changes can only be made with the permission of the institutions concerned.

The general Open Days give a broad overview of the University and its extensive facilities, whereas the Offer-Holder Visit Days are more specific and relate closely to the course that you have chosen to study. Each College holds its own Offer Holder Visit Days, and academic staff will be available to discuss courses in detail. If you have visited the University previously, it is not compulsory to visit again unless you are applying for a course which requires an interview.

For all applicants holding an unconditional offer, we send out accommodation information from Easter onwards. Joining instructions, giving details of enrolment, term dates and other useful information will be sent in August.

No. It’s really important to understand how the application process works. Once you have accepted an offer from a university as your firm choice, and if you achieve the grades that they ask for, you have three choices – either to go to that university, be released to go into clearing or to withdraw altogether and apply again the following year. You cannot change your mind and decide to go to your insurance choice university. This will only be possible if you are unsuccessful in being accepted to your firm choice and your insurance university accepts you instead. Make sure whichever university you accept as your firm choice really is the one you want to go to!

See the full list of our term dates.

Accommodation is allocated to applicants whose status is Unconditional Firm and has submitted an accommodation application before the 31 July deadline. Allocation of accommodation normally begins around the middle of August. You do not need to inform the Accommodation Office that your place has been confirmed following the release of your results as this will be automatically done by the Admissions Office. Please visit our Accommodation section for further information.

If you wish to defer you will have to contact the Admissions Office. Please quote your UCAS ID number in all correspondence.

Please contact the Admissions office who will be able to provide advice on exactly which documentation is required and, if necessary, where evidence can be obtained.

A minority of courses require an interview, such as Medicine, Nursing, Medical Imaging, Applied Psychology, Drama, and Physics. If this applies to the course for which you are applying, it will be stated clearly in the Entry Requirements section of the relevant programme page. Further details can be found in the Admissions Interview Policy.

Any contextual information which you think is relevant that may have affected your performance in respect of grades should be sent to the Admissions Office as soon as possible. For further details please go to our Extenuating Circumstances page, where you will find more information and can complete our online ‌Applicant Extenuating Circumstances Form.

If you do not satisfy the conditions of your offer by August 31 in the year of application, we are unable to confirm your deferred entry place, it will be necessary for you to withdraw and re-apply through UCAS for entry in the following year. 

Whilst we will give due consideration to students who have been affected by illness or other extenuating circumstances, it is not our policy to guarantee an identical offer for any new application.

If you are an applicant and have not yet registered on a programme with us and wish to be considered for a different programme to the one you applied for please contact the Admissions Office, quoting your UCAS ID number and the programme you would like to study.

If you are a registered Undergraduate student wishing to transfer to another programme, please contact the Admissions Office to obtain the appropriate form. Please note: you will also need to obtain your form from Admissions if you are applying to re-start your first year on a new programme of study.

If the change you are requesting is to a programme in the same College please contact your College. The peak time for change of programme requests for Year 1 is by the fourth week after the start of the term. Normally changes will not be permitted within the first year after this date.

No. Your family income does not impact on which university you can apply to. Where it does have an impact is in the amount of financial support you can get, both directly from universities and from the government. To find out more about financial support visit the government's student finance pages, for individual university funding contact universities directly and to search for a whole range of scholarships on offer try the funding pages of www.scholarship-search.org.uk or other scholarship search sites.

Our tuition fees Tuition fees and funding section provides summary information on current fees. For latest details regarding fees and payments please see our Student Finance site. You may also find the information on the government student Finance site helpful.

Fee Status is determined using the UKCISA guidelines. As a general principle, applicants will normally be regarded as international for fee purposes unless they have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for three years immediately before the start of the academic year in which the course begins. More information on fee status can be found on our Student Finance pages.

For further information for students living or working overseas please visit the Student Finance England website for their page for Britons living abroad, or the University of Exeter’s International Students site.

No. The Council for Mortgage Lenders advise that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual’s ability to get a mortgage.

We are committed to ensuring that high achieving students will be able to study for an undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter irrespective of their financial background. We offer an Access to Exeter Bursary which is available to students with a household income below £25,000, which does not have to be paid back. For further information please see Financial support.

If, as part of your four-year degree programme, you spend a full academic year studying or working abroad you will pay a reduced fee of £1,385 (or 15 per cent of the maximum fee for that year). If you spend a full year on a work placement (in the UK) you will pay a reduced fee of £1,850 (or 20 per cent of the maximum fee).

