Everyone’s different. Thankfully.

At Kingston University, welcoming difference is their greatest strength.

They are committed to ensuring higher education is accessible to everyone and proudly champion alternative routes into university. They work closely with industry to create courses for tomorrow’s future, meaning your career is future-proofed, helping students put their academic knowledge into practice. This ensures when you leave, you’ll have the agility and problem solving skills you need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Kingston University is proud to be ranked a top 10 London university in the recent Guardian League Table (2019), which was a leap of 23 places from the previous year. Many of their courses, such as design, fashion, journalism, pharmacy and sport science also feature in the top 10 nationally.

When you join Kingston University, you become part of one of four faculties. Each has their own distinctive character and feature a wide range of resources and facilities that will support your studies.

• Business and Social Sciences
• Health, Social Care and Education
• Kingston School of Art
• Science, Engineering and Computing

The best way to find out if Kingston is the place for you, is to meet them in person. With a range of events throughout the year you have the opportunity to find out more about them at a number of open days. The open days are designed so that you’ll leave with all the information you need to decide if Kingston is the place for you.

On the day, you can:

• Learn more about your course of interest with a subject talk and meet the lecturers that will teach you, and the students who are currently studying the course.
• Explore the campuses and facilities that will support your studies
• Check out where you could potentially live, on a student-led accommodation tour.

Booking is essential as places fill up fast! To book, please click here.

Prospective students can also take part in a student-led tour of the campuses. You’ll get to discover students’ favourite places to hang out on campus and ask them any questions you have about being a Kingston student. Tours run on a regular basis and therefore provide a flexible way for you to visit if you cannot make an Open Day.

To find out more and book, please click here.

If you’ve applied for a course that doesn’t require an interview, you’ll be invited to an Applicant Experience Day. These days are designed to be ‘a day in the life of’, where you’ll be able to test drive your course and connect with the students who will be in the same classes as you. 

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Good uni, good facilities, excellent course, good location.”

“New, different and challenging.”

“So far so good. Faculty is really helpful and friendly.”

Kingston University’s proactive and student-focused team will support you throughout your time at Kingston and after you graduate, not only to find a job, but also to develop the skills you need to succeed in it. A calendar of events and training will help you develop the important employability skills you need, from creating a winning CV, delivering the perfect pitch, and how you can nail that interview. Employers attend on-campus events so you get industry exposure long before you complete your course.

To find out more, please click here.

Kingston is passionate about helping students reach their full potential, but they also want you to have fun whilst you’re studying. That’s why they offer a range of activities that will help you develop, both inside the classroom and out, so you graduate with more than just your degree. These include:

Study Abroad

If you’ve got a taste for adventure, then you should study or work abroad.

Most undergraduate courses recognise and support studying or working abroad and have exchange links across all five continents. Partner universities are located across most of the European Union, Turkey and Norway, as well as Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, USA and the West Indies.

Kingston Language Scheme

Everyone at Kingston can study a language for free.

You’ll get a fully authentic language experience, taught by highly knowledgeable language teachers, many of whom are native speakers. Teaching consists of a combination of face-to-face and online classes and are available to everyone in the Kingston community.

Language courses currently offered include: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Full details can be found here.

The Kingston Award

The Kingston Award recognises student participation in activities outside of your course. It encourages you to develop new skills and a sense of belonging to a wider community, as well as improving your employability prospects. Crucially, the final award is included in your Higher Education Achievement Report which helps to showcase your commitment to extra-curricular activities to potential employers.

Kingston Hub

The Kingston Hub brings together all the exciting volunteer opportunities you can take part in. Whether you’d like to mentor young girls and help them raise their future aspirations or tackle elderly isolation, you’ll give back and gain valuable experiences for yourself.

Casual work on campus

Earning while you learn has never been so much fun with a huge range of opportunities for casual work on campus. From working with schools and colleges, greeting prospective students at an Open Day, to supporting welcome events for new students or working in the library, you can choose the hours that fit around your studies and personal commitments.

Enterprise!

If you’re thinking about becoming your own boss or are looking to develop entrepreneurial skills, Kingston’s entrepreneurship programme, Enterprise! has you covered. You can participate in the annual Bright Ideas competition that will give you the chance to develop an idea, have it evaluated and win a prize. You’ll also gain important skills to add to your CV. For more details, please click here.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Careers fairs, people coming in to speak to us from outside companies. Workshops are really useful.”

“A lot of drop-ins available for CV writing, academic writing classes and developing employ-ability skills.”

“There are job fairs almost every week with new job opportunities within the university.”

You will be taught by professionals and researchers in their field, enabling you to benefit from first-hand industry teaching.

Regular visiting speakers, including YouTube star Jamal Edwards, charity campaigner Katie Piper and internationally acclaimed author Hilary Mantel, visit the University to give inspirational talks on the secrets of their success. A number of the courses also offer the opportunity for you to undertake a work placement, where you will gain experience working in a relevant industry and gain contacts for your future career.

Students praised the passion of their lecturers, with many noting they are happy to help students with whatever academic issues they may have.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Teachers are friendly and approachable.”

“Lecturers are very good.”

"Good pacing and most give extra reading material to expand on."

When you join Kingston, you automatically become a member of the Union of Kingston Students. Working in partnership with the University, they are there to represent your opinions and views on your student experience and to support your education. They do this in lots of different ways, from providing opportunities to influence the Union’s and University’s policies, activities and priorities to determining the student campaigns that are funded.

