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University of Kent

About

Here at Kent, we are all part of a vibrant, creative, and inclusive university seeking to make our mark. When you choose Kent for international study, you choose the perfect gateway to the world beyond. A place for unlocking your ambition. Taking your vision forward. Achieving your goals.

In the QS World University Rankings 2025, Kent has been ranked 380th in the world and 40th within the UK.

Here at Kent, we are all part of a vibrant, creative, and inclusive university seeking to make our mark. When you choose Kent for international study, you're the perfect gateway to the world beyond. A place for unlocking your ambition. Taking your vision forward. Achieving your goals.

You’ll join a diverse community of creative and critical thinkers who will inspire as well as challenge you to push the boundaries of your subject. Whether your next step is to discover more about your interests or pursue a long-standing career ambition, we’ll work together to help you shape your future.

At our UK campuses in Canterbury and Medway, you’ll find a safe and welcoming environment at Kent. As well as outstanding teaching that exposes you to new ideas, you’ll have access to first-class facilities, academic and well-being support, and a host of extra-curricular opportunities to extend your experience.

To support you during your studies, our generous scholarship fund includes awards for musical and sporting excellence and exclusive scholarships for international students.

Inspiring teaching led by research

Kent’s approach to research has always been interdisciplinary and collaborative. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), our reputation was confirmed as a world-leading research university across the arts and humanities, sciences, and social sciences. For you, this means that you’ll be joining a community that pushes boundaries, that is ambitious, innovative, and intent on making a positive difference in people’s lives. You’ll learn from leading thinkers whose work informs their teaching and who understand what it takes to produce world-leading research.

Great student experience

With 157 nationalities on campus, the world is on your doorstep at Kent. You’ll become part of our diverse and friendly community and make friends with people from all over the globe through our many student societies, sports clubs, and international groups.

Celebrate with us by joining in with festivals and events such as Diwali, Holi, Thanksgiving, or the Chinese New Year. Look out for WorldFest too, our annual celebration of our international community.

Your future starts here

We want your life after graduation to match your ambitions so, wherever possible, we build real-world experience into your degree to help you develop the professional skills you need to succeed. We make sure that our facilities mirror those you’ll encounter in the industry to help you hit the ground running and give you a serious advantage in the graduate world. You can add value to your degree by opting to take a year in industry or internship too: great development for you and invaluable experience for your future career.

For support with what comes next or to discover where your degree could take you, our award-winning Careers and Employability Service provides practical support from day one and up to three years after you graduate. If your plans involve working in the UK after graduation, Kent Union will support you in applying for the Graduate Route.

Read more on the institution's website

Whether you study at one of our stunning UK campuses or at our specialist European centers, a friendly welcome and superb student experience awaits. Here’s a taste of what you can expect.

Canterbury

A beautiful and friendly city, rich in history and home to nearly 30,000 students. Medieval buildings sit alongside lively bars and pubs and a wide range of shops and restaurants. Less than an hour from London, and surrounded by towns, villages, countryside, and beaches, Canterbury offers the best of all worlds.

Overlooking the Cathedral, our hill-top parkland campus has fantastic teaching, study, and social facilities including high-quality student accommodation, the Templeman Library, a sports center, a medical center, a theatre, a nightclub, a cinema, restaurants, bars, and shops.

Medway

There's lots to discover in Medway: historic towns, beautiful country parks, and riverside bars and restaurants.

Our Medway campus is based on two sites – Pembroke and The Historic Dockyard Chatham – and has exceptional facilities including an industry-standard newsroom, laboratories, post-production studios, music rehearsal rooms, and digital filmmaking suites. The campus has a lively and friendly atmosphere, with great food and entertainment at student-friendly prices.

Brussels

Home to European Union institutions, NATO, and many other international organizations and NGOs, Brussels is the world center of international affairs. Our programs take advantage of this and our students enjoy unparalleled opportunities for networking, academic development, and professional advancement. Our center's purpose-designed facilities include 24/7 quiet study space, lecture halls and seminar rooms, and office space for doctoral researchers.

Paris

One of the most culturally rich cities in the world, Paris becomes your classroom as you follow in the footsteps of eminent intellectuals who have lived in, and taken inspiration from, this remarkable city. The content of all our Paris programs is designed to take advantage of the location, with study trips to the city’s museums, art exhibitions, archives, cinemas, and architectural riches an integral part of your studies.

Our School is based in the Columbia Global Center (Reid Hall), a global research and study center shared with partner institutions, in the district of Montparnasse. It is next to the Latin quarter, a district teeming with student life focused around the historic Sorbonne.

We have over 5,300 study bedrooms at Canterbury and over 1,100 at Medway. At our Canterbury campus, we offer a wide range of high-quality student accommodations to meet your needs and budget. Whichever option you choose you can be confident of a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment.

Self-catered accommodation

Perfect if you want to cook your meals and occasionally dine out. We offer self-catered accommodation in Darwin College, Keynes, Turing, Tyler Court, and Park Wood and at our dedicated postgraduate accommodation in Woolf College.

