Kent, University of

University of Kent

Age: 46

History: A sixties university, it was founded on an interdisciplinary philosophy typical of the time.

Address: 300 acres of parkland in the rolling Kent countryside on a hill above Canterbury. The Medway campus, which opened in 2005, is near the Chatham Historic Dockyard. There is also a centre in Tonbridge, which offers part-time courses and training for businesses.

Ambience: Pastoral in summer, grey and atmospheric in winter, surrounded by hop fields and white-turreted oast houses. The main campus' modern buildings are surrounded by landscaped garden and there's a cinema, theatre and a nightclub on site. The Medway campus is in the heart of the Kent Thameside development.

Vital statistics: Almost 20,000 students, with more than 14,000 full-time undergrads. 12 per cent are international students, from 125 different countries.There's a collegiate system, and sandwich years in industry are also on the menu.

Added value: The British Cartoon Archive is unique, and the School of Physical Sciences has been involved with most of the significant exploratory space projects this decade. Kent is the UK's European University with a strong European focus and bases in Brussels and Paris. It also has one of the best employability rates in the UK. The Medway campus has been developed with the University of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University and Mid Kent College and includes the new Medway School of Pharmacy, where students are taught by staff from Kent's department of biosciences and Greenwich's school of science.

Easy to get into? Most courses ask for between 300 and 360 UCAS entry points, though students returning to learning without traditional qualifications can also apply.

Glittering alumni: Gavin Esler, news presenter; Shiulie Ghosh, news correspondent; actors Alan Davies and Tom Wilkinson; novelists Sarah Waters and Kazuo Ishiguro.

Transport links: Good coach and rail links. Mainline train connections to London and Dover, and points north. The A2 and M2 connect to London. Eurostar from Ashford International and ferries from Dover and Folkestone go to France and Belgium.

Who's the boss? Professor Julie Goodfellow is vice-chancellor.

Teaching: Came 23rd out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: Came 29th out of 115 in the research assessment exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 34th out of 114 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Nightclub The Venue, with bars, DJs and disco, is the hub of university life. There is the Gulbenkian Theatre, Cinema 3 and a number of bars on campus for less strenuous entertainment. The Medway campus houses Coopers bar and late night venue Purple.

How green is it? Not good - came joint 94th out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2011', an assessment of environmental performance.

Any accommodation? Yes. Over 4,700 rooms at Canterbury, and new, private halls offered at Medway. Self-catering at Canterbury ranges between around £96 to £181 per week, while it is £114 to £175 per week for catered college halls. An en-suite, self-catered room at Liberty Quays, Medway, is £121.50 per week.

Cheap to live there? Not bad for the south-east, but not cheap. Private rents average around £80 per week.

Sports ranking: 35th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. Kent is planning on charging the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 per year as of 2012.

Bursaries: The Kent Bursary offers up to £1,000 per year to students in receipt of a full maintenance grant. There are also a number of scholarships for specific subjects and for students from the local area.

Prospectus: 01227 827 272; www.kent.ac.uk

UCAS code: K24