Welcome to 60 years of Kent

60 Autumn terms

On the 11th of October 1965, we welcomed our first 500 students to a very different looking campus..

Breaking down barriers to education

Voices of Sanctuary

Join us for an evening of Gospel Music at Canterbury Cathedral to celebrate our 60th year on Friday 31st October at 7:30pm.  

Society Matters

Today there are over 250 societies at Kent, but the First 500 students started from scratch. As new students head to Welcome Fair 2025, we look at their evolution. 

Amplified

Space. The Final Fron-tea

Is it possible to grow things in space? A team of Scientists at Kent are monitoring tea saplings in soils that mimic the surface of the Moon and Mars.    

Honoring our first 500

John Platt was one of the first cohort of students to enrol in 1965. He recalls those early days as he accepts his honorary degree in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday 25th July 2025. 

The Third Degree

The Radio 4 quiz show, comes to Kent! Lecturers from Architecture, English Literature and Biosicences battle it out with their students. Hosted by Steve Punt. 

A-maze-ing

Created from Yorkstone and grass, the labyrinth was designed by Jeff Saward and completed in August 2008. It is one of the first to be built at an English university.   

KMMS graduates

The first cohort of KMMS arrived in 2020 and a number of graduates are staying in Kent, helping address the acute shortage of doctors in the region. Meet Tessy, future doctor.

A big, bold year

Music, theatre, dance, film, comedy, all thought-provoking, entertaining and life-enhancing at The Gulbenkian Arts Centre. 

Kent goes global

Huge congratulations to wheelchair tennis players Ruben Harris and Ellen Tribley, who both competed at the US Open.Both players hold honorary memberships at Kent Sport.

60 Years in Full Bloom

Sixty thousand bulbs were planted this week as part of the River project, a new meandering route being developed across campus celebrating our 60th anniversary.

Golden Grads look back

Golden grads look back Our Golden Grads look back on some of their favourite memories of Kent from over 50 years ago -we'd love to hear your stories too!  

The Royal Charter granted

Granting of the Royal Charter in 1965 constituted the University a legal entity, granting the power to award degrees.

Archived Ambition

We took a trip down memory lane with a visit to our Special Collections and Archives to explore Kent prospectuses from our very first edition all the way up to 2012!