If you haven’t seen already, your timetable is ready to view in KentVision.
Make sure:
If you have any questions about your timetable, speak to your Division’s Programmes Administration Team.
Over the summer Kent’s Catering Team have been working hard to bring you some new and exciting ranges across our outlets, while reducing meal prices on average by 20% to help with the cost of living.
See some of the great new offers, price reductions and new catering ranges we have on campus this academic year…
From Saturday 16 September, the popular £3 Hot Meal Deal returned to Rutherford Dining Hall, offering you a choice between a freshly prepared plant-based or meat dish.
Plus, the popular £3 Sandwich Meal Deal, a hit during the summer break at Dolche Vita and Gulbenkian Café, has now expanded to include Sibson Café and Mungo’s.
In addition to this exciting meal deal expansion, the catering team have reduced hot food price on average by 20%. Through reducing food waste, collaborating closely with our primary food supplier, simplifying operations, and managing food expenses effectively, prices across campus have been significantly reduced. For instance, a Gulbenkian breakfast, once priced at £5.95, is now available at just £4.50, a Mungo’s burger and chips was £6.00, now £4.50, a Hut8 9” Margherita pizza was £7.00, now £4.00! Our hot main meals now start at £4.00 across our seven outlets and have reduced the lowest price coffee to £1.85 in Gulbenkian Café, Dolche Vita and Sibson Café.
This reduction in hot food prices shows our commitment to offering affordable dining options while fostering sustainability. By making meals more accessible and cost effective, we are endeavouring to enrich the campus dining experience and encouraging a culture of appreciating wholesome, budget-friendly choices.
An exciting new grab-and-go range has been introduced on campus, promising a tasty and convenient dining experience for you. The range offers a diverse selection of sandwiches, salads, snacks, fruit, desserts, and reheatable items, carefully designed to cater to a variety of tastes and dietary preferences.
The expanded range brings in delicious new additions such as Jamaican patties, granola pots, burritos, and pasta pots. These additions not only promise convenience but also introduce a burst of flavours to liven up mealtimes. Adding to the excitement, the menu showcases items from global micro brands, including Kerala Curry (Indian food), Hellas Kitchen (Greek food), Three Little Birds (Caribbean Food), and Silence of the Yams (plant-based food), providing a taste experience from around the world.
These tasty grab-and-go items are conveniently located across multiple campus locations including Rutherford Dining Hall, Gulbenkian Café, Mungo’s, Sibson Café, and Dolche Vita.
The introduction of this exciting grab-and-go range at Kent underlines a commitment to providing a diverse, flavourful, and accessible dining experience.
We launched some new Flex Meal Plan options this September. In addition to the annual Flex Meal Plan, we now have Termly and Mini Flex options which allows you to plan ahead, eat when it suits you, spend less time cooking and more time studying and socialising – all while saving you up to 50% on food. Our Mini Flex Meal Plan is a great option for commuting students who only want to eat on campus in the day and during the week, rather than paying for evenings and weekends when you aren’t here.
We have launched a new hot drink loyalty offer – buy 9 hot drinks and get your 10th free. Available in Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Café, Rutherford Dining Hall and Sibson Café. We are also continuing with our offer if you bring your own keep cup / travel mug into our outlets for a hot drink, you save 10% on your drink order.
Keep an eye out on our catering webpages and UniKentFood Instagram for catering offers, new ranges, new opening times across our outlets and more.
The Campus Shuttle is our free coach service between Canterbury and Medway campuses. The service is available to University of Kent students and staff only.
We are pleased to announce that the Campus Shuttle booking system in now live.
It is essential that you book a seat prior to travelling.
Once you have your annual pass, there are two Shuttle services that you can book onto:
For guidance on how to apply for your Annual Pass and booking a seat refer to ‘Booking Guide’.
A massive welcome or welcome back to Kent! This week is Welcome Week so there’s a ton of events happening to help you meet new people and try out new things. Here’s a taster of what’s on:
We kick off the week with Monday Funday at both Canterbury and Medway campuses. At Canterbury you can give rock climbing or laser tag a go. You can also join in with the chaos of Hungry Hippos inflatable game on the Library Lawn. At Medway there’s a giant ball bit and you can have a go on the Rodeo Sheep!
