One of seven new campus universities founded in England in the sixties, The University of Kent was granted its Royal Charter in 1965. The University of Kent is a University funded by the British government. The Canterbury campus is Kent's original site, founded in 1965. It is built on 300 acres of parkland overlooking Canterbury and is still growing and evolving. Modern buildings are surrounded by open green spaces, courtyards, gardens, ponds and woodland, and the view across Canterbury and the Stour valley helps to make it an attractive and friendly campus.

There are approximately 11,000 students at the Canterbury campus comprising of undergraduates, postgraduates, lecturers, research staff, members of the local community and overseas students on a year abroad. With over 120 nationalities represented, the campus has a very cosmopolitan feeling. Campus life centres round four colleges, the Templeman Library, the Students' Centre, purpose-built science laboratories and teaching buildings. There is a variety of eating facilities, including traditional dining halls, bistros and the Gulbenkian cafe bar, so students can take your pick of the cuisines on offer to suit your taste and pocket. You can also buy snacks and hot drinks from shops and vending machines across the campus.

Location

Canterbury is a small city with a warm and friendly atmosphere. It claims to have been permanently inhibited since pre-Roman times. It stands on the River Stour. The city center today shows much of its medieval history in the streets and buildings. Canterbury is a cathedral city and it's cathedral (1070) is the Mother Church of the Church of England.
Canterbury has a thriving cosmopolitan atmosphere, as befits Britain's closest city to continental Europe and streets are packed with small shops, bookshops, larger chain stores, pubs and restaurants. The city also includes a cinema, night club, swimming pool, art galleries and cricket grounds.
Canterbury has direct links with both London and the continent. London is only 56 miles away for which there is a regular coach and train service. Dover is less than 20 miles away from Canterbury, and has direct coach and rail links. It is only 30 minutes drive to the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone and from there you can be in Paris in less than two hours.

History

The main campus covers 300 acres and is just over a mile from Canterbury's city centre. In 1997 the University opened a new centre, the Bridge Wardens' College (BWC), in Chatham's Historic Dockyard. In spring 2000 the University signed an agreement with Mid-Kent College to form the University of Kent at Medway, based at Horsted in Chatham and also at BWC. Kent also has centres in Tonbridge, London and Brussels. The University has three associate colleges: Canterbury College, Mid-Kent College and South Kent College. Canterbury is probably England's most famous cathedral city.

Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church together form a world heritage site, attracting over 2.5 million visitors every year. The charm of the narrow streets and period architecture, the pedestrian high street with shops of every description From whichever direction you enter the city, the skyline is dominated by the cathedral. At 557 feet high it presides over Canterbury. It is the mother church of the Anglican Faith throughout the world, and has held pilgrimage status since 1170 when Thomas Beckett was martyred. The cathedral spans the centuries - the earliest part being the Romanesque Crypt circa 1100, the rebuilt Gothic Quire circa 1200 and the Nave built in the 14th and 15th centuries. See the famous stained glass windows and visit the tomb of Henry IV and the Black Prince. In 597, Pope Gregory of Rome sent Augustine to England to reconvert the English to Christianity. Ethelbert, King of Kent, granted land outside the city walls to build a monastery, and in 598 work began on what is now the oldest monastic site in Britain. A new museum was opened recently to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the arrival of St Augustine. In 1538 the monastery was surrendered to King Henry VIII who demolished the abbey and built, over a 15 year period, a royal palace. Today you can see the original ruins of the abbey and the Tudor brickwork of the palace.

The University of Kent's Ranking

Information extracted from The Guardian University Guide 2011