Take the first step to wherever you want to go.
The University of Kent is a vibrant, creative and inclusive university, where you can make your mark. Here at Kent, we inspire each other to do outstanding things and that, in turn, empowers you to do outstanding things in the world. It’s something we’re very proud of.
Becoming a University of Kent undergraduate is the exciting first step to making your mark and achieving your ambition. We know you’ll love your time here, making the most of our outstanding facilities and soaking up all the experiences on offer. Whatever your interests, whatever your goals, we’re sure you’ll find your place at Kent. View the full list of courses we offer here.
While you’re here, you’ll learn from leading experts, explore the latest thinking, debate the big issues and develop your own ideas. You’ll also make new friends as part of our welcoming student community, whether that’s with other students on your course or those you meet at one of the hundreds of clubs and societies we have across our expansive Canterbury and Medway campuses.
Both of our locations offer you expansive outdoor spaces – the Canterbury campus is set in 300 acres of beautiful Kent parkland and is less than an hour from London with easy access to coast and countryside, as well as mainland Europe. Medway is set by the river in a fascinating mix of modern and historical buildings and is just 40 minutes from London by train. At Kent you can enjoy our sports centre, cinema, a wide range of cafés, restaurants and bars, and an on-campus nightclub.
Kent will give you a truly international community that celebrates intellectual and cultural diversity. Award-winning student support is provided by a dedicated team who can assist across a range of different needs including academic, financial and mental health. We are committed to your employability and you’ll have access to an on-site careers centre as well as opportunities to take part in extracurricular activities to develop your skills further.
Many of our courses also include the option to spend a year in industry where you will gain practical experience and earn a salary before returning for your final year. You can also personalise your degree by including a year in Journalism, Computing, Data Analytics or a Language. If exploring the world is more your thing, Kent also offers students the option to study abroad for a year.
Make your ambition count at the University of Kent.
Facilities
Our two excellent libraries, the Templeman at Canterbury and the Drill Hall at Medway house extensive print and online collections – they hold over 1.1 million books, journals and multimedia, plus there is a vast range of e-books and e-resources. There are hundreds of study spaces and specific zones for different types of study. You can get advice from subject-specific librarians and we provide IT equipment as well as training and support to help you make the most of the facilities available. There are hundreds of PCs across our campuses, which are fully Wi-Fi-enabled (as is the inter-campus shuttle bus). And even when studying off campus, you have access to the network and its resources.
We have an outstanding selection of sports facilities based at Canterbury; including fitness suite, sports halls, fitness and dance studio, squash courts, martial arts, boxing and combat sports training areas, as well as an indoor tennis court and pitches for football, rugby and American football. We also have our Cycle Hub, which offers short-term bicycle hire. All of these facilities are also accessible by students based at Medway; and Medway Park has its own sports offering.
We are proud of the diverse choice available when it comes to eating on our campuses. There’s something for everyone, with bistros serving made-to-order food, cafés for coffee breaks, freak shakes for those with a sweet tooth, and even weekly menus inspired by street food from around the world. Vegetarian, vegan and halal options are widely available on both campuses. In the evening you can enjoy the atmosphere at our various campus venues, whether that’s listening to live music, picking your brains on quiz nights, watching sporting events on big screens, or just chilling with friends over dinner – it’s up to you.
Courses and fees
Enjoy gold-rated teaching on our expansive campuses – the rolling greens of our self-contained Canterbury campus, or the waterfront ambience of our dockside Medway campus.
A great teacher doesn't just teach you, they inspire you. We are renowned for a teaching style that brings your subject to life and encourages you to think independently. Our outstanding teaching was rated gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
We offer a wide range of courses across the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities and provide excellent physical and online resources to support your studies, including specialist facilities meaning you’ll learn using professional-standard equipment.
Many of our degrees offer the possibility of taking a year in industry where you can gain valuable workplace experience, or a year abroad where you can work or study in another country. Our focus is on helping you to gain a broad range of skills, experience and knowledge to ensure you excel in the graduate job market.
