Frequently asked questions

Click on the links below for the answers to our FAQs. If you still can't find the information you are after then please contact us.

1. Does the The Exeter Award count towards my degree?
2. How much does The Exeter Award cost?
3. How long do I have to complete the Award? Do I have to finish it in one year?
4. Can Postgraduates do The Exeter Award?
5. What kind of work experience counts towards the Award? What about my part-time job or a vacation job?
6. Does Community Action training count towards The Exeter Award?
7. How do I know which events/activities count towards each section of the Exeter Award?
8. If I attend Exeter Award/Exeter Leaders Award activities now even though I have not yet registered, will they still count towards my Award when I do register?
9. Can I start the Leaders Award before finishing The Exeter Award?
10. How can my first aid course/foreign language course/other certificated course count towards my Award?
11. Help! The sessions I need to complete my Award are all fully booked
12. How and when will I get my certificate?
13. Can INTO students participate in the Award?
14. I attended an event but it is not marked as complete on my Exeter Award page.
15. What does ‘Add an alternative learning activity’ in my Award profile mean?
16. When the Exeter Award was changed in 2011 it meant that you have to do the Interview Experience last . I have already attended the Interview Experience, do I still have to complete the new Exeter Award application form?
17. I completed 25 hours work experience/volunteering before October 2011. Do I have to go back and complete another ten hours to make it 35 hours?
18. How do I verify my work experience/volunteering hours? Do I need a form?
19. How long will it take for my Exeter Award Application form to be marked?
20. I submitted my Exeter Award Application Form in the old system and had it marked but in the new system it says 'submit application' and there is no record of my form
21. I attended two days of eXfactor but the 'Other Activities' section of my Exeter Award is not showing as complete, why is this?

1. Does the The Exeter Award count towards my degree?

No, The Exeter Award gives you University recognition for all of your extra-curricula activities and therefore does not count towards your degree. Completing The Exeter Award will not appear on your transcript – you need to make the most of your experiences from having completed the Exeter Award using your CV.

2. How much does The Exeter Award cost?

Completing The Exeter Award is free of charge, although there may be a fee for attending some activities e.g. First Aid training. The only investment we ask is for your time and commitment.

3. How long do I have to complete the Award? Do I have to finish it in one year?

There is no time constraint for completing The Exeter Award or Exeter Leaders Award whilst you are a current student. Once you graduate you are no longer eligible.

Don't forget... key skills sessions, The Interview Experience, mock interviews and other training events do not run during the vacation period so the last chance you have to complete will be during your final term. However, we strongly advise you to plan ahead and complete your Award in plenty of time before then. Don't leave things until the last minute to complete your Award, we cannot guarantee there will be places available on the events you require.

4. Can Postgraduates do The Exeter Award?

The Exeter Award is open to taught postgraduates, but PGCE students would need to ensure they complete all relevant activities before they start their teaching practice.

5. What kind of work experience counts towards the Award? What about my part-time job or a vacation job?

You can count ANY job in ANY country towards the 35 hrs for your Award providing you worked those hours after starting University.

6. Does Community Action training count towards The Exeter Award?

Not unless you have undertaken CA volunteering. Community Action training is an integral part of the Guild's Community Action programme and is for people intending to volunteer with older people or children. Time spent on CA training can be counted as part of the 35 hours Volunteering element of the award if you participate in CA volunteering.

7. How do I know which events/activities count towards each section of The Exeter Award?

Open your Exeter Award progress page in My Career Zone; each section provides a link to view/book activities for that section of the Award.  In your ‘Other Activities’ section you also have the option to submit your own employability activities (e.g. courses you have attended outside University) towards your Award using the ‘submit alternative learning activity’ link.

8. If I attend Exeter Award/Exeter Leaders Award activities now even though I have not yet registered, will they still count towards my Award when I do register?

Yes. The events will be added to your profile and will remain there whilst you are at University just in case you decide to do the Award(s).

9. Can I start the Leaders Award before finishing The Exeter Award?

You cannot register for the Leaders Award (and complete the application) until you have completed your Exeter Award. However, there is nothing to stop you attending Leaders Award activities in readiness – they will be in your Leaders Award profile when you register.

Check out the Leaders Award criteria here and then to view/book Leaders Award activities you will need to click on ‘Browse events’ on the menu in My Career Zone to pick out the Leaders Award skills sessions that you need to attend. 

10. How can my first aid course/foreign language course/other certificated course count towards my Award?

 A certificated course undertaken whilst at University can count as one of your Award options (‘other activities’ on your profile). Please use the 'Submit an alternative learning activity' function in this section to provide full course details and request that the course is counted towards your Award. Upload a scan of your certificate as proof of completion.

