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July 2024

Dear Offer-Holder,

This second newsletter contains information on what to expect next as many of you are about to have, or have already received, your final examination results.

I know that these final couple of weeks will no doubt be an anxious time, so I am hopeful that the following information will tide you over and give you some reassurance before you hear from us next. Click on the key dates boxes below which will give you information on upcoming events that you’ll need to take note of, including when we’ll be confirming your offer and what your next steps are after that.

Please be aware that we will not be contacting you or responding to any queries between the 29th of July and the 15th of August due to the embargo, regardless of whether you have received your results already or not, and anything that comes in during this time will be answered after Confirmation.

Verity Skirrow
Admissions Officer
Exeter College

Key Upcoming Dates

Complaints and Appeals

Appeals Process

If you do not achieve the grades that you were expecting and are planning on appealing your exam boards decision then please send an email to admissions@exeter.ox.ac.uk to let us know.

If your revised results allow you to meet your offer conditions then we will hold your place of admission providing they are confirmed by the 6th of September 2024. If confirmation comes in after this date we may need to consider offering you deferred entry for 2025.

The appeals policy and form for the University can be found here, however please note that there is no right of appeal or complaint over matters of academic judgement.

 

Newsletter

Freshers' Hub

Within your welcome letter you will receive a link to our Freshers’ Hub which is packed with information about your start with us, including everything you’ll need to know about your arrival at Exeter including, how to get here, how to collect your University ID Card, moving in, and what’s in store for you during our Freshers’ Week of events, as well as important guides to the different facilities here.

You will also need to complete an Arrivals and Information Form which will have questions relating to the following:

  • Student Contracts
  • Accommodation Preferences
  • Dietary Requirements
  • Disability Disclosure
  • UK Bank Account details (don’t worry if you are an International Student and don’t have these yet, you can submit the details to Accounts in due course)

The form will open at 9.30am BST or 30 minutes after confirmation letters have been sent out, whichever is later, and must be completed before the 1st of September.

Please try not to submit the form multiple times, but if you have made a change then please let admissions@exeter.ox.ac.uk know, and bear in mind that your latest submission time will be the one that is taken into consideration when allocating accommodation preferences.

Open Offer Guidance

Open Offer

If you hold an Open Offer, than you may find the information taken from What happens when I receive my results? | University of Oxford useful:

An open offer is the same as any other offer, except that your college has not yet been confirmed. An open offer is always underwritten by one particular college: the college which told you about the offer. Once you have received your results, please check your UCAS hub. If you have met the conditions of your offer, the first status update you should check for on your UCAS hub is UF (unconditional firm). This means your place has been confirmed at Oxford. Congratulations!

What you need to do next:

1.If your UCAS hub still shows your underwriting college, then this college is offering your place and you should follow the process set out by UCAS to accept this.

2.If your UCAS hub shows a different college from the underwriting one, that usually means that it is this college which is now offering your place. The change in college shows up as a change on your UCAS hub and you will need to accept this.

International Students

Visas and International Arrivals

Thank you to those who have returned their passport information to me, this will mean that there are no delays in getting your CAS draft to you for review after your offer has been confirmed. You should begin to receive these in the afternoon of the 15th. Please do check them over carefully and let me know of any changes that need to be made, or if you are happy for me to submit it.

You will then need to allow up to 5 working days for your CAS to be generated which will contain the reference number required for your visa application.

If you are planning on arriving early, we cannot, at this stage, guarantee accommodation for you on-site, and instead please make arrangements to stay else-where, until we open our doors on the 6th of October. If rooms do become available and we can offer earlier arrivals then we will be in touch. Try to look for free cancellation where possible when booking your hotel or BnB as that will give you the flexibility should your plans change.

Further information about arriving into the UK and making your way to Oxford will be available of the Freshers’ Hub which you will gain access to from the 15th.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

“I still haven’t received my Student Loans confirmation letter”
We will be aware of anyone that this applies to, and ask that you just keep us informed. Please send it through as soon as possible, and regularly check your online access as the digital letter usually appears before you receive the hard-copy. If it does not come in before the 15th of August, you will still receive an offer confirmation letter from us, and be able to access the Freshers’ Hub, but we will be unable to enrol you or start the process of applying for your student ID until we receive and approve your completed FDF.

