Get involved with your union
From being a mentor I have gained an insight into new cultures and have gained leadership skills in helping and answering my chums questions... I have also learnt many new things about the city from showing my chums around!
Get inspired and see through the eyes of a different student each week on our Instagram.
Get involved
Get involved
Get involved
Studying is just part of your university experience. There are a number of ways to make the most of your time in the UK, meet local people and get to know your new home:
Come and be a part of our Intercultural Cafe to meet new people, celebrate our different cultures and approaches. Each week will be a different theme.
Streatham Campus
Join us every Wednesday and Friday during term for a free hot drink and pastry. You can find a full list of dates and themes here.
Penryn Campus
Join us on the second and fourth Friday of the month during term from 2.30pm - 4pm for a free hot drink and cake. A full list of sessions can be found here.
Exeter-based students
Check out the list of societies and groups and sports clubs available on campus, see what the Students' Guild have planned in the 'What's On' section across campus.
Penryn-based students
Check out the list of societies and groups available on campus, see what Falmouth & Exeter Students' Union have planned in the 'What's On' section across campus.
Streatham students
Connections Cafe is hosted online by our Multifaith Chaplaincy every Tuesday from 2-4pm in the Neil Cross room, level 1 Fourm Library on Streatham campus. Come along to connect with new friends, talk about your week and life.
Cornwall students
Our Multifaith Chaplaincy have lots going on, see their website for the most up-to-date information.
Volunteering is a great way to boost your CV, develop skills, gain experience, make contancts and give something back. Don't forget that most voluntary work counts towards the Exeter Award.
- Why not help out new incoming international students by becoming a Global Chums mentor?
- Have you considered getting involved in the events on your campus?
- See what other volunteering opportunities are available through the Students' Guild and FXU.
HOST visits are a fantastic way of spending a weekend with a British family and experiencing British culture for yourself outside the University.
The visit itself is free, but you will be required to pay an application fee of £60.
Join a community group – for example The Global Centre in Exeter or Café Polyglot Language Cafe in Falmouth.
Globe Café is a weekly event for International Students run in partnership between Friends International and the Evangelical Christian Union. It is a great occasion to build friendships across cultures, have a lot of fun and also share from our different cultural perspectives. All international students welcome - find more details here or by searching 1globecafeexeter on Instagram.
| Day trip to: | How do you get there? | What do you recommend doing there? |
| Bath | By train or coach. | Visit the Roman Baths museum and the Royal Crescent (shoutout to Bridgerton!). Climb the hill behind the city to get a super view over Bath. Go to the Jane Austen Museum. Try the Abbey Deli restaurant. |
| Bristol | By train. | Go to the Cabot Circus shopping centre and to the university. |
| Budleigh Salterton | By bus via Exmouth. | Spend the day at the beach, have lunch at the Boathouse Café, and climb up the cliff for an amazing view. |
| Cornwall | By train. | Go to the beach, the seaside, get ice cream and enjoy the sun. |
| Dartmoor National Park | By train or bus. | Go hiking! |
| Dawlish | By train from St David's. Takes 15 mins. | Get Cornish pie and cream tea at Gay's Creamery. And there are benches along the river to sit and enjoy the place. |
| Dawlish Warren | By train. | They have amazing donnuts. |
| Durdle Door | Train/bus/car. | Enjoy the place and the nature with homemade food. |
| Exmouth | By bus. | Have grilled oysters. |
| Ivybridge & Dartmoor | Train to Ivybridge and walk for 20ish minutes into Dartmoor. | In town - walk through Long Timber Woods and explore shops. In Dartmoor - get information about how to get there at the tourist info centre. |
| Langstone Rock | By train to Dawlish Warren and walk from there. | Enjoy walking along the seaside footpath. |
| London | By train. | Do some sightseeing, stopping at the shops and free museums. Visit the Kew Garden, which has different flowers every month. Go to the Opera House. Do some plane spotting by Heathrow Airport. |
| Newquay | By car. | Surfing!! |
| Penzance | By train or bus. | Enjoy the nature and beauty of South West UK. |
| Plymouth | By train. | Go to the beach, have a picnic by the sea. Visit the acquarium, it's a nice place to unwind. Go shopping at the mall, and enter antique shops. |
| Salcombe | By car. | Chill on the beach, get a tan while you can. |
| Sidmouth | By bus no 9. | Walk along the beach and hill. |
| St Ives | By bus. | Go to the beach and have a pasty. |
| Teignmouth | By train. | Walk along the coastal path from Dawlish to Teignmouth, chill by the sea, go on a boat ride, and have fish and chips. |
| Torquay | By train. | Visit the beach, walk through the town, have fish and chips and some ice cream, go on Agatha Christie's walking tour, and visit Kent's Cavern. |
Events on campus
We host a number of cultural events across our campuses, often open to local residents too.
Events in Exeter
The University, in collaboration with Student's Guild societies, supports a number of cultural events on campus throughout the year. We support groups of students who wish to celebrate national, cultural or religious events across campus. In previous years we have helped students to celebrate Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Lunar New Year. All events are open to students and staff, and some events are open to the public where noted.
Events will be added throughout the year and publicised through Your International News and News In Brief.
For your diary:
Spring Festival, 13 February 2024
Diwali Campus celebrations, 19 November 2023
Christmas Day lunch Sunday 25 December 2023
Cultural Festival, 20-24 March 2024
Events in Cornwall
There is plenty organised on campus, so we advise you check out the FXPlus 'What's On' calendar to see all events organised across campus. Below you can see our regular events targeted specifically at our international student population. Our events will also be publicised through the monthly term-time 'Your International News' newsletter, sent to all non-UK domiciled students, so check your inbox for the latest!
Intercultural Cafe - twice month during term time: Come and be a part of our Intercultural Cafe to meet new people, celebrate our different cultures and approaches. Join us on the second and fourth Friday of the month during term from 2.30pm - 4pm for a free hot drink and cake. Each week will be on a different theme. You can see a list of what's planned this term here.
International Student Orientation - September & January: We host a wide ranging orientation programme for our new arrivals in our key arrivals period of September and January. You can see what's planned here, and all events are open to both new and returning students.
International Student Day - November: We celebrate our diverse international student population on campus with an event designed to help international students meet each other and share aspects of their culture with students from around the world. You can find out more here.
Christmas in Cornwall - December: If you are staying on campus over the festive period, we provide a wide range of activities for you to enjoy. You can find out more here.
International Mother Language Day - February: Celebrating the diverse range of languages present in our student population. Take part in our Flipgrid competition here, or join in our social event (details to be published very soon!)
International Summer Picnic - May: Welcome in the summer holidays with a final chance to catch up before you go off on your travels home or across Europe. Free food, free drinks and free garden games! Bring a picnic blanket to sit on. Friday 20th May 2022, 4-6pm AMATA Lawns. Be sure to pre-book your space here [Link to follow very soon!]
Can't see the event you want?
Contact internationalcornwall@exeter.ac.uk if you’d like support with planning and celebrating an event; we are happy to support groups of students who wish to celebrate national, cultural or religious events across campus. In previous years we have helped students to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, Diwali, Chinese New Year & Norwegian Constitution Day.