A School of Art was founded in Exeter in 1855; by 1922 it had become the University College of the South West and was given part of the present-day Streatham Campus. The Royal Charter, under which we became the University of Exeter, was granted in 1955.
Recent developments include the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, and the Cornwall Campus, based just outside Falmouth.
Today, we have nearly 15,500 students of whom 11,500 are undergraduates with safe, friendly and welcoming campus environments where there's always lots going on but small enough so you're not just a face in the crowd. The University now has three main sites - two in Exeter and one at Tremough, near Falmouth in Cornwall.
Exeter is ranked 9th in the UK in The Times Good University Guide 2010, making us the highest ranked South West university. We score particularly highly for student satisfaction as measured by the National Student Survey, completion rates and the proportion of students getting good Honours degrees.
We are also in The Times top 10 research-intensive universities: nearly 90 per cent of our research was rated as internationally recognised in the latest (2008) Research Assessment Exercise. Every subject was assessed as including world-leading (4*) research.
We have one of the highest National Student Survey rankings in the country, being in the top 5 for the last two years and in the top 10 since the survey began.
We've invested over £140 million in new buildings and facilities in the last 5 years, ranging from new research centres and teaching facilities to the Students' Guild building and nightclub. The University is now looking to the future with a planned investment in campus facilities in the region of £270 million over the next three years. This includes a £130 million investment in new on-campus student residences, a £48 million redevelopment of the centre of the Streatham Campus called the Forum Project, the £48 million INTO Centre, a £25 million investment in the Business School and £25 million for new facilities for Biosciences.
A safe, student-friendly city, Exeter is consistently rated one of the best places to live in the UK for the quality of its facilities, low crime rate and fantastic countryside.
The Streatham Campus, the University's largest site in Exeter, is one of the most beautiful in the country. The St Luke's Campus offers modern facilities in a traditional setting which has retained its vibrant, collegiate atmosphere. Set in 70 acres of countryside and close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the £100 million Cornwall Campus offers peace and tranquillity as well as a lively student community.
