The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university that combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has more than 21,000 students studying across the four campuses of Streatham, St Luke’s (both in Exeter), Penryn and Truro (both in Cornwall). The University is in the top 1% of universities worldwide, and is also ranked ninth in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017 and eleventh in the Guardian University Guide 2017. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the University ranked sixteenth nationally, with 98% of its research rated as being of international quality. Exeter was also The Sunday Times university of the year 2012–13.

The University has seen a great deal of expansion over the past twenty-five years, and is continually developing so that it can stay at the forefront of student experience and teaching and research excellence. Most recently, this has seen the launch of its flagship Living Systems Institute (LSI) on the Streatham campus in 2016. The seven-storey, 7500 sq m LSI building is a world-class, interdisciplinary research community that will revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It provides a variety of different workspaces and in total the site will house more than 200 researchers working in twenty-nine research groups.

The Living Systems Building

This development follows recent investments of more than £350m in new facilities across its campuses in recent years. The £48m Forum project transformed the centre of the Streatham campus, creating a student-centred building that brought together key facilities. It has also provided innovative new spaces, including a 400-seat auditorium, a landmark student services centre and a new reception for the University.

The St Luke’s campus has been home to teaching in education since 1885. Now, students on the campus enjoy its vibrant collegiate atmosphere in an historic environment that offers modern facilities. Home to education, sport and medical students, the campus offers high-quality facilities

The Penryn campus, located close to the waterside towns of Falmouth and Penryn, has a reputation for being contemporary and innovative. The campus is a unique place in which to study, with a research focus on areas including animal behaviour, conservation biology and ecology, environmental studies, evolutionary biology, geology, mining and minerals engineering, and renewable energy. The £30m Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) opened in 2013 and brings together state-of-the-art resources with leading academics, in a building rated as ‘outstanding’ by BREEAM.

The ESI building was enabled by £30m investment from the EU European Regional Development Fund and the South West Regional Development Agency. This is complemented by the £5.5m Science and Engineering Research Support Facility (SERSF), which has brought pioneering business, science and engineering together, and is home to the University of Exeter Business School and the Marine Renewables team from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation (CEC). Phases two and three of the SERSF Building, which is scheduled for completion in Spring 2018, will allow further growth.

The Environment and Sustainability Institute

The Truro campus is home to the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, launched in 2011 with support from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund. The Centre focuses on the interconnections between the environment, human health and well-being, specifically examining climate change, chemical pollutants and antibiotic-resistant pathogens. It is also home to Exeter Medical School students during their third, fourth and fifth years of study.

In the past few years, more than £6.5m has been invested in the University’s sporting facilities, including the new Russell Seal Fitness Centre, which provides an ultimate gym experience for all customers. The University of Exeter was named the Times/Sunday Times sports university of the year 2015–16, in recognition of excellence in performance, education and research. A new sports facility has also opened on the Penryn campus.

The University now looks forward to the next stage of its ten-year estates strategy, which includes proposals for new student residences on the Streatham campus, and a brand new Global Systems Institute, on top of ongoing investment into technology and infrastructure.

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Article taken from the book ‘AUDE: The First 25 Years’. Digital and hard copies available to buy.

Content for the book was drafted during 2016 and 2017 and was correct at the time of writing.