Gulbenkian Theatre

University of Kent

Coat of arms of the University of Kent
Motto	Latin: Cui servire regnare est
Motto in English	Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign' (Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')
Type	Public
Established	4 January 1965
Endowment	£5.98 million (at 31 July 2014)
Chancellor	Gavin Esler
Vice-Chancellor	Dame Julia Goodfellow
Visitor	The Archbishop of Canterbury ex officio
Administrative staff	3,152
Students	19,670 (2015/16)
Undergraduates	15,610 (2015/16)
Postgraduates	4,055 (2015/16)
Location	Canterbury, Medway and Tonbridge, United Kingdom; Brussels, Belgium; Athens, Greece; and Paris, France
Campus	Rural
Colours	Kent Blue and Kent Red
Affiliations	Universities UK Santander Network EUA ACU Eastern ARC Universities at Medway
Website	kent.ac.uk

The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC or Cantuar. for post-nominals) is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1965 and is recognised as a Beloff's plate glass university. It is a member of the Santander Network of European universities encouraging social and economic development,Association of Commonwealth Universities and Universities UK.

The university has a rural campus north of Canterbury situated within 300 acres (1.2 km²) of park land, housing over 6,000 students, as well as campuses in Medway and Tonbridge in Kent and European postgraduate centres in Brussels, Athens, Rome and Paris. As a result of its extensive ties with and geographic proximity to the continent the university brands itself as "The UK's European University".

In the 2015 Times Higher Education World University Rankings of the Top 100 Universities Under 50 Years Kent ranked 93rd , and Times Higher Education also ranked the university 21st in the United Kingdom in 2017 though aggregating multiple ranking results into a comprehensive table of ranking tables. It is among a group of institutions to consistently score 90% or above for overall satisfaction in the National Student Survey. In 2016, over 28,000 students applied to the university through UCAS and over 4000 accepted offers of places. The average UCAS score achieved by entrants in 2016/17 was 361.

A university in the ancient city of Canterbury was first considered in 1947, when an anticipated growth in student numbers led several localities to seek the creation of a new university, including Kent. However, the plans came to nothing. A decade later both population growth and greater demand for university places led to new considerations. In 1959 the Education Committee of Kent County Council explored the creation of a new university, formally accepting the proposal unanimously on 24 February 1960. Two months later the Education Committee agreed to seek a site at or near Canterbury, given the historical associations of the city, subject to the support of Canterbury City Council.