Exeter Scholars
What is the Exeter Scholars programme?
Information for Teachers
Exeter Scholars is a free programme giving participants the opportunity to develop their knowledge about university and experience what it is like to study a subject of their choice at university level. They will gain access to world-leading academics and current students at the University of Exeter, who will support them with making decisions about their educational progression and help them develop skills to support both their future and their current studies.
Are you with a school based in the South West of England (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, and Bristol)? View our South West schools flyer.
Are you with a school based outside of the South West of England (anywhere outside of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, and Bristol)? View our National schools flyer.
For details about the eligibility criteria for each of the different Exeter Scholars pathways, please see the Apply section of the website.
Participants joining the Exeter Scholars community while they are still in their pre-16 phase of education will have the opportunity, through both face-to-face and online activities, to find out more about what university is like and what it could do for them. A significant amount of their content will be delivered by current students from the University of Exeter, and, as well as providing an insight into university, we will work with participants to help them make informed choices about their GCSE and A Level options.
For those that continue with their pathways into their post-16 studies, or join Exeter Scholars for the first time at this point, they will at this stage complete a subject activity strand of their choice – either in a residential setting or through a series of regular visits to the University. Access to a direct contact at the University to help them with navigating the UCAS application process and working alongside peers will help develop confidence and skills to support both the transition to university and current studies.
For more detail about the various Exeter Scholars pathways, visit Pathways Overview.
Participants who actively engage in Exeter Scholars and fulfil the minimum time commitment for their chosen subject activity will be awarded the title of Exeter Scholar in Year 13.
Those that choose to apply to study at the University of Exeter at the end of the process will be invited to complete the Exeter Scholars assessment and qualify as a Senior Scholar.
To see the full list of benefits linked to each, please see our page on the Benefits Packages.
The recruitment timelines relating to each of the Exeter Scholars pathways vary. If you are an existing partner of the University of Exeter, you will automatically be contacted at the appropriate time of year to discuss the opportunities available to your different year groups.
As a partner school in Exeter Scholars, we ask that, as well as helping prospective participants to recognise the benefits of participation, you are able to support their engagement by authorising any required absences from school in order to attend sessions linked to their subject activity strands and, where necessary, support the organisation of any in-school sessions linked to the programme.
One of the aims of the Exeter Scholars programme is that the skills and subject knowledge provided as part of the programme pathways aid the participants' school- or college-based studies.
In our most recent end-of-programme evaluation – in which we surveyed the year 12 students who began the programme in 2016 and completed the programme as year 13s in the summer of 2018 – nearly 75% of students surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement 'participation has increased my motivation with regards to my school- or college-based studies'.
Furthermore, approximately two-thirds of the students surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed with the statements 'the skills I developed were useful in aiding my school / college-based studies' and 'the subject knowledge I developed was useful in aiding my school / college-based studies'.
We are working towards making these numbers even higher for our current and future cohorts of students, and so ensuring that the programme benefits the students' current studies.
The Exeter Scholars programme holds the wellbeing of our participants as a priority.
We are keen to not only support those who have specific wellbeing requirements – such as mental health difficulties, learning difficulties, and accessibility requirements – but also to support the building of resilience and encouraging all participants to consider and look after their wellbeing.
Read more about the Exeter Scholars programme's work towards wellbeing.