International students are invited to join our Welcome Week Global Hangout event in Darwin Conference suit, Canterbury campus. You can sample food from different cultures, join an African drumming workshop and take part in crafts and games. Book your free ticket now.
There’s lots happening on Tuesday at Medway campus with the Picnic and Pets meeting cute animals, games of laser tag and a freshers quiz with prizes!
Join the Gulbenkian’s outdoor cinema for their free screening of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on Wednesday evening. You can get some food and drink from 20:00 and the film will start from 21:00 (ish) once the sun sets.
On Wednesday it’s the Medway Welcome Fair, one of the biggest events of the year. Find out about all the societies, groups and support services. Try something new and meet lifelong friends with similar interests to you.
On the Canterbury campus you can go along to the Campus Pantry ‘pop up’ and collect items you might need for the new academic year that have been donated by previous students. Items include things like bags, crockery and pots and pans.
Canterbury’s biggest weekly student night returns with Vensday Freshers Neon Carnival at the Venue, Kent Union’s nightclub on campus. Grab your glowsticks and UV paint!
Canterbury Welcome Fair is the biggest and best opportunity to meet all our amazing student groups and grab some freebies. Have a walk around all the stalls and discover which activities and sports you can take part in throughout the year.
At Medway join the Try it Out Day for Sports and Societies. Get a taster of what is on offer when joining a club on campus. Plus, in the evening there’s UV games in the Hub including table tennis and badminton.
Canterbury Welcome Fair continues on Friday. And remember, returning students are also welcome to come along to the Welcome Fairs! Chat to all the different societies and student groups and try something new.
On Friday evening it’s the Freshers Ball – Bollywood night at The Deep End, Medway campus. Step into the vibrant world of Bollywood as you dance the night away to the hottest Bollywood tracks mixed in with the latest chart-toppers.
Saturday 23 September: Canterbury Tour and alternative club night
On Saturday you can join the elected Kent Union Officers for a tour of Canterbury city centre, showing you the best routes to go and some of the places you should visit.
In the evening, enjoy an evening of classic cocktails with friends new and old at K Bar. Or try out Canterbury’s brand new monthly alternative club night at Woody’s, featuring all your favourite indie, rock and punk anthems.
Sunday 24 September: Disney Pub Quiz
From Micky Mouse to Marvel, let your Disney knowledge shine at the Disney themed quiz at K Bar on Sunday evening.
This is just a small selection of what’s on! See all Welcome Week events.
And don’t forget to prioritise your School and Division Welcome Week events so you’re ready for when teaching begins.
As well our popular £3 Meal Deal in Rutherford Dining Hall, we have decided to continue our summer sandwich £3 Meal Deal and introduce it to more of our outlets!
The sandwich £3 Meal Deal includes a sandwich, crisps and a drink and will be available all day, while stocks last.
Outlets offering the sandwich Meal Deal include Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Cafe, Sibson Cafe, Mungo’s and Rutherford Dining Hall.
You can see all the financial support available to students on our Cost of Living Support webpages.
And please remember, if you are struggling financially, get in touch for support.
Our popular £3 Meal Deal returns to Rutherford Dining Hall from Saturday 16 September 2023.
Available Monday to Sunday:
Choose from a freshly prepared plant-based or meat option.
We also have a £3 sandwich Meal Deal running from 16 September – a great Grab and Go offer for in between lectures.
A great meal at a great price.
More support with cost of living
You can see all the financial support available to students on our Cost of Living Support webpages.
And please remember, if you are struggling financially, get in touch for support.
In 2022 Unite Students, alongside Halpin Partnership, investigated and released a report that shone a light on the experiences of Black university students in UK student accommodation.
At Kent, the Accommodation Team read that Living Black at University report and decided we needed to do better too.
