Disability and wellbeing support for International Students.
Video (3 min 27 seconds) of International Adviser describing support for international students at the University of Kent (with closed captions and British Sign Language interpretation).
Student Support and Wellbeing has a specialist service for International and European Union students with physical disabilities, long term health conditions, hearing loss of all levels, visual impairments and autistic students.
On this page, you can find out how to get your support set up before you start at Kent, or during your studies.
International students face unique challenges. My dedicated International Wellbeing Advisers have given me a foundation of support and community, and the Kent Community Oasis Garden provides a space for us to feel a sense of meaning and belonging.
Setting up your support
Get in touch
If you're an International or EU student with a place to study at the University of Kent and think you may need additional support, please contact us as soon as you can so we can begin to arrange your support.
We meet with
students, either in person or online via Microsoft Teams to assess their study related support needs before they start university.
What happens next?
After our initial meeting,
you'll need to register with Student Support and Wellbeing, and provide up-to-date medical evidence. Medical evidence should be translated into
English wherever possible.
The medical evidence forms the basis of support at the
university, which may include a creation of an Inclusive Learning Plan (ILP),
the provision of assistive technology, and specialist support
staff (e.g. a mentor or study skills tutor), as well as a point of contact in our team throughout the degree programme.
We can also refer to other teams within Student Support and Wellbeing, e.g. the Mental Health team or Specific Learning Difficulties team for
more tailored support options.
In our specialist
service, we understand the impact that cultural differences can have on disability
support, and we will help support you with transition into the UK. We can also
help signpost and explain helpful UK-wide networks, e.g. how to access the NHS (National Health Service). We run specific events and workshops for international disabled
students to support one and other.
Please contact
us as soon as possible after your application if you require significant support, to allow time for us to meet your needs before the start of your course.
Please note:
We're not able to provide personal care support (e.g. support with
day-to-day living activities, within accommodation, domestic activities or
providing long-term mobility aids like wheelchairs).
If
you require this support type of support, please include these additional costs in your budget
for the duration of your course before you come to the UK.
When you are here
Once you have started at Kent, you can continue to meet with your adviser, who can:
Recommend student groups that promote activities with and for international
students.
Monitor the progress and coordination of interventions through the academic year.
Prepare you for
departure from Kent onto whatever you would like to do next.
Groups and Activities
There are lots of support groups and networks at Kent for International students.
The International Wellbeing Group
This is a student-led group that meets every week on Thursdays from 2-4pm. The group meets physically or virtually to provide informal conversations amongst international students to improve their wellbeing. The group organizes games and outings at different times in the calendar year. If you would like to find out more please email WellbeingEvents@kent.ac.uk, or check out the Student Support and Wellbeing Events calendar.
Kent Community Oasis Garden
KentCOG gives students the opportunity to take part in workshops and peer support activities with an aim to improve mental health and wellbeing.
If you want to learn more about ecotherapy and be part of group discussions surrounding mental health issues and its links, sign up via KentCOG@kent.ac.uk.
International Student Groups
Here at the University of Kent, we have large and welcoming international student community. There are lots of student-led international groups for students of different nationalities, cultures and religions. All groups and societies can be found on Kent Unions Activities page.
