P P I E X E T E R
Incoming Students
Congratulations! If you just got accepted to the university, or you're interested in studying here in Exeter. The committees have prepared you a set of recommendations and advice for your pre-arrival, transportation and accommodation. We believe that we must make sure that your experience here will be unforgettable and easy to get along with.
Pre-Arrival
As an international student planning to study overseas in the UK, having to complete multiple mandatory steps and tasks is something that cannot be avoided. Knowing and keeping in track of all the things an international should do exactly may seem overwhelming and stressful, but remember that countless of people all over the world are facing the exact worries. In other words, you do not have to do this completely on your own as there is a range of resources and information available all around you – including this very post – that will surely guide and assist you along the way.
UK Student Visa, Finances
If you are a prospective undergraduate or postgraduate, a Tier 4 Student visa is generally required (unless stated otherwise).
Transcriptions of your parents' / guardian’s bank accounts showing sufficient funds for education in the UK (the amount will be stated in the visa making process) - this is required to show your financial capability in pursuing your study abroad for a certain period of time.
Access to healthcare - in making a Tier 4 visa, you will be required to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which enables you to have access to the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
Visit this link for exact details and steps in applying for a visa: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/applyingforavisa/
Accommodation
Securing a place to live in for your first year should be done plenty of time before arriving as living spaces quickly fill up. More details and tips on the accommodation-finding process can be seen in the "Accommodation" article on this website.
Travelling to the University
University of Exeter Airport Collection Service direct from the London Heathrow Airport - available for new & returning students, accompanying family members
Visit this link for more details on the service: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/newstudents/airportcollectionservice/
Tips for packing
Essentials: passport, your visa, documents supporting your visa (acceptance letter, bank transcripts, etc – details generally provided while in the visa-making process), flight/train tickets.
Seasonal clothes: warm pieces for the winter & colder UK weather (refrain from packing too much of these to prevent overpacking! Shopping upon arrival is always possible)
Kitchen utensils for self-catered accommodations (i.e. portable rice cookers that are either costly or difficult to find in the UK)
(optional) Memorabilia: objects kept and collected that are memorable to you to say goodbye to homesick blues
Indonesian food (e.g. sambel, frozen pempek, bawang goreng, snacks)
Sources:
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/newstudents/beforeyouarrive/
Accomodation
Preparing for your study abroad could bring new challenges. Finding a suitable place to live for the next couple of years could be one of them. Here, we provide some useful tips and information that will hopefully give you an idea of what types of accommodations are there, important factors to consider, and how the university can help you. We have also compiled a list of accomodation which might help you ease your accommodation search.
Start Early!
To start off, it is best to start looking for accommodation as early as possible. At this stage, you may start to gather information about Exeter as a city, its environment, and the available options. The nicest (and most likely affordable) places will get booked up pretty quickly. But do not worry, you can easily start the search from looking up in the internet on the available options that suits you. Now here comes key questions you need to ask yourself:
Do I want to live in University Residences (accommodation owned by the university) or Private Accommodation (flats/apartments/housing)?
Do I want to live with other people? If yes, who am I going to live with?
What is my budget? Per-week or per-month?
Do I want to live near the University or City Centre?
How much time would I be willing to travel from home to the university or vice versa?
Accommodation Fair
Fortunately, the University of Exeter provides support for students when it comes to finding a place to live. Accommodation Fair is an event held by the University that brings together purpose-built accommodation providers and private landlords around the month of November. It is an excellent opportunity to speak with different providers, ask questions, and arrange viewings to get better understanding on what you are expecting. Accommodation search could also be done online in Studentpad (www.exeterstudentpad.co.uk), a property search portal that allows student to search and filter accommodations based on criterias such as accommodation types, rent price, and number of bedrooms.
Types of Rooms & Accommodation
Now, let us look at the general classification. Below are several types (but not limited to) of student accommodation in Exeter:
Studios - you will have kitchen and bathroom all to yourselves in your room.
En-suite - you will have your own bathroom and shared kitchen facilities with your flatmate(s).
Student housing - you will be living in a house with your friends, which is generally cheaper than living in a private/university accommodation.
Host Family - the contract may vary from short-term to long-term lets, depending on the host family.
Remember, if you are staying for a short-term, you can contact the accommodation directly to see whether they provide short-term lets.
University Owned Residences
Accommodations can also be classified to University Residences and Private Halls of Residence. The University Residences that are famous options among first years are:
Lafrowda - provides a single standard, en-suite and studio accommodation and is very close to the university (5-minute walk to The Forum).
Birks Grange - offers catered (breakfast and dinner are usually provided) and self-catered accommodation.
Duryard - consists of studios and en-suites, a famous option for INTO students. It is a 15-minute walk to the university and a bus stop just outside the accommodation!
