University of Kent in United Kingdom

The small community of students and staff who arrived in 1965 were our pioneers, shaping the University of Kent into the inclusive, international and inspiring community that it is today.

From a university started with some 500 students and 150 staff on a greenfield (and rather muddy) site, the University of Kent has grown today into an institution of over 19,000 students and over 3,000 staff. Consistent top 20 positions in major league tables and two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes reinforce its enviable reputation for the quality and distinctiveness of its academic activities and locations. With campuses at Canterbury and Medway and centres in Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome, Kent is “the UK’s European university".

Our University strategy

We aim to be a community that inspires students from a wide range of backgrounds to find and shape their place in the world, and where academics are free to explore and deepen our understanding of it.

Our Kent 2025 Strategy outlines the projects and key strategic initiatives that will ensure we deliver this. We've also recently published our Mid-Term Review, which builds on this with progress to date, some adjustments based on what we've learned so far, and how the remaining objectives will be realised.

Our Vision

Our education and research, and the talents of our staff and students, will support social, economic, cultural, intellectual and public life in ways that will make us one of the leading civic universities.

We will remain distinctive among our peers in operating with a major stake in continental Europe, with a strong European dimension in our academic activity. We will be delivering education in a variety of ways; face-to-face, online and through alternative routes, in particular, higher and degree apprenticeships.

Our values

We have always been a university that equally values education and research, believing that one enhances the other. We work as a community, based on collegiality. Freedom of speech within the law and freedom of inquiry are fundamental. We are outward looking; we embrace change and are willing to do things differently and see things differently.

We value excellence and we support potential, wherever it may be found.

WHY KENT

We celebrate individuality and champion equality.
Kent is a place for everyone, somewhere you can be yourself. Whether you’re an out-of-the-box thinker, boundary-breaker or change-maker, this is where you’ll get ahead and find your place as part of a global community.

Why study at University of Kent?

• Great locations
  Great green spaces. Historic sites. Beaches galore. Cobbled streets. Riverside views. Independent shops. Rooftop bars. London only an hour away by train. It’s all here.

• Top 50 university
  15 subjects ranked in the top 20. 38th in the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings based on REF 2021.

• NetZero committed by 2040
  We’re a top 30 vegan-friendly uni. We’re ranked 29th in the People and Planet University League. We embed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into everything we do.

• 250+ clubs and societies
  Whether your passion is sport or sustainability, you’re a foodie or keen on gaming, there are lots to choose from.

• Diverse community
  The world is on your doorstep at Kent. Our community is made up of people from different backgrounds, of different ages and from over 152 nationalities.

Our locations

• Canterbury
  A stunning, green campus within walking distance of the city.

• Medway
  Award-winning historical buildings and a vibrant student hub.

• Paris
  Study the arts in one of the most culturally rich cities in the world.

University of Kent Ranking

In the QS World University Rankings 2024, Kent has been ranked 39th within the UK and is in the top 25% of Higher Education Institutions worldwide.

Visit us Virtually or on Campus

Our Open Events offer both face-to-face and virtual options, providing an opportunity to meet our staff and current students across our UK campuses and Paris centre. We also attend a wide range of events around the world, check our international events page and meet us in person, if you are not from the UK.

Interested in Postgraduate study? Sign-up to our Postgraduate on demand event to discover more about our career focussed programmes offered in the UK and Europe.
Apply now to join our world and start building your future.

Scholarships

The University of Kent has a long-standing relationship with Chevening, which has successfully placed scholars from all over the world at the university for many years. Kent is proud to be a Chevening partner, and offers three partner scholarships, in addition to the standard Chevening Scholarships.
The University of Kent welcomes applications from all Chevening-eligible countries for any one-year taught master’s degree starting in September 2024, based at our UK campuses.