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Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

To include grade C in Mathematics and grade B in a Science subject. Excluding General Studies.

Access to HE Diploma

D:19,M:26

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with 19 L3 credits at Distinction grade and 26 L3 credits at Merit Grade. This must include 12 L3 credits in Maths at pass Grade and 12 L3 credits at Merit Grade or above in another Science subject. Please also see our GCSE requirements.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

Applicants will be considered with IB 26 OR 544 in three Higher Level subjects. All applicants will be required to have Grade 4 in HL Maths and another Science subject at HL 5.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Applicants studying one of the following BTEC Extended Diplomas will be considered without a GCE AL maths and science subjects - Construction and the Built Environment, Building Services Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,C,C

Mathematics at Grade C and another Science subject at Grade B required.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,C

Mathematics at Grade C and another Science subject at Grade B required.

UCAS Tariff

104-129

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Mechanical engineering

We believe that fair access to higher education is a fundamental enabler for social mobility and are committed to delivering this through our education. We aim to widen participation and raise attainment - bridging gaps in retention, progression and success - to ensure our students enjoy the best possible outcome.

In support of the University’s Access and Participation Plan this course is only open to UK domiciled students who meet our contextual offer eligibility criteria, or are classed as Mature Students, and who may not have met the entry requirements for first year entry or have not been able to take A-level Mathematics alongside a BTEC L3 Extended Diploma. Check if you are eligible to join this programme on our contextual offer webpages.

- It covers the core mathematics required to successfully complete a Mechanical Engineering degree programme at the University of Exeter

- You’ll be learning in a friendly and structured environment and will be supported academically and personally as you prepare to study an Mechanical Engineering undergraduate degree

- Provided you achieve the specific progression criteria, you will progress into Year 1 of the BEng Engineering programme, or Year 1 of the Civil, Mechanical or Electronic Engineering programmes which have a Foundation Year

- Depending upon the qualifications you’ve gained prior to beginning the Foundation programme it may be possible to transfer to an undergraduate programme in Mathematics, Natural Sciences or Physics which have a foundation year and provided you meet the entry requirements for that programme

- International students looking for a foundation course, please visit our INTO page.

- To learn more about modules, assessment methods, facilities and our staff research expertise please visit our course page.

Modules

For a full list of modules please visit our course page.

Assessment methods

Please visit our course page for current assessment methods.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£29,700
per year
International
£29,700
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

We understand the financial pressures that undergraduate students can face when arriving at university for the first time and that is why we offer bursaries to complement government loans for low household income families, scholarships for exceptional students, sportspeople and those meeting other criteria as well as expert funding advice and guidance.  For more information, please visit our course page.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Exeter - Exeter campuses

Department:

Engineering

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

86%
Mechanical engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
73%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

86%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
71%
Course specific equipment and facilities
74%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
89%
Male students
11%
Female students
94%
2:1 or above
1%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£27,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
81%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

49%
Engineering professionals
8%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
8%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals

We're short of engineers in a lot of areas and mechanical engineering is no exception. Mechanical engineers are in demand across multiple industries, with vehicle manufacturing most popular, with roles especially common in design and manufacturing. Other important sectors include aerospace, the oil and gas industry, consultancy and defence. Jobs are all around the country, with London, the Midlands, Scotland and the South East the most likely places for a new mechanical engineer to find work at the moment, and starting salaries are good. Although large employers are much the most likely place to get work, some of the most challenging, cutting edge jobs are with small niche engineering firms, so keep your eyes peeled if you want something a little different. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Mechanical engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

£37k

£37k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Lower entry requirements
Glasgow Caledonian University | Glasgow
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BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 88-102
Nearby University
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Mechanical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Higher entry requirements
University of Exeter | Exeter
Mechanical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Same University
University of Exeter | Exeter
Mechanical Engineering with Year in Industry
BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here