“I don’t know if my referee submitted extenuating circumstances for me?”
This is something I am happy to check for you, however with the 26th of July deadline being so close I recommend getting in touch with your referee to confirm with them directly as a matter of urgency. They have until midnight BST to submit it. If they haven’t and you still want your case to be heard, then you can send a pdf letter with any evidence you may have to us directly (admissions@exeter.ox.ac.uk) however please know that it likely bear the same weighting as if your referee submits the form.

“I am anxious that I haven’t met my offer requirements”
It is understandable to be anxious about how well you did, but it’s important to remember that you likely tried your very best despite whatever circumstances you may have been facing – ideal or not. If extenuating circumstances have been submitted for you, then these will be taken into account by our admitting tutors when they review your application, and may consider granting you clemency. If they don’t feel that Exeter is the right fit for you, then your application may be considered for entry by other colleges before a final decision is made. This will have taken place before you receive your outcome letter on the 15th which will reflect this final decision.

These are some of our most commonly asked questions, either that you’ve sent in or that have been asked by students before you. If you have a question that isn’t listed feel free to ask it using this form.

June 2024

Dear Offer-Holder,

To prepare you for your arrival in October, this is the first of a set of newsletters that I will be sending out over the summer which will contain useful information that you’ll need to familiarise yourself with. It is therefore important that you get into the habit of checking your emails frequently as to not miss any communications from us. This is an expectation of all of our students, both incoming and current, so you’ll see that the first item on the task list below is to update your email to one that you will continue to have access to.

Click the headings below to read more information about the tasks you need to complete. As some of the tabs may not be relevant to your circumstances, I have marked the items that apply to all offer-holders in *asterisks*. Please complete the tasks on the to-do list as a priority as completing them in good time will allow us to make your transition to university as smooth as possible.

With one week to go until the end of Trinity term here, we begin the countdown to the start of your time with us in Oxford, and the plans for your Freshers’ Week of inductions are coming together in anticipation. No doubt you are starting to have lots of questions as your minds turn to this exciting new chapter, and I am hopeful that this newsletter will answer some of those – particularly on accommodation and what to expect over the next few months.

For those of you taking your final exams over the coming weeks, I wish you the best of luck!

Verity Skirrow
Admissions Officer
Exeter College

Tasks for you to complete

Spotlight: Accommodation

To answer all of your Accommodation questions, we have put them to our very own Accommodation Manager, Mihaela Groza!

Grade A

Grade B

Grade C

Double-Set Grade C

Double-Set Grade C

Grade D/E

Grade D/E

 

Images above represent only a selection of different rooms across each grade.

 

 

“What is your favourite thing about Exeter College?”
One of my favourite things about Exeter College is the people, both students and staff!

“When do accommodation options get sent out?”
These will be sent out to all incoming students on the 15th of August.

“How do rooms get allocated?”
As part of your welcome pack you’ll receive access to an arrivals survey through which you can rank three room grade choices in order of preference. We try to get applicants into one of their higher-ranked room type preferences, but note that this will not be possible in many cases due to the popularity of room type and number of applicants therefore allocation will be on a first-come-first-served basis based on the submission of the arrivals survey. All applicants will be given their room type upon arrival, and students should not expect to receive information about their allocated rooms prior to this.

“What’s included in my room?”
Each room comes with: a single bed, bed-side cabinet, desk, desk chair, coffee table, armchair, wardrobe, and wash hand basin. Note that bedding is not included.

“Are they shared rooms or shared bathrooms?”
Mainly shared bathrooms. Our shared double-sets come with two individual single bedrooms, one shared study space, and a shared toilet/shower room.

“What is the cost of accommodation?”
The lowest rate (Grade E) for 2024-2025 will be £28.58/day with the highest rate (Grade A) being £32.63/day.