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.

Your tuition fee will cover the cost of participation in compulsory field trip/s, although you may be required to pay a contribution depending on your choice of field location. If you choose to participate in additional, optional field trip/s or field work, you may be expected to contribute to costs. Bursaries will be available to help eligible students pay for these additional optional costs.

Part-time students will still have to pay tuition fees on a pro-rata basis but can also apply for a tuition fee loan to cover their tuition costs, again on a pro-rata basis. To be eligible for a tuition fee loan, this must generally be the first time you’ve studied on a higher education degree and you must complete a minimum of 25 per cent of the equivalent full-time course load per year. Part-time students can’t get a grant for their living costs. We know that part-time and mature students often have more complex financial queries that they need to discuss before they make the decision to go to university. Prospective students can access impartial advice from the Students’ Guild Advice Unit. You can telephone them on 01392 723520 to make an appointment, email them at studentadvice@exeterguild.com or visit the Student’s Guild Advice Unit website.

Entry requirements for all programmes differ from university to university, however you do not have to take a Law A level to do Law at university, and similarly with studying business and a whole range of other degree subjects. Some programmes do require particular A levels and you need to make sure you know what these are before you apply. To find out the entry requirements for any university or programme that you might be interested in applying to visit the UCAS site.

This is one to do some research on. Some degree programmes may require you to have achieved certain grades in subjects such as English and Maths at GCSE as well as meeting the grades through your further education. For full details on our entrance requirements please see Entry requirements.

The University offers a wide variety of degree programmes at undergraduate level and you can find the latest information in our individual subject and course pages.

No. Programme content and module options can vary significantly from university to university. In order to ensure that what you are applying to study is what you expect it to be you will need to do some research. Most universities will provide details of the course structure and the modules available on their websites.

Mature students who wish to study full-time should also apply through UCAS. Whilst we recognise that mature students may offer differing qualifications and experience which will be taken into account, you should normally have undertaken some recognised systematic course of study (eg, Access, Open University credits, or Advanced GCE) within the last three years. Relevant work experience may also be considered towards your application, and you should therefore supply full details with your application. If you are considering applying as a mature student, you can find further information in our Mature Students section.

Whilst we recognise that students may be taking General Studies A level as part of their academic profile, we do not include General Studies as part of any conditional offer.

We take into account all academic qualifications that students are offering but any conditional offer will beis made over 3 GCE A level subjects and, where relevant, any specific A level subjects that we require.

The University also recognises a wide range of qualifications taken outside of the UK. If you are studying outside the UK, the grading system and level of qualification in your country may not be the same as in the UK. If you are unsure whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, you can find out more information from our entry requirements pages and our international entry requirements page, where you can select the country or region in which you have studied. Alternatively, you can contact us.

You can find further information about academic and English language entry requirements in our international students section.

It may be possible for you to have your learning from prior qualifications and experience accredited towards your degree programme. To be considered you will need to send information on your APL to the Admissions Office (along with information on the programme you are interested in studying) by completing either

• the Accredited Prior Certified Learning Form‌ (for certified learning), or
• the Accredited Prior Experiential Learning Form‌ (for experiential learning)

These should be submitted via our online enquiry form.

The Admissions Team will liaise with the Academic College to confirm whether any of your prior learning can be accredited to your new programme of study.

Please visit our Entry requirements section for full details.

We offer an International Foundation programme for students aged 17 or over who have completed secondary education and intend to study at a University in the UK. Successful students will reach the level required in English and their subject area for entry onto undergraduate courses, and will be awarded an Exeter University Foundation Certificate.

There are two ways that you can choose to study part-time with us. Firstly, many of the undergraduate degree programmes described on our site are potentially available by part-time study. We advise you to check with the relevant College to ensure that it is possible with respect to timetabling arrangements before you make a formal application. For advice on the structure and availability of programmes in your chosen area of study you should contact the Admissions Tutor or the Head of the College/discipline concerned. Secondly, you may wish to study one of our distance learning programmes.

You should apply for part-time programmes direct to the University’s Admissions Office and not through UCAS. Application forms are available from the Admissions Office and should be returned between 1 September and 30 June immediately preceding the October entry.

We recognises a wide range of qualifications, if you are presenting 'non-standard' qualifications and the equivalencies cannot be found in our

• UK qualifications guide or EU qualifications guide (found on our Entry requirements pages)
• on our international pages or
• under the programme requirements listed on UCAS,

then please contact us, providing as much detail as possible.