A UNIVERSITY'S career advice service accidentally sent students a circular email containing a motivational quote from Nazi general Erwin Rommel.

At the bottom of the email, the quote: "One cannot permit unique opportunities to slip by for the sake of trifles," was attached and attributed to Rommel, who commanded Hitler's army in North Africa during World War Two.

A spokesperson from the Exeter University said: "This was a genuine error and in no way intentional, however we apologise unreservedly for any offence it may have caused, and have put additional processes in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

According to the university, who have around 2,000 students based in both Penryn and Truro, the image was chosen from a public and free to access database that automatically suggests relevant quotes.

They said that the person who attached it to the internal email did not recognise the name attributed to the quote.

This latest gaffe is not the first time the university's reputation has been blighted.

Last year, students from the University of Exeter's Camborne School of Mines, based in Penryn, made national headlines when they were seen on a night out wearing fancy dress covered in crude graffiti including Nazi swastikas and messages such as "I love rape" and "F*** the Syrians."

And just last month, several students from the university's main campus in Exeter were expelled for sending racist messages in a private Whatsapp group.