Best accommodations at Exeter university

Hey; I went from 2014 to 2018 and was a student ambassador during my time at Exe. Met lots of people in first year, so feel like I have solid experience.

(for reference, east side of campus = closer to town and more accessible. Makes a big diff over the year, trust me)

Holland Hall - the most expensive but by far the best in terms of quality and location on campus. Not a small campus either - so location is important. Has a stereotype of being "posh" or "aloof" - generally people with quite wealthy parents live there... but not always the case. It is catered

Mardon - Next to Holland Hall, great location. Catered. A bit cheaper. Very sociable and lots of parties within; there is a communal/family atmosphere in Mardon. Convenient tennis court opposite. Watch out for the shared rooms, a lot of people don't like sharing a room with another person...

Birks Grange Village - I stayed here in my first year. Plus side is that it is VERY sociable as it has a huge number of flats. Blocks A - Q (!) from what i remember, so hundreds of people. A village in itself, very busy and lively. Mix of catered and self-catered. BUT I would actually advise against it. I did not enjoy it. It is at the very bottom of a steep hill (google "cardiac hill Exeter") which you will have to face multiple times every day. It has a very steep incline, and imo is purely unenjoyable and exhausting. It is also on the West side of campus, meaning that the walk to town is LONG (about 30 minutes...), with no clear bus connections.

Lafrowda - self-catered, closest to the centre of campus (the Forum), right next to the student night club, very easy to access town, in the 'middle' of everything. Very sociable and lively, lots of parties. Important to note distinction between "old" and "new" Lafrowda - the "old" being (ostensibly) very dingy/poor quality, albeit cheaper. "New" Lafrowda blocks are newly built and much nicer. Big communal areas in both. "Old" and "New" Lafrowda are situated next to each other. Great vibe there though, near everything and tennis courts v close

Pennsylvania Court: The Holland Hall of the East side of campus, with slightly worse views and lower prices. Excellent location to get to campus and town. Similar reputation to Holland Hall, but to a much lesser extent

Rowancroft - Same location as Pennsylvania Court. Worse quality. Cheaper. Shared rooms. Sociable. Would lean towards avoiding

Duryard - Nice, but miles from campus and town. On the far north-west side of campus. Avoid imo. Sociable enough and nice flats

Moberley - A renowned reputation of being the absolute pits. Have heard it referred to as an asylum/refugee camp... it is really bad quality and dirty (at least this was the case in 2014). Also far from town and campus (in a similar location to Duryward). Lots cheaper to make up for the quality. Avoid imo

There are lots of other smaller ones which I will not go into detail as it would take too long, but these are the main ones. Smaller ones are generally for quiet people (such as St Germans).

If could go back in time, I would have stayed in Lafrowda, Holland Hall or Pennsylvania Court

Any questions whatsoever, let me know. Exeter is a fantastic place and you'll have lots of fun, without a doubt. Beautiful campus too!

Thank you so much that was so helpful! I'm defo gonna live on the east side of campus because my course is actually on St Luke's but I don't wanna live at Rowancroft and would rather live on main campus. I think I'm defo gonna put Lafrowda down first and I want to put down Rowe and St German's second bc of it's location so if you know anything about these two it would be appreciated. They are actually refurbishing Moberly this year so that will be interesting to see

Hey; I went from 2014 to 2018 and was a student ambassador during my time at Exe. Met lots of people in first year, so feel like I have solid experience.

(for reference, east side of campus = closer to town and more accessible. Makes a big diff over the year, trust me)

Holland Hall - the most expensive but by far the best in terms of quality and location on campus. Not a small campus either - so location is important. Has a stereotype of being "posh" or "aloof" - generally people with quite wealthy parents live there... but not always the case. It is catered

Mardon - Next to Holland Hall, great location. Catered. A bit cheaper. Very sociable and lots of parties within; there is a communal/family atmosphere in Mardon. Convenient tennis court opposite. Watch out for the shared rooms, a lot of people don't like sharing a room with another person...

