Exeter Uni question

So I have received an offer from Exeter for biological sciences. I really liked Exeter and I think that’s the uni that I’m going to firm but I’m worried that it’s too private school-ish and that type of person orientated. Would anyone who has been to Exeter be able to tell me if it is like what people say with being a bit stuck up?

Thanks!

Reply 1

username872704

Original post by Anonymous

Bit of an older take on it, I was at Exeter, though it was 15 years ago now. It was never really all that private school-ish back then, and I doubt it's become so now.

There were folks who had been to private or boarding schools in my halls and course, but there were also people like me who were from working class backgrounds and normal colleges all over the country. I did a course that fell under the health Sciences area and found it a really good place to learn.

I enjoyed my time in Exeter and at the Uni. I've contemplated moving back to the city with work a few times but the opportunity to do so never materialised.

I get your concerns and I do see where you are coming from, I had similar worries when I went there and was a bit nervous about it all initially, until I met more people across the Uni and made friends of all backgrounds. No doubt someone more current will be along to offer some thoughts too.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 2

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi anonymous,

I'm a current PhD student in Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter, and have been here since my undergraduate degree. I can definitely relate to some of your concerns, and shared many myself when first moving here. For context - I'm originally from what I'd describe as a fairly standard state school in the West Midlands.

I thought it'd be helpful to provide some data on this to address your concerns - after all I've been trained as a scientist and to use an evidence-based approach in my arguments! The Times University Guide, published each year, actually collect data on and rank each university by the proportion of independent school admissions - as seen here for 2025. You can see Exeter ranks 7th in the UK, between Oxford and UCL, with around ~30% of admissions coming from independent schools - i.e. 7 in 10 students will not be from private schools. You can also investigate this question another way looking at the percentage of non-selective state school admissions, here , where Exeter has ~ 58% of students, so quite a bit over half, coming from this background, including people like me.

This data tracks with my own lived experience as a student at the University of Exeter, where I've met a range of people from different backgrounds, cultures and nationalities. I think this diversity is one of the really great things about going to university, and provides lots of opportunity for growth, discovery and learning from different kinds of people with different perspectives and experiences. If you are worried about finding like-minded people though, I'd definitely encourage you to explore different sports clubs and societies (listed at the Guild website here ) which is a great way to meet people outside of academic activities and guarantee that you'll share an interest. If the topic of social mobility and accessibility within higher education is particularly important to you, I'd encourage you to check out societies such as the 93% Club, which is a movement across Exeter and other universities to provide community and champion accessibility particularly for state-educated students.

As with any institution with so many members, you might meet a few people who fit this stereotype more than others, but overall I think you'll find that Exeter is a university full of welcoming students and it shouldn't take you long to feel settled and form a friendship group with like-minded people.

I hope that's reassuring to you, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if you've got any further questions.

Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador