University of Kent, Canterbury Campus

Services & Facilities

The Canterbury campus is built on 300 acres of parkland and is less than 20 minutes walk from Canterbury city centre. The Complete University Guide 2012 has named Canterbury as the safest city for students in England and Wales. Residential, teaching and administrative buildings are surrounded by green open spaces, fields and woods.

The campus is self-contained, which means you are within walking distance of all the excellent facilities on offer as well as student accommodation, including the Sports Centre, the Gulbenkian Theatre and Cinema, the Templeman Library, the Medical Centre, the Computing Service, the Campus Shop and bookshop, a pharmacy, an off-licence, banks and cashpoints, bistros, bars, cafés, nightclub, the Students’ Union, The Venue nightclub, public access terminals, bus stops and launderettes, a day nursery and a chapel. If you want to explore the city centre, it is less than 30 minutes from campus and is on a direct bus route.

Canterbury accommodation

The Canterbury campus houses over 4,300 students in rooms, flats and houses.

Three of the five colleges, Eliot, Keynes and Rutherford, accommodate undergraduate students in rooms arranged in corridors, on a bed and breakfast basis. Self catering accommodation is available in Darwin college and houses, Tyler court and Park Wood - a purpose-built student village on the edge of campus.

Postgraduate students are offered self-catering accommodation at Woolf College - a new development offering en suite bedrooms in flats or studios.

Off campus accommodation

Find out more

The University provides an advice service and accredited list of local housing to ensure peace of mind for students that choose to live off-campus.

All accommodation on the University list will have been visited by a staff member from the Accommodation Office and meet minimum safety standards. Most landlords already have experience of letting properties to students, and the scheme has the added advantage of dealing directly with the landlord/owner and avoiding letting agent fees or commission.

Help available:

• Free housing advice, guide and a student housing fair
• List of off-campus housing and landlords
• Accommodation message board.

Arts

The Canterbury campus has a thriving arts scene, with the Gulbenkian Theatre and Cinema, art exhibitions and other events running throughout the year. The Gulbenkian acts as a front door to the Canterbury campus. With its welcoming foyer and licensed café bar, it is a meeting place for students, staff and the general public.

Gulbenkian Theatre

The theatre seats 340 and welcomes audiences from both the student population and the wider community. Professional, student and amateur shows are presented throughout the year. There is a full range of productions each season, varying from stand-up comedy, with performers such as Rich Hall, Russell Howard and Sarah Millican, to children's theatre, dance, drama, jazz, folk, classical and world music.

The Gulbenkian welcomes student promoters and engages with the School of Arts to present a range of performances from classic to new work. The student society, T:24, presents at least one show a term in the theatre. The Gulbenkian supports graduate theatre companies by offering an annual residency to UKC graduates, currently held by Bright Shadow, a community performance company and hosting performances by graduates including Edinburgh award winners Little Bulb Theatre, Accidental Collective and comedy troupe The Noise Next Door amongst others.

Gulbenkian Cinema

Canterbury's independent film theatre, screening blockbusters, independent films and world cinema is open to both students and the general public. It has a thriving cinema club, 'GulbCineClub', which has benefits including cheaper tickets and free club screenings. The Gulbenkian Cinema works closely with the Film Studies Department and other University departments. Students from all subjects can work as ushers.

Gulbenkian Café Bar

The lively licensed café bar is a favourite haunt for all members of the University community as well as the general public. The café bar hosts the Funny Side Comedy Club and regular music nights, and is available for use by student clubs and societies.

Fine arts

The Canterbury campus has a number of exhibition spaces for artwork. The Rutherford Panoptican exhibitions are usually curated by students, while the Gulbenkian Crossover Gallery and the Keynes Atrium and Gallery display work by nationally known figures, local artists and alumni. The Studio3 Gallery in the School of Arts' Jarman Building opened in 2010. It is the University's dedicated gallery space and displays temporary exhibitions of art of a national standard and student work. Artists whose work has been exhibited during 2010 include Henri Fantin-Latour, Frank Auerbach, Humphrey Ocean, Tracey Emin, the Chapman Brothers and James Barry. Planned for 2011 are major exhibitions by Ana Maria Pacheco and Art & Language.

Events

Kent runs an annual summer ArtsFest day that includes a mix of music and drama venues around the campus and ends up with a spectacular fireworks display overlooking the Cathedral. The annual WorldFest at the University, which celebrates Kent's international community and ethos, features many activities and events, all with an international theme. Other events include regular Open Lectures, given by a mixture of public figures and newly appointed professors.

