Changes to academic year from September 2025

If you will still be studying at Kent for the academic year 2025-26 (so the year after next), we are making some exciting changes to our term dates to improve flexibility and help you juggle your studies alongside other responsibilities.

The start and end of term dates will be broadly the same but the makeup of the term dates will be different. For undergraduates, instead of having two twelve week terms followed by a six week term, from 2025 we will have three ten week terms. So the number of teaching weeks will be the same, the difference is that they will be balanced throughout the academic year.

What’s changing from September 2025?

We’re introducing a three-term system for undergraduate study and a four-term system for postgraduate study, with simpler module choices and assessment spread throughout the year.

Taught Programme Term Dates 2025-2026

Welcome Week	29 September 2025 – 3 October 2025
Autumn Term	6 October 2025 – 12 December 2025
Spring Term	12 January 2026 – 20 March 2026
Summer Term	13 April 2026 – 19 June 2026
Late Summer Term (Postgraduates only)	6 July 2026 – 11 September 2026

Benefits of these changes

This curricular revision, rolling out from September 2025, is the University’s response to years of student feedback. It offers:

Timetables communicated well before the start of term, so you can balance your studies with work and other commitments 
Teaching spread over three teaching terms, typically with only two modules per term, so you can explore topics in depth
Assessments within each term, not bunched at the end of the year 
Learning about real world connections and career-relevant knowledge and skills  
Meaningful assessments which help you to demonstrate and develop skills and knowledge that you will need in your future career 
Frequent, ongoing feedback to help you learn  
Stronger connections with other students on your course

Want to know more?

We will provide more updates about the changes to the academic year next year, so don’t worry if you don’t feel like you fully understand the changes yet.

See our Education Modernisation webpages and FAQs. If those pages don’t answer your questions you can get in touch by emailing Kent2030Student@kent.ac.uk

New Oasis Lounge at Medway

Over the Spring break work has started to move all University of Kent activity at Medway to the Medway Building for September 2024.

Something that has already moved is the Oasis Lounge. The new and improved Oasis Lounge can now be found on the 1st floor of the Medway Building and is a place you can meet friends, study, heat up lunch and grab a drink.

You will still find Student Support in the Gillingham Building until the end of the 2023/24 academic year if you need student support or careers advice.

Exams are scheduled to take place in the Medway Building this term. However, Journalism exams will take place in the existing newsrooms on the first and second floor of the Gillingham Building. You will find where your exam is taking place in your exams timetable.

Cost of living support during exams

Earlier this year, Kent Union, along with the University and The Food Foundation carried out a Cost of Living Survey across the Canterbury and Medway campuses for a second year. The survey results highlight areas where we need to improve.

During exams especially, you don’t want money worries to negatively affect your studies. Here are some ways you can get support at Kent, so you can fulfil your potential this exam season:

Nutrition

We know that food insecurity is a growing issue on university campuses across the country. Kent Union’s Campus Pantry in Mandela Student Centre offers short-term support to students who find themselves in need of supplemental food. The first time you visit there are no questions asked, you just need to show your student ID and then you can choose some food items.

It’s important to be well fueled for exams. Some affordable food options on campus include the £3 Meal Deals, or you can bring in leftovers and heat them up in a microwave on campus. At Medway, you can also join a free community breakfast at The Hub on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Plus, don’t forget to hydrate. See places where you can refill your water bottle rather than buying a new one.

Free sanitary products

From the Cost of Living Survey results, we know that some students are spending less on sanitary products because they are worried about money. Sanitary products are not a luxury. On exam days, you can ask an exam invigilator who will give you a free sanitary product.

You can also find free sanitary products in the Mandela Student Centre reception at Canterbury and The Hub toilets at Medway campus year-round.

Travelling to exams

Check out travel discounts for getting to campus, including reduced bus tickets for Stagecoach and Arriva buses, as well as the 16-25 rail card (which is also available to full-time students who are 25+) where you save a third on your off-peak train travel. Please note, there is a planned train strike on Tuesday 7 May, so if you have an exam on this day, you should arrange alternative travel.

Is your technology playing up?

If you are having trouble with your laptop, you can borrow one from Templeman or Drill Hall Library for free so you can continue with your revision and other work.

Staying active

Exercise can be a great way to de-stress during exam season. If you are in your first year or live on campus, you have access to free Premium membership in Canterbury, or Premier Medway Park membership at Medway campus.

Even if you are not living on campus, we have different gym membership options for every budget at Kent Sport. There’s a monthly gym membership and the free Pay to Play membership where you just pay when you visit the gym facilities for £5 per session, or take part in an ALL Active sport or fitness class for just £2 per session.