“Do I have to live on-site?”
All first-year undergraduates live on the College’s historic Turl Street site. In subsequent years, students choose between continuing to live on Turl Street, in Cohen Quad, sharing College-owned houses (called Friendship Houses), or living out in privately rented accommodation. The rooms for subsequent years go into a Housing Ballot.

“Can I stay in College for the whole degree?”
The College guarantees its students three years of accommodation. Students on four-year courses may be able to be accommodated for a fourth year, subject to availability.

“How do I eat on-site?”
In Turl Street there is the JCR Kitchen where you can cook your own food, or you have the option to eat meals in the Dining Hall or at Dakota Café in Cohen Quad. More information including menus and prices can be found on the Exeter College website here.

“Do I need to leave my room over Vacations and are there storage facilities available?”
Junior Members who need to be in Oxford for longer than the standard rent period for their room can apply for Vacation Residence and application forms for this are circulated by email in advance of each vacation. Undergraduates who are granted Vacation Residence may have to move rooms for the duration as many rooms are booked out to host candidates attending interviews or conference guests. This is to raise money that then subsidises term-time student rents. Where it is not possible to offer Vacation Residence at Turl Street or Cohen Quad, alternative College accommodation will normally be offered in East Oxford on Iffley Road. Vacation Residence outside the standard rent period is charged per day at the daily rate. If Junior Members do not need to stay in Oxford over vacations, they need to vacate their rooms at the end of each term. Only international students will be allowed to leave up to four cartons each in our storage room.

“Can you accommodate medical requirements?”
In order to accommodate medical requests, students will need to be registered with the Disability Advisory Office.

“Can I bring in electrical items?”
Only kettles and a toaster are allowed in student rooms, as long as they are located on a metal tray. These metal trays are to be supplied by each student. Toasters should be cleaned out regularly to avoid the build-up of bread waste as they can ignite, causing a fire. No other cooking appliances are allowed in rooms.

Refrigerators can be brought in but express permission needs to be given and it is usually only granted for medical reasons (such as the storage of medication). Once permission is granted, you must ensure to remove the fridge at the end of the academic year, as we do not have space to store fridges.

Extension leads should not be used as they also have the potential to cause an electrical short and are a potential fire hazard. Similarly, all electrical items will need to be PAT tested although this is arranged during your Freshers’ Week.

No irons should be used in student rooms and if one is required, you can find it in the laundry room in the basement of Staircase 10.

The Ambassador Platform

 

I’d like to introduce you to a fantastic resource that is our Ambassador Platform which connects you with one of our current Student Ambassadors who will answer many of your questions about life at Exeter and in Oxford.

Click here to chat with current Exeter students

Please be aware that the chats are monitored. See the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for further information.

student studying on a laptop outdoors

What Happens Next?

Frequently Asked Questions

“Where can I find out more information about life at College?”
As well as The Ambassador Platform, the College Student Handbook also known as ‘The Green Guide’ is an invaluable source of information. It will be updated for the new academic year the current version can be found on the website here.

The @exeterjcr Instagram also often hosts take-overs which follow the day-to-day lives of its members.

“I’ve met the terms of my offer but my UCAS hasn’t changed to Unconditional?”
If you have already met the academic requirements of your Offer, and you’ve sent us proof of your certification, then our next step is to upload your documentation to UCAS and confirm that you’ve met the academic terms which is something we will be commencing shortly.

“What is the teaching schedule/work load like?”
This varies greatly between courses and departments, the best thing to do is to use the Ambassador Platform to speak to one of our current students.

“I’m planning on arriving early, can I store my luggage?”
Whilst there is no storage facility for you to store luggage in advance of your arrival, there is a possibility that there may be rooms available for you to move in early. Should there be any availability, you will be contacted by our Accommodation Manager in September. Each request will be prioritised based on individual circumstances.

 

These are some of our most commonly asked questions, either that you’ve sent in or that have been asked by students before you. If you have a question that isn’t listed feel free to ask it using this form.