Learn more
Undergraduate courses - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/search/
Postgraduate courses - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/
Fees - https://www.kent.ac.uk/finance-student/student-finance-guide/tuition_fees.html
Accommodation
University is where people not only come to learn, but to make connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. Friendships are forged with those on your course; those you meet through societies, and importantly those you live with.
New first-year students who select Kent as their first choice are guaranteed a place in University accommodation. At the Canterbury campus, most rooms are en suite and many offer catering options, while all postgraduate rooms are en suite and self-catered. Rooms are available in flats, shared houses and traditional college halls.
At Medway, rooms are available a short walk from the campus; they are all en suite and arranged in flats of five to eight people. Pier Quays is managed by Unite Students, separate from the University, and shared with students from Canterbury Christ Church and Greenwich universities.
At both Canterbury and Medway, student union advice centres provide help and guidance for students who choose to live off campus.
You can take a look around our accommodation online at www.kent.ac.uk/virtualtours
Open Days and Virtual Events
Why come to an Open Day?
Joining a Virtual Open Day is the ideal way to see first-hand where you could be studying and living if you apply for a place at Kent. It also offers you the opportunity to hear from, and ask questions of, current students and lecturers. They also give the opportunity to take virtual tours around our campuses.
Throughout 2020 we have held multiple virtual Open Days for both undergraduate and postgraduate study, with more planned for 2021. You can see full details of these on our website.
Not only can you speak to current students via our Open Day but you can also ask any questions via the Unibuddy platform. You can talk to one of our students here: www.kent.ac.uk/unibuddy. This is a fantastic way to get honest opinions from our students and to ask the questions that you may not wish to ask our staff. They will also be able to tell you about the student experience at Kent and what they enjoy about studying with us.
In person visits
Due to the nature or our spacious, expansive campuses, we are delighted that we are able offer in person tours (dependent on current UK Government guidance). This will give you the opportunity to explore all of our glorious outside spaces. You will also be able to see the buildings that you would be staying in/studying in.
We also recommend you take some time to visit the local area while you are here. Canterbury is a thriving historical town with many shops, clubs, and things to do in the area, including visiting Canterbury Cathedral. It also has great transport links with two train stations and multiple bus routes straight to the University and around the local area.
The Medway campus is situated on the exciting Chatham Historic Dockyard and is also close to St Mary’s Island which is part of the development area in Medway which has some lovely cafes and shops. It also has excellent transport links into London and a free bus to the Canterbury campus for students.
We also offer self-guided tours. You can pick up a copy of our tour leaflet from the visitors reception in the registry building and use this to find out more about the University and the buildings as you walk around. As well as this we have an audio tour which you can use to hear about the university as you tour the campus.
Living here
At Kent, we’re working hard to keep our students and our staff safe. Our “Safe, Study, Social” ethos outlines our approach to ensuring that everyone is able to live and work on campus safely. You can visit the Safe, Study, Social section of our website to find out about the safety measures that we have in place in study areas, our accommodation and other shared spaces; we update these regularly in line with current guidance.
We know that university is about more than just studying, which is why we are also encouraging people to safely socialise. Both of our UK campuses offer expansive outdoor spaces – we have 300 acres of green space at Canterbury and open waterfronts in Medway. We have a sports centre, a cinema, a number of cafés and restaurants and are championing socially distanced outdoor activities such as outdoor cinema. There are on campus shops, as well as clubs, which under normal circumstances host a variety of exciting opportunities to socialise (currently being done online).
Canterbury is a vibrant city, offering plenty to do and see with a warm and inclusive atmosphere – the city is an eclectic mix of medieval buildings (including the world-famous Cathedral), lively bars and clubs, atmospheric pubs and both national chains and independent shops. The city centre is a 25-minute walk from campus, making it easily accessible when you want a break from studying.