Music

Thanks to a multi-million-pound donation, the University is currently completing a state-of-the-art centre for music performance on its Canterbury campus. Opening in 2012, this will be the venue for the wide range of extra-curricular music-making available to all students studying for any degree.

If you sing or play an instrument, you can join:

• The Chorus – an unauditioned choir of around 200 singers
• The Symphony Orchestra
• The Concert Band and Big Band – open to all wind, brass and percussion players
• The Chamber Choir – an auditioned choir of between 20 and 25 singers
• Jazz@5.

All these groups rehearse weekly for public concerts throughout the academic year. As well as performing on campus, there are many opportunities to sing and play in the spectacular surroundings of Canterbury Cathedral, other venues in Kent and across the Channel. Visiting musicians give workshops, and University Music has an exciting partnership with the world-famous Brodsky Quartet.

Students also form their own ensembles and bands each year. Some of the colleges on the Canterbury campus have a practice room with a piano, which is available to all students. You also have the opportunity to get involved in other musical events and activities by joining the various student music societies.

Concerts on campus

There are many other concerts at the University, featuring all kinds of music, ranging from classical and jazz to world and folk. The University presents a regular series of popular lunchtime concerts at the Gulbenkian Theatre that feature both professional and University performers.

The annual ArtsFest on the Canterbury campus provides an exciting finale to the year and showcases a whole range of student musicians.

Sport

Kent Sport is based at the sports centre on the Canterbury campus and offers all students the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of activities. If you enjoy trying new things, would like to lead a healthier lifestyle whilst meeting and socialising with new people, or if you are an experienced sportsperson looking to improve, Kent has the facilities you need.

Sport and recreation is a big part of student life at the University and the Canterbury campus offers a wide range of facilities for you to use and activities for you to do.

Facilities/services

More than 4,000 student Sports Centre members enjoy facilities that include;

• a fitness suite,
• two multi-purpose sports halls,
• squash courts
• dance studio.

You can also enjoy use of the outdoor playing fields complex, which has two artificial pitches, grass pitches and tennis/ netball courts. The outdoor facilities also include The Pavilion, which offers fantastic amenities to its users. It has underground heating in the changing rooms, a superb café/bar with Sky TV and viewing balconies overlooking both grass and artificial pitches.

Sports Federation

The Sports Federation is part of the Students’ Union and runs over 30 student sports clubs, ranging from American football to kick-boxing, cricket, skiing, fencing and snowboarding.

The colleges

The five colleges at Kent are each named after distinguished British figures – Darwin, Eliot, Keynes, Rutherford and Woolf (the postgraduate college). They are more than just halls of residence because, in addition to living, social and catering facilities, they also house lecture theatres, seminar rooms, computer terminal rooms and academic schools.

All students and academic staff belong to a college, so you have plenty of opportunities to meet people studying different subjects. The colleges give you access to a ready-made community from the moment you arrive. Each college has a Master, who is responsible for student welfare within their college.

Many social activities are also organised on a collegiate basis, and each college has a Student Committee that covers almost every aspect of student life. The Student Committee makes an active contribution to the way colleges are run by representing student interests and organising events and entertainment.

Facilities on campus

Campus life centres round five colleges, the Templeman Library, the Students’ Centre, purpose-built science laboratories and teaching buildings, including the brand new, state-of-theart Jarman Building, which houses the University's School of Arts. There are also plenty of places to eat on campus, including a traditional dining hall, bistros, cafés and sandwich bars, which serve all types of food at reasonable prices. You can also buy snacks and hot drinks from shops and vending machines across the campus.

Food and drink

There are around a dozen outlets across campus, offering a range of food including:

• breakfast, brunch, lunch and evening meals, with vegetarian dishes and an extensive salad bar
• cooked-to-order Mediterranean-style cuisine
• burgers and Tex-Mex options
• takeaway food for those in a hurry, including freshly made sandwiches and baguettes
• pizzas and paninis.

Snacks and other essentials are also available from vending machines across campus. The Canterbury campus has been awarded Fairtrade status and all our outlets sell Fairtrade tea, coffee and other items.

KentOne card

When you arrive at Kent, you are given a multifunctional photo ID card, known as the KentOne card. You can also use it as a debit card to buy food, drink and other items in campus outlets.

Shops and launderettes

There are two shops on campus, selling grocery and household items, together with a bookshop and a pharmacy. There are launderettes located in residential areas across campus.

Support and services

There are approximately 11,000 students at the Canterbury campus, including undergraduates and postgraduates, plus lecturers, research staff, members of the local community and overseas students on a year abroad.

All students have access to our first-class facilities and the wide range of services and support provided by the University and Kent Union.

Templeman Library

The Templeman Library, at the centre of the Canterbury campus, provides a wealth of resources and services to support your studies throughout your time at the University. With printed books and journals, multimedia items, and subscriptions to a wide range of electronic resources, the Library's collections are specifically aimed at supporting the courses and subject areas taught at Kent.

What the library offers

• Long opening hours throughout the year to ensure the Library's services are available at times that are convenient for you.
• An open-access Core Text Collection holding course reading material.
• A café with lounge area for more relaxed study, as well as discussion and study areas (many equipped with student PCs). Students can also borrow wireless-enabled laptops for use within the Library.
• Wireless access throughout the building for laptops and compatible mobile devices.
• Student PCs offering high-speed internet access, self-service printing and a range of Microsoft Office and academic software.
• An extensive range of electronic resources that have been purchased by the library for the exclusive use of Kent students and staff. These include full text e-journals, e-books, newspaper archives, databases and reference works, which are accessible to you at any time, from wherever you are.
• A powerful online Library catalogue to help you find the items you need and discover other useful resources.
• A range of self-service options to make it easy for you to borrow, recall and renew items, and to request material from other libraries.
• Collections and archives of rare, historic and specialised material relevant to a wide range of subject areas.
• Fully-equipped presentation practice rooms to help you fine-tune your presentation skills.
• Specialist subject advice and training in library and information skills.
• IT and library support staff throughout the Library, who are happy to help, in person, by telephone or via email.

IT services

Whether you want to produce coursework, collaborate online, conduct research, or improve your IT skills, IT Services are here to support you. We also constantly explore new communication technologies to help you keep in touch with family and friends.

What IT Services offers

you can use your PC to watch digital TV from your bedroom, or make free/cheap calls home over the web.

• Over a thousand PCs for students use across the Canterbury campus, in the Templeman Library, colleges, academic schools and other locations. You can also borrow a laptop for use within the Library.
• A wide range of software on student PCs, including Microsoft Office, and specialist and course-specific programs.
• Self-service printing in colour or black and white.
• Your own Kent email account, which will remain available to you even after you graduate.
• An online student portal with personalised timetables, modules and course information, news, plus other information and services that are relevant to you.
• Wireless access to the internet and the Kent network across the campus.
• Access to the internet and Kent network (using your own PC) from student bedrooms on campus.
• Remote access to files and resources on the Kent network, allowing you to work from home or on the move.
• Help and support for using Kent IT facilities, in person, by phone, email or via an online chat service. Self-help user guides are also available.

Training

IT training workshops and online learning materials are available to help you choose the learning style and times that best suits your needs. They cover subjects such as:

• using Microsoft packages including Word or PowerPoint
• using the web for research purposes.

Learning support

The Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) is a free, friendly advice service providing guidance and information on all aspects of effective learning and study skills to all students from the minute they arrive at the University until they finish their studies. SLAS is part of the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching and is a popular resource for undergraduates, postgraduates, full-time, part-time, mature, European and international students.

Personal support services at Canterbury

There is a network of student support and back-up services on the Canterbury campus, where you can go to get help and good advice.

Medical centre

University Medical Centre

The Medical Centre is a specialist GP practice on the Canterbury campus, providing care tailored to meet all the health needs of students at the University. All services are completely confidential. The University Nursing Service (in Keynes College) provides nursing care for in-patients, a minor casualty service, and support and advice to students seven days a week during term-time. There is also a pharmacy next door to the Medical Centre.

We strongly advise you to register with a doctor’s surgery close to your term-time accommodation. By registering under the NHS system you qualify for treatment here and in many reciprocating countries abroad. You should also register with a local NHS dentist.

Disability and Dyslexia

Our core services include:

• support for students with specific learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyspraxia
• support for students with physical or sensory impairments and medical conditions
• help with applications for the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

We have a team of tutors who can provide individual specialist tuition and support assistants who can help with note-taking and other learning support requirements.

We recommend that if you have a specific learning difficulty and/or disability you apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance as soon as you make your UCAS choices.

We encourage all students who have a disability or specific learning difficulty to contact us before starting at the University, to discuss their support needs.

Nursery

The Oaks Day Nursery on the Canterbury campus has been established for over 30 years. The Nursery has been run by Kent Union since November 2007 and provides a warm, caring and stimulating environment where children can develop and grow to their full potential. Children are cared for in four rooms that cater for different ages and abilities; there is also a large outdoor play area.

The Oaks Day Nursery is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all children and families, and discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, age, religion, colour, marital status, ethnicity or political belief, is not tolerated in this setting.

The Chaplaincy

The Chaplaincy team is both ecumenical and multi-faith. We have two full-time chaplains (Anglican and Catholic) and several part-time members who serve all the main Christian denominations as well as the Buddhist, Islamic and Jewish faith communities at Kent.

We lead worship on the Canterbury campus on Sundays and run a number of weekday services, and students have plenty of opportunities to learn more about their own faith-traditions.

There is an attractive small chapel in Eliot College on the Canterbury campus that is regularly used for worship and is open to everybody for quiet prayer and meditation. There is also a mosque in Giles Lane on the edge of campus.

Counselling Service

Going away to university is an important time of transition and personal development. There may be a period when you begin to feel that you would benefit from some professional counselling. The goal of counselling is to empower, encourage and support you to help yourself. Evidence tells us that the vast majority of students who have been for counselling find it a valuable experience.

The University Counselling Service, based on the Canterbury campus, is open all year round for all students. We offer a confidential service and invite you to book an initial half-hour assessment which gives you the opportunity to explore what you most want to achieve from counselling before you decide to take it further. In addition to individual counselling sessions, we run workshops and courses on: councelling skills; mindfulness; assertiveness training; mental wealth and well-being; relaxation; graduation and beyond; boosting confidence; and other topics according to demand. Some of these may be run in conjunction with indoor labyrinth walks held in the Senate Chamber once a month. You can also visit our website for useful links and information on a wide range of topics related to good health and well-being.

Equality and diversity

The University is committed to creating and supporting a balanced, inclusive and diverse community which is open and accessible to all students. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or bullying of any groups or individuals, and we provide comprehensive student guidelines that outline ways of ensuring fair and consistent behaviour.

Security

Kent is one of the safest places in which to study but we do recognise that some students may feel vulnerable, particularly at night. Our trained, in-house security officers are on duty 24 hours per day and regularly patrol the campus on foot, on bicycles and in marked vehicles, and CCTV cameras are also monitored in Campus Watch. We offer a service to accompany anyone who feels vulnerable across campus and we also offer free personal attack alarms. Some accommodation areas have their own night security officer; where this is the case, the security officers are also the building officers.

Students' union

Kent Union, the Students’ Union at Kent, is run ‘by the students, for the students’. It provides a wide variety of facilities, represents students’ interests at the University and in the wider community, and offers help, support and advice when needed.

Facilities and entertainment

The Venue and The Attic, run by Kent Union are student-only venues located in the centre of campus and play host to a variety of entertainment to suit every genre of music. Recently refurbished, The Venue is open four nights a week, offering two floors of state-of-the-art design, sound and lighting where lots of different club nights are held, from commercial to cheese, dance to disco and a variety of theme nights. It has played host to a huge range of live acts, including Zane Lowe, Ministry of Sound, Florence and the Machine, Pendulum, Coolio, Reggie Yates, S Club and the stars of The X Factor. The Venue has won a number of awards for its efforts in maintaining a safe environment and looking after the welfare of its customers, including the 2009 ‘Best Bar None’ award.

The Attic, which opened in 2010, is the place for live entertainment including local, student bands and mainstream bands, DJs and musicians. Open six nights a week, it hosts the more niche entertainment nights such as Jazz, Comedy, Trance, Dubstep and Drum n Base so there will be something on offer for you to enjoy every week!

Kent Union also runs Woody’s, a traditional pub serving tasty homemade food in the heart of Park Wood, Rutherford Bar, a stylish bar that serves homemade pizzas, panninis and ice cream, and the Library Café serving coffee and snacks. Shops on campus run by Kent Union include Essentials, one of the biggest students’ union shops in the UK, and Park Wood Essentials, where you can find everything from food to health and beauty items. It also runs Extras, an off-licence with a large selection of stationery. Recently, Kent Union opened UNIque, selling University of Kent clothing and memorabilia.

Getting involved

As a student at Kent, you can get involved in all sorts of activities. All academic courses have student representatives who contribute to the way their subjects are run, and most locations (such as the colleges) have student committees that represent students’ views and organise social activities. Other ways of getting involved include becoming a member of Union Council (Kent Union’s governing body) and standing for part-time officer positions within the Students’ Union itself.

Clubs and societies

Kent Union currently has about 100 different societies and 40 different sports clubs.

A good way of following a current interest or taking up a new one is to join one of the many clubs and societies run by Kent Union.

Societies at Canterbury reflect the wide spectrum of student interests; music, dance, current affairs, photography, film, chess, paintball and science are just a few examples of what is on offer. Different faiths and nationalities are also well represented along with subject-related societies. If you have an interest that is not represented, you can also start your own society with help from Kent Union.

Volunteering

Kent Union offers you the opportunity to enhance your CV and gain work experience by getting involved with volunteering. This can be anything from tutoring, working with the elderly, conservation activities or stewarding at concerts. Kent Union can arrange local placements that fit in with your studies.

Support

Student Advice Centre

Kent Union has qualified staff who provide advice and support on issues that could affect you while you are a student, such as finance, housing issues, course problems and health matters. If we can't help you ourselves, we can point you in the direction of where you can find further assistance.

Kent Buddy Scheme

The Kent Buddy Scheme introduces applicants with an offer from Kent to students who are curerntly at the University. Future Kent students are able to get a sense of life at Kent from those who are currently enjoying the Kent experience, and be assured of a friendly face to meet them when they arrive.

Jobshop

Kent Union also run Jobshop@kent, which can help you find part-time or temporary work whilst studying at the University

Student Life

Canterbury is a vibrant city with a warm and friendly atmosphere, within easy reach of London, France and Belgium. The city has been permanently inhabited since pre-Roman times. Augustine established his first cathedral and abbey around AD600, and in medieval times the city became a centre for pilgrimage to the shrine of St Thomas Becket, famously depicted in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The playwright Christopher Marlowe was born here and the Treaty of Canterbury, which paved the way for the building of the Channel Tunnel, was signed in Canterbury Cathedral by Her Majesty the Queen and François Mitterand, then President of France.

Historic city

The city’s medieval history is easy to see in its streets and buildings and in the world-famous cathedral, which is the venue for the University’s degree ceremonies. The Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s church make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbey marked the rebirth of Christianity in southern England and the church, the oldest parish church in England, is still used for worship.

Cosmopolitan environment

Canterbury has a thriving cosmopolitan atmosphere as befits Britain’s closest city to continental Europe. There has been significant investment in recent years; the new multi-million-pound Whitefriars development has transformed a substantial part of the city centre and is a fantastic shopping location where you can find all the major high street names. The city has a unique charm, with past and present sitting comfortably together and there are plenty of specialist shops, as well as many restaurants, pubs and bars.

Cultural centre

Canterbury is a cultural city with a strong focus on the arts. There are a number of galleries and the annual Canterbury Festival attracts thousands of visitors from across the UK and Europe. The city is also home to the Marlowe Theatre, which hosts national touring productions of West End shows and attracts top artists from the worlds of dance, music, comedy, drama, ballet and opera. The theatre is undergoing a massive redevelopment and will open in September 2011 as the ‘New Marlowe’, which will firmly position Canterbury as the place to enjoy a superb theatrical experience.

Night life

Canterbury has lots to offer in terms of great nightlife. The venue, Chill, is a five-star club with booths available for hire, celebrity guests/DJs and a unique mix of events including a weekly student night. Club Chemistry, near Canterbury East station is a popular student haunt and features the very best in old-school classics and party, commercial R&B/Hip Hop and dance. Club Chemistry hosts two student nights a week and offers plenty of promotional deals. Studio 41 is another favourite, with its ‘Girls and Boys’ night on Saturdays, unmissable theme nights and regular guest appearances.

There are also plenty of traditional pubs and bars, including The Farmhouse, which has live music nights and DJ sets. Canterbury also hosts its own summer festival, Lounge on the Farm, which is rapidly becoming one of the ‘must do’ events of the year and has featured major artists such as the Super Furry Animals, The Coral, Roots Manuva, Beardyman, Courtney Pine, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas plus DJ sets by Kevin Rowland and Terry Hall.

Transport links

You can easily do a day trip to either London or Paris from Canterbury. It is only 56 miles from London on the M2/A2 and high-speed trains run regularly between Canterbury West and London St Pancras and take under an hour. Regular trains also run to and from London Victoria, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge - journey time is approximately 90 minutes.

You can also take the Eurostar from Ashford or Ebbsfleet to arrive in Paris or Brussels in less than two hours. The Channel ports are less than 20 miles away, and it is only 30 minutes’ drive to the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone.

The region

Canterbury is situated in Kent, known as the ‘Garden of England’, and offers you the opportunity to live and study in one of the most picturesque areas of the country. East Kent has 120 miles of coastline, and a number of its beaches have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag for their environmental management, safety, and water quality. The nearest coastal town to Canterbury is Whitstable, where you can get involved in many water sports including windsurfing, yachting and water-skiing, as well as sampling its famous array of seafood. Kent is also renowned for its historical past and Canterbury is just a short distance from a number of castles and forts.

During their second and third years, many students choose to live in the local towns of Whitstable, Herne Bay and Faversham, which are on bus routes to Canterbury and have direct rail links to London.