University of Exeter
Region: Northern Europe
Country/Region: United Kingdom
Found Year: 1955
Address: Prince of Wales Road
Introduction

The University of Exeter was given charter in 1955, but has educational roots stretching back more than 150 years. Today, we are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research intensive universities, are securely placed in the top 10 of all major UK higher education league tables, and have a rapidly growing international reputation. We combine our academic excellence and world-leading research with stunning campuses in the most beautiful part of the UK. 98% of our research was recognised as of international quality by the Research Excellence Framework 2014, and we subsequently received the third-highest increase to Government funding for research. We rank 29th in world (6th in the UK, 8th in Europe) according to the Leiden Rankings, which assess current research impact and quality via citations (based on % outputs in the top 10% most-cited). We also rank 146th globally in the THE World University Rankings (as of July 2020), and 163rd in the QS World University Rankings. Our six academic colleges cover every aspect of the sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, and medicine. We have campuses at Penryn and Truro in Cornwall, as well as in Exeter itself. Our staff and 20,000 students come from more than 130 countries around the world and from every kind of background. Over the last decade we have invested heavily in our facilities – from study spaces and laboratories to student accommodation and sports facilities – making our campuses as cutting-edge as they are beautiful, and perfectly suited to both studying and research. Our ‘founding father’ was Sir Stafford Northcote, a prominent politician in the Disraeli government, who seized on the popular enthusiasm for learning following the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1855 he backed the establishment of a School of Art in Exeter, offering subjects ranging from construction to freehand drawing. A School of Science quickly followed in 1863. Under a national scheme to extend university education beyond the traditional centres of Oxford and Cambridge, the Exeter Technical and University Extension College was created in 1893 with generous funding from the University of Cambridge. In 1900 the title of Royal Albert Memorial College was adopted, which is where the students’ RAM bar of today gets its name from. In 1911 it expanded into new premises in the city centre, now home to the Exeter Phoenix arts centre. The 1920s saw significant expansion and a push for university status, and in 1922 a local benefactor, Alderman WH Reed, purchased the Streatham Estate, on the edge of the city centre, as a new home. Shortly afterwards, the University Grants Committee visited the campus and awarded Exeter the status of University College and an annual government grant. We achieved university status in 1955, with James Cook becoming our first Vice-Chancellor. Her Majesty The Queen visited in 1956 to present the charter. In the 1960s we secured sufficient government funding to radically develop campus; over a dozen major new buildings were constructed, including the Great Hall, Devonshire House, and the Physics building, and student numbers rose from 1,400 to 3,300. The new century has been an unparalleled period of progress and success. In 2001 His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah and an Exeter graduate, provided a new building for the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. In 2002 we secured government backing for the Peninsula Medical School, a joint project with Plymouth University, and in 2004 we opened our Penryn Campus with Falmouth University in Cornwall. In 2007, partly in recognition of these initiatives, we were named University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards. Since 2009 we have invested £500 million in our campuses, constructing new student accommodation, refurbishing science labs and study spaces, and developing cutting-edge new buildings such as the Forum, which was opened at Streatham Campus by Her Majesty The Queen in 2012, and the Exchange in Cornwall, which seamlessly merge academic and social space in spectacular architecture. Other significant developments include the Environment and Sustainability Institute, an interdisciplinary research centre at Penryn, and the Research, Innovation, Learning and Development building, a partnership with the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, part-funded by the Wellcome Trust and The Wolfson Foundation. This investment has helped reap further rewards; in 2012 we were invited to join the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities, and in 2013 we were crowned Sunday Times University of the Year. In 2013 we also accepted the first students into the new University of Exeter Medical School, created after we agreed with Plymouth University to form our own medical schools following our successful 10-year partnership. We’re continuing to invest ambitiously, reflecting our status as a world-class university. Our biggest investment so far, £52.5 million, is in the development of the Living Systems Institute on Streatham Campus, which will pioneer an exciting new approach to understanding how diseases evolve and how they can be diagnosed and cured more effectively. We’re also looking to train the Cornwall business leaders of tomorrow by launching the first Business School in the county, with a £5 million development opening its doors to students later this year.

Academic Ranking of World Universities
151-200
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is recognized as the precursor of global university rankings and the most trustworthy one. ARWU presents the world's top 1000 research universities annually based on transparent methodology and objective third-party data.
151-200
2021
101-150
2022
151-200
2023
Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
All Subjects
Subject
Rank
Best Ranked Subjects
Subject Rank
Geography
8
Ecology
11
Atmospheric Science
25
Earth Sciences
47
Oceanography
51-75
Environmental Science & Engineering
51-75
Political Sciences
51-75
Sociology
51-75
Key Statistics
23552
Total Enrollment
6449(27.4%)
International Students
19015
Undergraduate Enrollment
4347(22.9%)
International Students
4537
Graduate Enrollment
2102(46.3%)
International Students
Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Accounting and Finance
Accounting with Leadership
Ancient History
Arab and Islamic Studies
Archaeology
Archaeology and Ancient History
Archaeology and Anthropology
Archaeology with Forensic Science
Biosciences
Bsc It Management For Business
Business and Accounting
Business and Management
Business Economics
Classical Studies
Classical Studies and Theology
Classics
Clinical Science
Dentistry
Drama
Economics
Economics and Finance
Economics and Politics
Economics with Econometrics
Engineering
English
English and A Modern Language
English and Film Studies
English and Geography (In Cornwall)
English and History (In Cornwall)
English and Visual Culture
English with Study In North America
Film Studies
Film Studies and A Modern Language
French
Geography
Geology
German
History
History and A Modern Language
History and Ancient History
History and Visual Culture
Italian
Law
Leadership and Politics
Management with Leadership
Management with Marketing
Management with Tourism
Mathematics and Computer Science
Medical Imaging
Medicine
Mining and Minerals Engineering
Modern Languages
Modern Languages and Visual Culture
Physics and Astronomy
Politics and International Relations
Psychology
Renewable Energy
Russian
Sociology and Philosophy
Spanish
Sport and Health Sciences
Theology
Theology and Arabic
Theology and Arabic Studies
Theology and Islamic Studies
Theology and Philosophy
Visual Culture
Graduate Programs
Accounting and Finance
Arab and Islamic Studies
Archaeology
Biblical Studies
Bioarchaeology Msc
Biosciences
Classics and Ancient History
Clinical Education
Creative Writing
Early Modern History
Economic and Social History Mres
Economics
Economics and Econometrics
Economics and Experimental Economics
Education
Education Pgce
Engineering
English Studies
Environment and Hunman Health
Ethics, Religion and Society
European Languages and Cultures
European Languages and Cultures
Experimental Archaeology
Film Studies
Finance and Investment
Finance and Nagement
Financial Analysis and Fund Nagement
Financial Economics
Financial Thetics
Geography
Geology
History
Infection Prevention and Control
International Management
Landscape Archaeology
Law
Leadership Studies
Maritime History
Marketing
Marketing and Financial Services
Material Culture Studies
Mathematics and Computer Science
Medical History
Medical Imaging
Medieval Studies
Mining and Minerals Engineering
Money and Banking
Mres Accounting and Finance
Mres Finance
Mres Management
Mres Tourism Studies
Naval History
Physics and Astronomy
Politics
Psychology
Remote Healthcare
Renewable Energy
Sociology and Philosophy
Sport and Health Sciences
Theatre Practice
Theology
Tourism, Development and Policy
Translation
War and Society
Western Esotericism
Writing, Nature and Place