See all gym membership options this summer.

Our cost of living website has more support including specific hardship funding available.

Train Strikes During Exams

Please be aware of planned train strikes if you usually travel to campus by train. Currently industrial strike action is scheduled on Southeastern Trains for the first day of exams, Tuesday 7 May. We recognise the impact this may have on your studies and are here to support you. The Southeastern Trains website has further details and helpful information.

If you have an in-person exam on a train strike day, please make every effort to make alternative travel arrangements as these exams cannot be rescheduled and it is in your best interests to complete your exams as scheduled. Our Campus Travel updates webpage can help you plan an alternative journey.

Bed and Flex in student accommodation on campus is available to book throughout the exam period for any student wanting to take advantage of this you can find booking details here.

Travel disruption in itself is not normally a reason for mitigation (see Credit Framework for details). However, if your circumstances mean that alternative arrangements to attend your in-person exam on Tuesday 7 May are not possible, you can apply for an End Of Year Mitigation through the Extenuating Circumstances portal in Kent Vision. You will need to detail your normal travel arrangements and how you are impacted by train strike action in your request.

For all other exams related matters, please follow the usual exams guidance.

The Internship Experience 2024 – embrace your potential

What is Internship Experience UK (IEUK)?

Internship Experience UK or IEUK is a four-day virtual internship programme (17 – 20 June) which takes place every summer with a new programme each year. Designed to have the most value for university students, IEUK is an immersive programme packed with valuable insights and opportunities to help you navigate your career path. Whether you’re unsure what sector to pursue, curious about specific industries, or seeking practical skills to stand out to employers, IEUK empowers you to explore diverse career possibilities and gain a competitive edge post-graduation.

So far, over 150,000+ students and graduates have taken part and reaped the rewards of spending a few days of their summer with the world’s top employers. Over 10,000 of them have even secured roles with the firms they met on the experience.

Applications are open – apply to your chosen sector stream now!

Campus Shuttle: new booking system

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 from the first day of Summer Term, 6 May.

Visit zeelo.co or download the Zeelo app for iOS or android and search for your University of Kent Campus Shuttle. Purchase a free University of Kent Travel pass and then book your journeys. We recommend you use the Zeelo app so you can be notified of any disruption to your booked journeys. This will replace updates to the @CampusShuttle account on X (formerly twitter).

All passes are valid for any of the serviced stops (Keynes stop, Piers Quay, Historic Dockyard or Pembroke) between Canterbury and Medway campuses. If you are using the Piers Quay or Historic Dockyard stops, make sure to check the pick-up/drop-off times on the timetable. This will differ slightly from the time shown in your app and on your booking (from Canterbury or Medway).

For steps on how to book or cancel a seat, please watch the booking video or read the booking guide.

Summer at Kent: what’s on

As well as relaxing in the sunshine, summer is a great time to meet new people, develop your skills and explore!

Starting in May, Summer at Kent is a series of events aimed at students who are staying on campus, whether that’s for a few weeks or the whole summer.

There are lots of opportunities to get outside by volunteering at Kent Community Oasis Garden, going on nature walks and working together to create a ResLife garden in Keynes College Courtyard. There’s also the annual BioBlitz event with workshops and activities to record as many living species as possible at our Canterbury campus.

You can learn new skills and get creative with a Sign Language Class for Beginners, painting on the lawn and mindfulness colouring.

Plus events to help you to de-stress such as the Chill Zone where you can play Nintendo Switch and boardgames, Pause for Paws and try out a virtual reality session.

If you are a postgraduate student, look out for events to help you focus on your studies or career with ‘Shut up and write’ and a yoga and writing retreat for postgraduate researchers and PG Careers Week events in June.

More events will be added throughout the summer, so make sure to check back on the Summer at Kent website.

Time is running out to have your say

Time is running out for final year undergraduates to complete the National Student Survey (NSS) and have your say on what you liked or didn’t like about studying at Kent.

Fill in the NSS now

The NSS: what you need to know
Kent Union President Zaid shares why you should fill in the NSS and why we want your feedback. Watch the video now.

🎓 NSS is mainly open to final year undergraduates.

📣The University and Kent Union value your feedback and the NSS is one of the most powerful ways to have your say.

🔒The survey is completely anonymous and confidential. It is run by Ipsos, an independent research agency.

📧Ipsos will continue to email, text and call you until you complete it.

🕕The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. However, please take the time to consider your answers and reflect on your whole experience at Kent.