Nash grove - quiet, popular flats, in an area set aside for postgraduates and undergraduates who prefer a quieter living environment.
Please visit http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation/ to see more options.
Private Accommodation
If you do not prefer to live in the University Residences or are moving out of University Residences after your first year, you can choose to look at some Private Accommodation options. Exeter offers a number of excellent student private accommodation in the city centre and surrounding areas. Below is a list of several Private Accommodation options you might be interested in:
Thornton Court - An exceptional student accommodation consisting of 4 & 6 bedroom flats, located in the middle between city centre and the university with an easy stroll. All room types are en-suite. For more information:
http://www.thorntoncourtexeter.com
Hope Court - Similar to Thornton Court and its location, Hope Court is another beautiful student accommodation consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 bedroom units available. All room types are en-suite. For more information:
http://www.hopecourtexeter.com
The Cricket Field Court - This accommodation is directly opposite the university, with amazing view overlooking the cricket field! Room types ranging from en-suites to premium studio plus, with tenancy length of 51 weeks applies to all room types. For more information:
https://freshstudentliving.co.uk/property/cricket-field-court/
Exeter One - Offers a simple and clean student accommodation within a walking distance to the university, as well as a bus stop on your doorstep with regular bus service making the short 5-minute journey to the city centre! Room types ranging from standard en-suites to super deluxe studios, with tenancy length of 44 for en-suites and 51 weeks for studios. For more information:
https://wearehomesforstudents.com/student-accommodation/exeter/exeter-one
Vita Student - An elegant student accommodation with easy walking distance to both the university and city-centre! Room types ranging from classic studio to the ultimate vita studio, with tenancy length of 44 weeks or 51 weeks. For more information:
https://www.vitastudent.com/student-accommodation/exeter
The Kingfisher - Located in the city centre and within walking distance to the university, Kingfisher offers luxurious and spacious room types ranging from classic studio to platinum studio, with tenancy length of mostly 51 weeks, which include your own smart TV in every room type! For more information:
https://www.downingstudents.com/student-accommodation/exeter/kingfisher/
The Printworks - A modern-designed student accommodation that provides an onsite gym and just a stroll to the university and city centre! Room types ranging from classic en-suite to a 1-bedroom apartment, with tenancy length of 43 weeks and 51 weeks. For more information:
https://host-students.com/locations/exeter/the-printworks/
Picturehouse - A vibrant student accommodation that is closely linked to the university and city centre, including a supermarket right next door! Picturehouse also provides an onsite gym and cinema. Room types ranging from 2-bed apartment non-ensuite to ultra studio, with tenancy length of 51 weeks applies to all room types. For more information:
https://www.hellostudent.co.uk/student-accommodation/exeter/picturehouse-apartments/
Making Payments
In terms of payments, you can choose to pay the total rent by instalments or at once (upfront). As often the case for international students, usually, the accommodation will ask you to provide a UK based guarantor if you choose to pay by instalments, to ensure that you pay your rent on time. UK guarantor can be anyone, maybe your family member or friend or relative that live or is a citizen in the UK. They may be asked to provide the accommodation with their copies of passport, driving license, ID badge, utility bill statement, bank statement, and council tax bill for the current year.
If you wish to pay by installments but do not have a UK guarantor, do not panic, you can choose to have your UK guarantor which can be found online to help you with this matter, but this also means that you have to pay extra costs that are usually not cheap. Also, make sure that you are aware on whether or not the bills (internet, water, gas, electricity, etc.) are included in the rent fees, as well as agent fees if you are considering to live in a house. If you are not sure, please ask them to clarify.
Tenancy Agreement
Once you have decided on a flat or house, you will be asked to sign a Tenancy Agreement which is a legally binding contract describing the role and responsibility of you as a tenant as well as the landlord themselves. Note that once you have signed it, you will be legally bound to the agreement and it will be hard or possibly not be able to undo the contract. Therefore, please do take your time to read it carefully before signing them.
Scams!
Lastly, always BE AWARE of scams - sometimes you have got to trust your own judgement when something is too good to be true. Scams are usually done in privately owned properties, but it does not close the possibility of other types of accommodation as well; but don’t you worry, not many of them are scammers! Always double check and do thorough research on your chosen accommodation. Especially if you choose to live in a house, make sure that you make a viewing on the accommodation and check at the landlord’s ID or research the landlord in Google or LinkedIn beforehand, and always ask the bank to verify the payment’s destination or whether their account is legit, before you are making or transferring payment. The above accommodation that we listed you are legit superb accommodation as some of our friends live there too! And there are actually still many others to look for!
Good Luck! See you around at campus!
Written by Kathleen Anna Halim and Fransisca Regina Dameria.
