Mature students

Applying as a mature student

At the University of Exeter we welcome applicants who may not have come directly from school or college and who wish to return to higher education at different stages of their lives.

If you are considering, or have just started an Access to HE Diploma course you may feel that it’s very early to start thinking about applying to university. However, you will start applying to university from mid-September, very soon after commencing your course, so it’s worth spending some time finding out about universities and courses before then. We are aware that if you are undertaking an Access to HE Diploma course you will be applying very soon after this begins so your tutor may not have had the chance to get to know you very well at the time you apply. Nevertheless, we strongly encourage you to apply early and are happy for tutors to put a note on your reference stating that they will send a more detailed reference at a later date.

Offers to Access students who apply for entry in 2012 will usually be conditional on passing the qualification with grades of merit and/or distinction in named units and may also include passes in level 2 English and Maths where appropriate. Typical offers will be updated on the UCAS website under individual programme requirements.

Students who wish to study full-time should apply through UCAS, and their website is a good place to start your research.

Our decision

Whilst we recognise that mature students may offer different qualifications and experience, which will be taken into account when we assess your application, it is obviously important that you have adequate experience and/or qualifications to allow you to cope with academic demands of your course. It is normally recommended that you should have undertaken some recognised systematic course of study (eg, Access, Open University credits, or GCE A levels) within the last three years. You may also be asked to produce a portfolio of evidence in respect of other experience you would like us to consider. If you would like us to take account of relevant work experience you should supply full details with your application. If you have any queries concerning entrance requirements, please contact the Admissions Office who will be happy to advise accordingly. Following an application we may also ask you to attend an academic counselling session in order to ensure that you are suitably matched to a particular programme of study. Official notification of our decision will be made through UCAS.

More information and advice about applying to Exeter can be found on our How to Apply pages.

Part time study

Our Flexible Combined Honours scheme is available to those wishing to study part-time, and some of our other undergraduate degrees are also potentially available by part-time study. However, you should check with the relevant academic department to ensure that it is possible with respect to timetabling arrangements before you make a formal application. A three-year undergraduate degree would typically take six years to complete by part-time study. Applications for part-time study should be made direct to the University’s Admissions Office and not through UCAS.