Birks Grange Village - I stayed here in my first year. Plus side is that it is VERY sociable as it has a huge number of flats. Blocks A - Q (!) from what i remember, so hundreds of people. A village in itself, very busy and lively. Mix of catered and self-catered. BUT I would actually advise against it. I did not enjoy it. It is at the very bottom of a steep hill (google "cardiac hill Exeter") which you will have to face multiple times every day. It has a very steep incline, and imo is purely unenjoyable and exhausting. It is also on the West side of campus, meaning that the walk to town is LONG (about 30 minutes...), with no clear bus connections.

Lafrowda - self-catered, closest to the centre of campus (the Forum), right next to the student night club, very easy to access town, in the 'middle' of everything. Very sociable and lively, lots of parties. Important to note distinction between "old" and "new" Lafrowda - the "old" being (ostensibly) very dingy/poor quality, albeit cheaper. "New" Lafrowda blocks are newly built and much nicer. Big communal areas in both. "Old" and "New" Lafrowda are situated next to each other. Great vibe there though, near everything and tennis courts v close

Pennsylvania Court: The Holland Hall of the East side of campus, with slightly worse views and lower prices. Excellent location to get to campus and town. Similar reputation to Holland Hall, but to a much lesser extent

Rowancroft - Same location as Pennsylvania Court. Worse quality. Cheaper. Shared rooms. Sociable. Would lean towards avoiding

Duryard - Nice, but miles from campus and town. On the far north-west side of campus. Avoid imo. Sociable enough and nice flats

Moberley - A renowned reputation of being the absolute pits. Have heard it referred to as an asylum/refugee camp... it is really bad quality and dirty (at least this was the case in 2014). Also far from town and campus (in a similar location to Duryward). Lots cheaper to make up for the quality. Avoid imo

There are lots of other smaller ones which I will not go into detail as it would take too long, but these are the main ones. Smaller ones are generally for quiet people (such as St Germans).

If could go back in time, I would have stayed in Lafrowda, Holland Hall or Pennsylvania Court

Any questions whatsoever, let me know. Exeter is a fantastic place and you'll have lots of fun, without a doubt. Beautiful campus too!

I lived in Lafrowda and it was the best decision ever! Would happily answer any questions

Was it new Lafrowda? That's my first choice and was wondering what your experience was like and if it lives to the stereotype

What kind of things matter to you?

If you want catered, Mardon Hall is a really good choice. You get the advantage of sharing food with Holland Hall, the location is prime, while there's a really good, family atmosphere there. People have mentioned room shares, which are possible, but if you request to have a single room, you're very likely to get it. Holland is more expensive and almost hotel like; it gets a bad reputation, but wouldn't turn my nose up at the chance of staying there!

If you're self-catered, Lafrowda is obviously a favoured choice. It has a very sociable, party atmosphere, while the location on campus is good. Birks (catered or self-catered) also has a very good feel to it.

Happy to answer any questions!

Thank you so much! I was considering Mardon Hall because it looked so nice on the open day but I didn't want to share a room with anyone. I didn't know it was possible to choose a single room and thought it was done at random so thanks for this. Do you know much about Rowe or St German's?

So I guess you're leaning towards catered?

Mardon is lovely, with a really friendly atmosphere. If you say you'd rather not share on your preferences, they take that into account, and the majority don't share. Of those who I know shared, they either got on really well with their roommate and made a friend for life automatically, or they didn't gel so much, and within a month or so a room request got submitted and they got their own room. So it usually works out but I'd definitely favour Mardon!

I don't know a lot about either Rowe or St German's if I'm honest; I know they're self-catered but don't know anyone who's lived in either!

Thank you! I am actually leaning more towards self catered but don't mind putting a catered choice down. Do the university actually take into account interests when placing you in accommodation with flatmates?

Thank you so much! I was considering Mardon Hall because it looked so nice on the open day but I didn't want to share a room with anyone. I didn't know it was possible to choose a single room and thought it was done at random so thanks for this. Do you know much about Rowe or St German's?

Hi , for single room , self catered ( including private bathroom kitchen ) what do i suggest and close to main study building and posh crowd Could u guide please and if any photo can u share

Yes! I did a lot of research before and it definitely lives up to the stereotype if you're a party person. I got on with my flat (most flats that I know did), it's very loud and outgoing.

Arguably it's in the best position on campus as it's so close to everyting and right next to the SU.

Hey,
Lafrowda looks great, nice en-suites and I like the idea of being self catered. Did you feel as though friendships were limited due to designated flats or did everyone mix?