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.
We also recommend you get in touch with the Director of Graduate Studies in your chosen school to discuss your application and funding options. The University must be satisfied that you have the necessary qualifications and experience to undertake a research degree. Kent Business School, School of Economics and Kent Law School use different application processes, listed below*.
Kent has three PhD entry dates during the academic year: September, January and May. Entry to Master's by Research is in September only. We encourage PhD students to start in either September or January so you are able to take advantage of our induction programme.
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 at least one academic referee
- evidence of proficiency in English, where applicable.
Some schools may also ask you to provide an academic writing sample.
It is compulsory for all research students to attend an interview as part of the application process. There is usually the option to do this remotely, for example via Zoom or telephone.
