Exeter College is a general further education college in Exeter, Devon; it was first such college in England, and is currently the highest-ranked in the country. The College has its origins in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, founded in 1869, and first became an independent institution in 1893 as the Exeter Technical and University Extension College. After using various different sites, the College's preceding institution moved into its present main campus in 1959, and was established in its present form as the first English further education college in 1970. The majority of its present buildings were constructed from 2005 onward. The College is based around a campus at Hele Road, though owns several other sites around the city, and educates approximately twelve thousand students, including both sixteen to eighteen-year-olds and mature (adult) students. In addition, Exeter College jointly runs the specialist Exeter Mathematics School with the University of Exeter, with the College providing extra-curricular activities and pastoral support, and with students at the Maths School able to study one A.-level at the College. The tower block at the Hele Road campus, completed in 1963, is the third-tallest building in Exeter. History Origins, 1869-1893 Exeter College can trace its origins back to the opening of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (R.A.M.M.) in 1869. At its opening, the R.A.M.M. included a School of Science and a School of Art. In January 1891, the local government decided to use the Technical Instruction Act 1889 to either found a new technical institution in the city or to fund lectures and courses in the R.A.M.M.'s two schools. The latter option was chosen, and by June three such lectures had taken place "for the furtherance of technical education among working men", attended by six hundred and sixty people; the local University Extension Committee had sponsored two further "people's lectures", attended by nine hundred people in total. the scheme was subject to some criticism for being poorly-planned. Preceding institutions, 1893-1970 Exeter College, 1970-present In 1970, Exeter became the first tertiary college in England, combining the features of a typical further education college with a sixth form college. Buildings and sites Hele Road building Future improvement In January 2019, the College announced it would be spending £70 million on altering the Hele Road site, including demolishing the tower block and allowing the public to cross through the campus to Exeter St Davids railway station. Organisation Academic profile Student