The land off Magdalen Street was used during the 18th and 19th centuries as a resting place for people who'd dissented from the established church.
It was sold in 2010 to a man who planned to exhume the remains and build flats - but he has sold it on to a Trust who plan to clear and restore the site.
The Exeter Dissenters' Graveyard Trust will clear rubbish from the site, carry out an archaeological investigation and then turn it into a heritage asset for the city.