Postgraduate applications

Your application


Taught Master's programmes

Most taught degrees begin in September, although we do offer postgraduate courses with January starts. Our course page will include all the information you need about when your course starts.

There is no fixed application deadline for applications from home students, though we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible; no later than three months before your intended start date.

Admissions deadlines for international students may vary, so it's a good idea to check them well in advance.

In your application you will typically need to provide:

  • A personal statement - this must be a minimum of 100 words and not exceed 2,000 characters.
  • At least one academic reference
  • Your academic transcript
  • Any other personal documentation and details

How to write your personal statement

Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to show the admissions tutor that you have applied to the right course for you.  Think of the personal statement as a 'written interview'. 

Please answer the following four questions in no more than 200 words per question: 

  • Why do you wish to study this course? 
  • Why do you wish to study at the University of Kent? 
  • What have you done previously that is relevant or related to this area of study? (This could include previous employment, internships, previous study, volunteer work, etc) 
  • What are your career aspirations, and how will this course help you achieve them? 

Research / PhD programmes

We strongly recommend you contact potential supervisors in the school where you wish to study. This is an important part of the application process as we must be confident that we can provide you with suitable supervision, support, training and facilities. School or staff contact details can be found on the school's website. Alternatively, you can use our 'Find a supervisor' search tool to look up academics.

PhD and Master's by Research entry points include September, January and May. Please see individual course pages for the specific entry points available for your chosen course.  

Although there is no fixed closing deadline for applications to research degrees, we strongly recommend that you apply as soon as possible and no later than three months before your intended start date. However, if you are seeking funding, you should keep in mind that most scholarship awards will have set deadlines. Please see our scholarship pages for more information.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you should also allow enough time to complete the visa application process. For more information about student visas, visit our country pages.  

To apply, choose your course from our postgraduate course pages and click ‘Apply now’ to be taken to our online application portal, Kent Vision. You will be asked to provide the following information:

  • details of your previous studies
  • a research proposal (usually between 1000-3000 words)
  • contact information for two academic referee
  • evidence of proficiency in English, where applicable.

Some schools may also ask you to provide an academic writing sample.