Disclaimer
This article is not intended to be at a professional level but rather just for a friendly recommendations purposes only. We have no great knowledge of any of the accommodations and will not take any responsibility if you encounter any issues or problems with any of the above suggestions.
More Resources
Missing Home?
We believe every international student finds this term relates to them. Especially us, the writers, who spent most of
our lives in Indonesia that has delicious food and the tropic environment where sun and rain alternately exchange
place. We have spent more than 25 years living in Indonesia and suddenly we flew faraway from home to pursue more
than what it is in Indonesia, Education. We were afraid that we could not adapt with the new environment, foremost
not finding friends that we would be comfortable with, where we did not have to think twice about what we want to
say using the universal language.
After several weeks holding on our own trying to adapt, we finally found how to cope with this new environment.
What do you think it is? It is through food, especially Indonesian food. As Indonesians who used to having spices and
strong taste in our food, we found that local food does not suit our taste buds. So in that sense, we decided to have a
gathering at least once a month to cook together in one of the Indonesian student’s house.
Last week was that day when we gather and cooked together. We decided to cook gulai ayam (chicken curry),
terong balado (aubergine with chilli), tahu toge (beansprout tofu) and of course we could not leave behind, kerupuk
udang (prawn crackers), abon sapi (shredded beef), and nasi (rice). Sounds scrumptious, right?
Don’t worry, living in Exeter will be delightful for you all and you will find this city peaceful. Indonesians who live
in Exeter will also welcome and invite you to their homes, and showing their hospitality by cooking Indonesian food.
We are not a huge community like other cities in the UK, but we have huge hearts to warmly welcome each of you to
feel comfortable in Exeter. Not to mention you will also feel welcomed because every single local people, especially
the elderly, will call you “My Love” every time!
Written by Divy Sierra Decendra and Amanda Rahma Putri Kardana
Banking
Opening a bank account is an important matter, as it is where your money will be kept
at throughout your studies here. Banking matters may sound really intimidating for new
students especially if this is your first-time leaving home to study abroad. Thankfully,
most major banks in Exeter are very experienced in catering to international students.
To get you started, these are the major banks in Exeter, where students generally open
their accounts:
1. NatWest
2. Santander
3. HSBC
4. Lloyds
5. Barclays
These banks have branches in Exeter City Centre, and they are within the vicinity of
each other. One of the best things about banking here is that you can use your
ATM/Debit card to withdraw money from almost any bank’s cash machines free of
charge. This means that choosing which bank to open your account with is a matter of
personal preference as there are not many differences between each bank. With that
said, it is always good to do some research into banks that you are interested in. Each
bank has a website and a page that is dedicated to student banking. There, you can
compare the services that a bank offers and then you can make your decision from
there.
Now you may be wondering: “How can I open a bank account?”; “What documents
do I need?”; “How long is it going to take?”; “How can my parents transfer money to me
from Indonesia?”. I will do my best to answer each of these questions.
1. How can I open a bank account?
It is as simple as walking into a bank and telling the bank staff that you want to
open a student account. The bank staff will then help you with the procedure.
However, do note that banks will be very busy during the first few weeks of the
university’s new teaching year as there are many students like you who want to
open bank accounts as well. This will make a walk-in session a bit too difficult as
banks may not have staff that is free to help you. My advice, in this case, is to go to
your preferred bank and schedule an appointment with them so you can get a
fixed time slot to talk about opening an account with them.
2. What documents do I need?
The most important document that you need is a BANK LETTER from the
university. There will be a printing booth in the Forum Building of the University
during Fresher’s week. You can get your bank letter from this booth. Make sure
you have your student card at hand to show the printing booth staffs. After that,
bring along your passport and/or BRP to the bank of your choice to get started
with your account application.
3. How long is it going to take?
The process of opening an account will take at most an hour or two. After
opening your account, you will be told by the staff that your ATM/Debit card will
be mailed to you within a week. You will receive your card and PIN on TWO
separate mail, so do not panic when you cannot find your PIN code in the mail
that contains your card. After receiving your PIN, you can change the PIN in any
cash machines by following the instructions there.
4. How can my parents transfer money to me from Indonesia?
For international fund transfer, you will need the following:
a. Your bank account details
b. IBAN/Swift code of destination bank
c. Name of destination bank
d. Address of destination bank
You can ask for your bank’s IBAN/Swift code when opening your account.
Generally, these are the information needed for an international fund transfer.
Yet, it is worthwhile to ask your parents to inquire with their bank on what
information are needed for such transfer. International transfer may take up to a
week before the money arrives into your account, so make sure you have some
funds to live by if you are not planning to bring a huge amount of cash or bank
cheques on your journey to Exeter.
Written by Daniel Pranajaya
If you have any further questions or need more in-depth information, please feel free to contact us!