Exploring Higher Education and Looking Towards the Future: Asylum Seekers Warmly Welcomed at Kent

I was delighted to welcome 38 residents and friends from the Napier Barracks in Folkestone to our Canterbury campus this week, to provide information on opportunities for continued education if and when they are granted leave to remain. The group of young men came from over 10 different countries and spoke a mixture of languages, interpreting amongst themselves for those with less English fluency, with some additional translation provided by Kent staff. Having interrupted higher education studies and specialised jobs when they fled their home countries to seek asylum in the UK, they were keen to see first hand what an educational experience here might be like and how they could access it.

[Photo above shows Admissions talk on getting a place at University]

Encouragement and practical guidance

Their visit began in the Templeman Library, and included a welcome from two of our first year Sanctuary Scholarship students, themselves refugees, who are now thriving at the University of Kent. They encouraged others to hold fast through the demoralising uncertainty and continue to reach for their ambitions of completing or beginning studies in the UK. Colleagues from our Admissions and Visa Compliance teams were able to provide guidance on entry requirements, personal statements, application processes and English courses. They were also able to give time to addressing individual queries on next steps to re-enter education or validate their qualifications to seek employment here.

[Photo above shows individual consultations on qualifications and next steps]

Enjoying the campus together

The atmosphere was joyful as we shared a hot meal in the Rutherford Dining Hall, some played pool and others chatted, enjoying the impromptu piano playing of a student and the views of the vast open space that surrounds our campus. We then walked around campus, through the bluebell woods and to the Kent Community Oasis Garden, where language barriers fell away when everyone was invited to get their hands in the soil and plant bulbs and seeds. A participant told me what a stark and beautiful contrast it was to be surrounded by so much countryside, and experience novelty and a sense of freedom and agency, after 9 weeks in limbo in the barracks.

As we discussed the patience required to make things grow and our volatile UK climate, we were reminded of the precarity of life in detention as an asylum seeker, of how much is out of their control. And yet, if we plant seeds, if we look with hope towards the future and nurture what is in our power to sustain, we might one day see growth and new life.

[Photo above shows planting activity in Kent Community Oasis Garden]

Making a lasting difference

The gratitude and positivity from the group was effusive, they were really happy to have spent a day being considered as individuals with a past involving expertise and academic interest, and a future of possibility and hope.

“Thank you so much for a beautiful welcome, we are so glad to be here.”

“Everyone has been so kind and so helpful. I have ideas about what I could do, I really want to study and learn.”

[Photo above participants enjoying lunch at Rutherford Dining Hall]

Help us give more hope

Huge thanks to YMS Travel who generously offered free return transportation for this group from Folkestone to Canterbury, as a supporter of the University Sanctuary Fund.

We’re working to expand our programme of Exploring Higher Education days for asylum seekers in the region, to share our university knowledge, expertise and facilities in a way that can inspire and inform people with an uncertain future and help them to realise their dreams in the UK.

Would you like to be part of this initiative in some way? Email us at engagement@kent.ac.uk to talk about sponsoring or supporting, or volunteering to contribute to organisation, interpretation and activities at the University of Kent, so together we can really show our compassion in action and declare whole-heartedly: refugees welcome.

Meet our new Chancellor YolanDa Brown

We are delighted to announce that double-MOBO winning musician and broadcaster YolanDa Brown OBE DL has been appointed to the role of Chancellor, succeeding Gavin Esler who has retired from the position after almost 10 years.

Having graduated with a first-class undergraduate masters degree in European Management Science with Spanish from Kent Business School, before going on to achieve her second masters degree and undertake a PhD, YolanDa will be installed as Chancellor during one of the University’s graduation ceremonies in July.

“My time at the University was character building, life affirming, and a bucket full of emotions. Every single time I am on campus a new memory returns, so you can imagine my joy accepting this role as Chancellor. The University has always been at the forefront of fostering a diverse, inclusive, and vibrant community…I am excited to work alongside the talented staff and students to build on this foundation as the University strives towards new heights of achievement.”

YolanDa’s commitment to music and education has been synonymous throughout her career. As well as releasing critically acclaimed albums and touring with the likes of The Temptations, Jools Holland, Billy Ocean, Dave Stewart and more, YolanDa was Chair of Youth Music for six years and is currently a sitting member of the Arts Council, Chair of the BPI - the representative voice for record labels in the UK – and an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, among other positions. She was also recently appointed a member of the Arts and Media Honours Committee by Prime Minster Rishi Sunak.

In her role as Chancellor, YolanDa’s duties will include conferring degrees, chairing the University’s Court and representing the University on special occasions. She takes up the role at a time when the University is preparing to celebrate its 60th Anniversary.

Find out more about YolanDa.