University of Exeter

University of Exeter
Name	University of Exeter
Established	1855 (as the Exeter School of Art), 1955 (Royal Charter)
Type	Public university
Endowment	£49.1 million (2023)
Chancellor	Sir Michael Barber
Vice chancellor	Lisa Roberts
Students	30,510 (2021/22)
Undergrad	23,745 (2021/22)
Postgrad	6,765 (2021/22)
Campus	Streatham, St Luke's, Penryn, Truro
Affiliations	Russell Group, Universities UK, Association of Commonwealth Universities, European University Association

University of Exeter. A public research university in South West England, it received its royal charter in 1955. The institution is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities and operates across four primary campuses in Devon and Cornwall. It is particularly renowned for its strengths in fields like climate change research, Arab and Islamic studies, and mining engineering.

History

The university's origins trace back to several nineteenth-century institutions in Exeter, including the Exeter School of Art founded in 1855 and the Royal Albert Memorial College established in 1863. These precursor bodies merged in 1922 to form the University College of the South West of England, which was a satellite college of the University of London. Significant post-war expansion was championed by Lord Murray of Newhaven, the first principal, and supported by local philanthropist W. H. Reed. The college was granted full university status and its royal charter by Queen Elizabeth II in 1955. Major later developments include the merger with the Camborne School of Mines in 1993 and the formation of the University of Exeter Medical School in partnership with the National Health Service in 2013.

Campuses

The university's main and largest site is the Streatham Campus, a parkland estate in Exeter noted for its landscaped gardens, the Henry Moore sculpture "Hill Arches", and the Forum library and student services building. The St Luke's Campus, also in Exeter, houses the University of Exeter Medical School and the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, centered on the historic St Luke's College buildings. In Cornwall, the Penryn Campus is shared with Falmouth University and is home to the Camborne School of Mines and the Environment and Sustainability Institute. The Truro site is primarily dedicated to medical education, located near the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Organisation and governance

The university is governed by its Council, chaired by the Chancellor Sir Michael Barber, with operational leadership from the Vice-Chancellor Lisa Roberts. It is structured into six academic colleges: the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, the College of Humanities, the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, the University of Exeter Business School, and the University of Exeter Medical School. These colleges are further divided into numerous schools and departments, such as the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies and the Exeter Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences.

Academic profile

Exeter is a research-intensive institution, ranking highly in national frameworks like the Research Excellence Framework. It hosts several globally recognized research centres, including the Global Systems Institute for climate science, the Living Systems Institute for interdisciplinary bioscience, and the Exeter Centre for Medieval Studies. The university maintains strategic partnerships with organizations like the Met Office, with whom it operates the Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence, and the British Council. Its academic offerings are regularly ranked among the top in the UK by guides such as The Complete University Guide and The Guardian University Guide.

Student life

Student life is coordinated by the Exeter Students' Guild on the Devon campuses and the FXU (Falmouth and Exeter Students' Union) in Cornwall. The university has a strong tradition in sports, with athletes regularly competing in the BUCS leagues; its performance sports programme has produced Olympians like James Cracknell and Lizzie Yarnold. The Northcott Theatre is a key arts venue on campus, while student media includes the newspaper *Exeposé* and radio station Xpression FM. Residential life is centered around numerous halls of residence, including the historic Mardon Hall and the modern Birks Grange.

Notable people

The university's alumni, known as Exonians, include notable figures across many fields. In literature and media, alumni include J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, and BBC presenter Kate Silverton. In politics and public service, former students include Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle and MI6 Chief Richard Moore. Academic affiliates include Nobel laureate Peter Higgs and renowned historian Sir Keith Thomas. Other distinguished figures associated with the institution are Zara Tindall, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Category:Universities in England Category:Russell Group Category:Educational institutions established in 1955