Part-catered accommodation

If you don’t want the hassle of preparing all of your meals, our part-catered accommodation is ideal. Our two on-campus options are:

Bed and Bistro

Available to residents in Keynes College and Becket Court, this package includes breakfast and dinner at Dolce Vita on weekdays and brunch and dinner at Rutherford Dining Hall on weekends and Bank Holidays.

Bed and Flex

Available to residents of Eliot and Rutherford Colleges, this catering and accommodation package includes a £10 daily allowance to spend on food in a choice of campus venues, seven days per week, during term time.

Liberty Quays

A great accommodation option for our Medway students. You will stay in your en-suite room in a flat for between 5 to 8 students, and each flat has a spacious kitchen. The cost of accommodation includes utility bills, internet connectivity, and personal contents insurance.

    Scholarship value

    The award covers tuition fees, return airfares and living costs for a one-year taught Master's programme.

    Deadline

    Deadline for Commonwealth application: - 12 December 2024.

    Hold an unconditional offer (with the only outstanding condition, international fee deposit) of a programme of study from the University of Kent - 31 January 2025

    Criteria

    To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, candidates must:

    • Hold an undergraduate degree at UK first-class level equivalent.
    • Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by one of the eligible Commonwealth countries listed or be a British Protected Person.
    • Be a permanent resident in one of the eligible Commonwealth countries listed above.
    • To be committed to the University of Kent, you can apply for more than one course and/or to more than one University, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship.
    • Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country.
    • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
    • Return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete. In some circumstances, a student may be permitted to remain in the UK if seeing doctoral study and satisfy certain strict conditions.
    • Hold an offer by the deadline for a full-time postgraduate taught degree on one of the eligible courses at the University of Kent: 
      • MSc Artificial Intelligence
      • MSc Infectious Diseases
      • MSc Cyber Security
      • MA International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
      • MSc Applied Actuarial Science
      • MSc Conservation Science
      • MA English and American Literature

    Further details

    Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by DFID in 1986, represent a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK Universities.

    Funded by the UK Department of International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development. They are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.

    These scholarships are offered under six themes:

    • Science and technology for development
    • Strengthening health systems and capacity
    • Promoting global prosperity
    • Strengthening global peace, security and governance
    • Strengthening resilience and response to crises - Access, inclusion and opportunity.

    How to apply

    To be considered for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship you must:

    • Make a formal application for a postgraduate degree at the University of Kent commencing September 2025/26. This can be done online here.
    • Complete the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) online application process. For information on how to do that and full details of the application process please go directly to the Commonwealth Scholarships webpages.
    • Applications will be considered based on Academic Excellence and a completed application.
    • The Commonwealth will accept applications until 12th December 2024 (closing at 16:00 GMT).
    View Scholarships

    Superb student experience

    Our students consistently rate us as offering one of the best student experiences in the UK

    Global outlook

    We pride ourselves on our strong international focus and enable our students to develop a global perspective

    First-class facilities

    Kent students benefit from continual investment in facilities, academic programs, and services.

    There's so much more to Kent than lectures and seminars. You could join a student society, take up a new sport, immerse yourself in the music scene, or undertake volunteering to boost your career prospects.

    Sport and fitness

    We are committed to a ‘sport for all’ philosophy and encourage you to be more active, get fit, and have fun whilst at Kent. Whether you’re a recreational user or a serious athlete, our dedicated sports development team and fully qualified health and fitness instructors are on hand to help. Generous sports scholarships are also available.

    Arts and Culture

    Enjoy the very latest in film, theatre, art, music, history, and dance at our on-campus cinema and Gulbenkian Arts Center. You can also get involved in student-created productions and events.

    Musical community

    Music is a big part of the Kent experience. Students of all subjects can get involved in a wide range of extra-curricular music activities and there are even opportunities to perform in the spectacular surroundings of Canterbury Cathedral. Music Performance Scholarships are available to talented instrumentalists and singers.

    Clubs and societies

    Share your interests and make lifelong friends from around the world. A wide range of sporting, performance, cultural, faith, and special interest groups are available and you could even establish your society. There are also opportunities for volunteering and fundraising and to work for Kent Union’s TV and radio stations.

    Have fun on a global scale

    With our truly international community – over 159 nationalities are represented by our students – you’ll have the chance to celebrate festivals such as Holi, Thanksgiving, and Chinese New Year with students from across the world.

    Student Support and Wellbeing

    Provides support with Specific Learning Difficulties, access requirements, and Inclusive Learning Plans, as well as wellbeing support if you are experiencing any distress arising from psychological, emotional, or mental health issues.

    Careers and Employability Service

    Can help you develop employability skills, plan your career, develop your CV, and practice interviews, as well as the opportunity to attend workshops and employer visits on campus.

    Libraries

    Two libraries containing over 1.3 million books, periodicals, journals, and online resources

    • Canterbury

      Giles Ln, CT2 7NZ, Canterbury

    • Canterbury

      Canterbury, United Kingdom

      Questions

      University of Kent