As one of Kent’s first projects a new ‘Living Black at Kent’ booklet has been produced to act on one of the report’s recommendations. Collaborating with current Black students and staff for recommendations, the ‘Living Black at Kent’ booklet aims to highlight local services and businesses close to our campuses that may help give new Black students a head start in getting settled into their new surroundings and finding their feet in their new home at university.
Speaking on the booklet, Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services said “I’m passionate about improving the lived experience of our students here at Kent. This booklet is just one of the initiatives that has been developed in response to the report’s recommendations, and we hope that we can build on this in the future to ensure all our students are well supported, particularly when they are moving to Kent for the first time”.
The Living Black at Kent booklet is now available online and in Canterbury college receptions from Arrivals Weekend.
If you’re interested in reading the full Living Black at University report you can do so online at www.unitegroup.com/living-black-at-university
Kent Postgrads – we need to hear about your positive experience as a Master’s or PhD student. Send in a short video or blog and earn yourself some Amazon vouchers or funds on your KentOne card.
We’re looking for new and fresh content for our upcoming marketing campaign, and we know potential students love to hear from our current students. Our postgraduate community are an amazing diverse bunch with some interesting stories, so we’d love to hear yours.
Here are a few key themes below, if your story fits one of these profiles, please do get in touch.
Content we would need, either of the following:
Blog post – Ideally up to 500 words with an image of you as the author (head to shoulder shot) and up to two relevant images.
Video post – Ideally 60 second video clip in portrait format with a Kent backdrop i.e. on campus, society club, etc.
You will also need to sign a consent form for use of your images on the Kent website and marketing channels.
Deadline for student stories will be 30 December 2023.
If you’d like to share your story and earn Amazon vouchers or funds on your KentOne Card, please contact Yasmine from Marketing. Email: Y.Wahid@kent.ac.uk
At Kent, we stand for Pride and will be sponsoring Medway Pride as part of Universities at Medway! Join us for a spectacular celebration of LGBTQ+ identity set in the heart of Rochester.
The event will start with entertainment in a Pride Parade through Rochester High Street on the 19 August starting at 10:45, with the main event being held in Rochester Castle Gardens. There will be community stalls, bars and food outlets, and creative activities.
If you’d like to take part in the parade as part of the Universities at Medway group, sign up now. The promo code will be automatically applied, so just select the number of tickets required.
There are no tickets currently available for people who just want to attend the festival event at the Castle Gardens, but you can go on a waiting list for returned tickets.
If you have booked parade tickets but have also previously booked Castle Gardens tickets, please return the Castle Gardens Festival tickets on Eventbrite so these can go to people on the waiting list.
Find out how to get support at Medway:
Our Student Learning and Advisory Service (SLAS) can help you with everything from perfecting your essay writing to learning how to reference properly.
Don’t forget your Division and School is also there to help you with your studies and offer a range of study support.
If you have a disability, chronic condition, mental health condition, specific learning difficulty or autism, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing to see how they can help you make the most of your university journey.
We have a team of expert staff who can help you face the challenges of studying, socialising and living independently, whatever else you might be going through, whether it’s something you’re experiencing for the first time at University or have dealt with for a while.
There is also a free confidential counselling service which offers you a safe space to address issues concerning you and can help get thoughts, feelings, behaviour and perspective on life back in balance again.
From money worries to housing issues, academic problems to visa support, Kent Union’s Advice Service is available to help through their free, impartial and confidential advice service. Find out more about Kent Union at The Hub.
With the cost of living rising, you are probably thinking more about your finances. Our financial help and advice webpage includes tips on budgeting, getting a part-time job and who to contact for further support. Plus, we offer a range of emergency financial support options.
Our Careers and Employability Service offer advice, workshops and tools to help you prepare for your future career or further study. They can also help you find and apply for part-time jobs while you study.
It’s a good idea to register with a local doctor near to your accommodation in order to receive treatment under the National Health Service (NHS): Find your nearest NHS Surgery. Medway students can call Canterbury Nursing Services on 01227 823503 for minor illnesses/injuries and contraception advice.