11. Help! The sessions I need to complete my Award are all fully booked

We monitor event bookings and when it is clear that key Exeter Award and Exeter Leaders Award sessions are fully booked, we try and arrange more for the term where possible. Check the events in My Career Zone regularly to see if any additional sessions have been added, and also make sure you add your name to the waiting list for any fully booked event you are intetested in. This will ensure you are sent an email should any student cancel their place (all students on an event waiting list are immediately notified if a place becomes available).

12. How and when will I get my certificate?

Each academic year there will be Award celebrations/presentations at Streatham and at Tremough Campus. When you complete your Award you will be able to book a place at the next celebration via your My Career Zone Award profile page, or alternatively ask for your certificate to be posted to you.

13. Can INTO students participate in the Award?

With the exception of those students working towards their Undergraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Diploma, INTO students cannot participate in the Award.

14. I attended an event but it is not marked as complete on my Exeter Award page.

Members of staff may take several days to upload the data from the scanner (which updates student profiles) - depending on their commitments.  Please be patient and do not chase any outstanding events on your profile until seven days have passed since the event.

Occasionally errors may occur in the upload process or students may arrive after the card scanning has taken place.  If you receive a false 'non attendance warning' and/or your record is incorrect after seven days following the event, please email the Exeter Award office to ask for a correction giving full details of the event exeteraward@exeter.ac.uk.

Note that it is your responsibility to ensure your Award profile is up to date and after three months have elapsed we can no longer update attendance records.

15. What does ‘Add an alternative learning activity’ in my Award profile mean?

Sometimes students complete activities similar to the compulsory sections of the Award, but these activities do not appear in their profiles because they are not listed on the events system e.g. your school may organise a session on CVs and not make it available online to book, or you may attend a personal development session (eg. presentation skills, time management) outside the University.

If this is the case, and the activity took place after you started University, you can ask for that event to be counted towards your Exeter Award by sending us the details of the activity using the ‘Add an alternative learning activity’ link in your profile. Please ensure you submit under the right section e.g. a CV or application form session should be submitted under the 'Planning your CV/Effective application forms' section of the Award, whilst personal development training (see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/exeteraward/structure/ for a list of examples) should be submitted under the 'Personal Development' section. Anything else should go under the 'Other Eligible Activities' section.

You will need to provide full details of the session - who delivered it, where and when, and a summary of the content. Your submission will be looked into and approved or rejected for inclusion in the Award by a member of staff.

16. When the Exeter Award was changed in 2011 it meant that you have to do the Interview Experience last . I have already attended the Interview Experience, do I still have to complete the new Exeter Award application form?

Yes. The changes affect all students doing The Exeter Award, including those who started their Exeter Award in previous years and have already attended the Interview Experience. The only exception is if you had actually completed ALL elements of the Award prior to October 2011 and for some reason never got round to signing it off.

17. I completed 25 hours work experience/volunteering before October 2011. Do I have to go back and complete another ten hours to make it 35 hours?

If you completed & verified the work experience/volunteering element of your Award before October 3rd 2011 under the old rules (i.e. 25 hours) you do not have to go back and complete any further hours. However, if you started your work experience/volunteering prior to October 3rd 2011, but did not complete or get it verified before this date, please continue to complete 35 hours in total.

18. How do I verify my work experience/volunteering hours? Do I need a form?

When you have completed any work experience/volunteering placement, click the Record work experience/volunteering hours link in your profile.  For each placement/opportunity/job that you do, log the start date and end date of that position and the total number of hours worked. Once you reach 35, the section will show as complete.

You do not need a supervisor to sign a form to verify your hours.  You will, however, need to give your supervisor’s name for each position you worked/volunteered, and use one of your supervisors as a referee on your Exeter Award application form in your profile. 

We will conduct random sampling and follow up a selection of referees each year to verify the hours that students have completed.  Any student found not to have completed the stated hours will have their Exeter Award registration suspended pending further investigation. 

19. How long will it take for my Exeter Award Application form to be marked?

We aim to mark application forms within three weeks. Please do not email us regarding your form until at least three weeks have expired since you submitted it.

20. I submitted my Exeter Award Application Form in the old system and had it marked but in the new system it says 'submit application' and there is no record of my form

Your application form and feedback will not be available in the new system, but if you had it marked and reviewed your feedback you should be able to progress your Exeter Award and book The Interview Experience to complete your Award. It will look like your application form has not been submitted, but please ignore that. As long as you can book The Interview Experience you will be able to complete your Award.

21. I attended two days of eXfactor but the 'Other Activities' section of my Exeter Award is not showing as complete, why is this?

The eXfactor is a two-day event and therefore counts as one activity towards the Exeter Award. You need to attend both days for this to register as an activity in your Award summary screen.