If you’re based on our Medway campus there’s plenty to do locally, including shopping at the Dockside retail outlet or in the plethora of independent shops of Rochester or Chatham. And when you’re ready for a break from the cobbled streets and historic architecture, there are plenty of bars and riverside restaurants for you to visit.
Our campuses have excellent transport links, both to central London and to mainland Europe. This gives you plenty of options for exploration, over a weekend or even just a day. Closer to home you can spend some time getting to know the glorious Kent coast and countryside.
All our European centres are based within some of the most exciting and historic cities in the world. We are the only UK university to have a centre in Brussels, considered to be the ‘capital of Europe’. Studying in Brussels your classroom is the city itself. Our programmes take advantage of the inspirational location that is home to the European Union, NATO and many other international organisations. The city itself is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city with a truly international feel.
In Paris too, all our programmes are designed to take advantage of the location with its rich culture and history. The city has a multitude of museums, art exhibitions, archives, cinemas and world famous historical sites which we encourage our students to enjoy and take advantage of.
Term dates
2023-2024
Undergraduate Programme
Welcome Week: 18 September 2023 - 22 September 2023
Autumn Term: 25 September 2023 - 15 December 2023
Spring Term: 15 January 2024 - 5 April 2024
Summer Term: 6 May 2024 - 14 June 2024
Postgraduate Taught Programme
Welcome Week: 18 September 2023 - 22 September 2023
Autumn Term: 25 September 2023 - 15 December 2023
Spring Term: 15 January 2024 - 5 April 2024
Summer Term: 6 May 2024 - 15 September 2024
2024-2025
Undergraduate Programme
Welcome Week: 16 September 2024 - 20 September 2024
Autumn Term: 23 September 2024 - 13 December 2024
Spring Term: 13 January 2025 - 4 April 2025
Summer Term: 5 May 2025 - 13 June 2025
Postgraduate Taught Programme
Welcome Week: 16 September 2024 - 20 September 2024
Autumn Term: 23 September 2024 - 13 December 2024
Spring Term: 13 January 2025 - 4 April 2025
Summer Term: 5 May 2025 - 14 September 2025
Contact us
Canterbury: University of Kent Canterbury Kent CT2 7NZ England |
Medway: University of Kent Medway Building Chatham Maritime Kent England ME4 4AG |
+44 (0)1227 764000
kent.ac.uk
Top Questions
Do you have any famous or notable alumni?
We have loads of famous alumni but here’s a handful:
- Alan Davies - comedian and actor
- Tom Wilkinson OBE - actor, Oscar nominee
- Kazuo Ishiguro - novelist, Man Booker Prize winner and Nobel Prize winner.
- Gavin Esler - BBC Newsnight presenter
- Ellie Goulding - singer/songwriter (did not graduate)
- Paul Ackford - former England rugby player, The Sunday Telegraph sports journalist
- David Lepper - former Labour Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
What grants/scholarships do you offer?
You can find details of all of our scholarships here: www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships
What's university welfare and disability support like?
There’s lots of disability support at Kent. You can find details of everything here: www.kent.ac.uk/studentsupport/disabilities
What support is available to students who are struggling for any reason?
We will do everything we can to help make your time at university a positive experience. We offer a wide range of student support and you can find details here: www.kent.ac.uk/studentsupport
What social events do you offer when people first join to help people make friends and settle in?
We offer loads of events and inductions during Welcome Week. These offer a great opportunity to meet other new students, find out more about all the societies and activities you can get involved in as well as find out more about your course. To get an idea of the types of events that are held, have a look at what we did in the first few weeks of term this year: kentunion.co.uk/freshers/events
What percentage of your students get a full time job after 6 months of graduating?
96% of graduates are in work or further study 6 months after they graduate
Travel information
The University of Kent has its main campus, administration and switchboard in Canterbury:
University of Kent,
Canterbury,
Kent,
England,
CT2 7NZ