You can take part in a wide range of events run by the Union of Kingston Students, from charity fundraisers, conferences and themed nights, to trips abroad. Not to mention Freshers’ Week, which is packed with activities and parties to make you feel welcome. The highlight of the week is the Freshers’ Fayre, where you can get freebies, meet Kingston’s sport clubs and societies, big companies, and departments within the University.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“They work hard for our rights and have plenty of resources.”

“The union has been very active and it's involvement can be seen everywhere. As a result of students' feedback many changes were possible: we have a new water fountain in LRC, microwaves, more frequent buses and bus shelters (to be installed soon)."

“Quite a wide range of activities available to students. Student union effectively communicate any issues we have.”

Where you live while you’re at university can play an important part in your overall experience.

From Kingston’s online booking system where you get to select your own room, to their social media groups where you can meet your new flat mates in advance, they’re available to help you every step of the way to ensure you feel settled in your new home.

Living in halls of residences

Living in halls is a great way to get to know people, as you could be sharing with other students from different backgrounds or on different courses to you. Kingston has loads of different options to take into account all tastes and budgets and parking for your bike or car is available at most of their sites. Better still, all first year undergraduate students who have firmly accepted an offer and want to live on campus are guaranteed accommodation.

A team of current students act as Halls Connectors; they live and work in halls and run events to support you throughout your stay. The Hall Connectors help foster a community atmosphere by organising student-led and student-focused activities, which will connect you with other students from the moment you arrive.

To find out more about their accommodation, please click here.

Renting from a private Landlord

Some students decide to live independently in the local area rather than living in halls of residence, particularly in their second and third years. To support you with this, Kingston has their own dedicated KU Student Homes website to help you find the property of your dreams. Here, you’ll find all the latest vacancies in local rented accommodation from single rooms and lodgings to full house and flat shares. For more information,click here.

Commuting to Kingston

There is a huge commuting community at Kingston, with over 50% of students choosing to live at home or off campus. With loads of advantages to commuting to campus such as saving money and remaining close to your family and friends, it makes a great option for many. The University also offers options such as their Flexi-Stay plan, which allows commuting students to book rooms in halls of residence on a night-by-night basis. This way you will never have to worry about being late for an important class or exam.

Free intersite bus service

The University also offers a free bus service connecting you to all four campuses and, importantly,to Surbiton and Kingston train stations. Free WIFI is available on all the buses and there is a live bus tracker on their app so you don’t have to worry about missing one.

E-bikes

As part of their support of healthier modes of travel, the University provides an E-Bike hire scheme enabling students and staff to hire a bike to travel between Penrhyn Road and Kingston Hill campuses. If you already have your own bike, there are plenty of secure bicycle racks or bicycle sheds dotted around campus to use.

To find out more, please click here.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

"Good for the price."

"The accommodation is of a good standard. My house is a 2 minute walk from Uni."

"Accommodation is great and has everything I need. At Clayhill we have an en suite, its nice to have a shower whenever you want without having to wait. The sense of community in Clayhill is brilliant and I enjoy socialising in the evenings with other students."

Living costs This is the average annual cost of living for a student studying in the town where this uni is based.

Source: IDP Connect 2019

£8,244

per annum

Kingston University is constantly striving to provide excellent facilities for students. Over the past year a number of improvement projects to provide a better teaching, learning and working experience for students, staff and local community have been delivered. 

Town House

The new landmark building, Town House, on the Penrhyn Road campus, is centred on transforming the learning experience for students. Designed by RIBA award-winning and Stirling Prize nominated Grafton Architects, Town House will provide great new study facilities including a new library with over 1,000 study spaces, flexible learning spaces, a covered courtyard, cafes, dance studios, roof top gardens and an attractive landscape along the front of the campus.

You can explore the new Town House for yourself here.

Major refurbishments have also been carried out at Kingston School of Art’s Knights Park campus.

Designed by Stirling Prize winning Haworth Tompkins, the refurbishment has provided students with two floors of world-class workshop spaces and four floors of modern design studios.

Sports and fitness

In addition to the huge 55-acre multi-sport sports ground provided at Tolworth Court, Kingston has an indoor fitness centre at the Penrhyn Road campus and a tennis court, nature trail and multi-use games area at Kingston Hill.

Course-specific facilities

In addition to excellent facilities for overall learning, the course-specific facilities you’ll have access to will help you apply theories to practical settings.

Here’s just a taste of what you’ll have access to:

• 3D materials workshop
• Augmented and Virtual Reality lab
• Hospital ward
• Learjet Lab
• Moot room for law students
• Moving image workshop
• Printmaking studios
• Real-time Bloomberg trading room
• Crime Scene House

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Labs are up to standard and lecture halls are being actively improved.”

“The libraries and sports facilities are really good.”

“Everything you'll ever need for your studies is provided.”

You’ll find plenty to eat, see, drink and do in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames with its mix of markets, museums, restaurants, shopping and clubs. Better still, Kingston’s on the doorstep of central London, so you’ll find yourself in the heart of the capital within half an hour of hopping on a train.

Here’s just some of the highlights:

PRYZM nightclub: From pizza parties to big nights out, Kingston’s largest nightclub is one of the most popular destinations for not just Kingston students, but for students from all over London. They host events featuring the biggest DJs around and recent live gigs include The 1975, Rudimental and Mumford & Sons, to name just a few. You won’t want to miss their epic student nights on a Wednesday either.

Poor Boys: There’s heaps of great places to eat in Kingston, but Poor Boys might be a student favourite. The local independent restaurant will transport you straight to Southern Louisiana with their classic American flavours from the Deep South. There’s loads of veggie and vegan options too.

Banquet Records: Banquet Records is the go-to place for music fans in Kingston. As well as being an independent record shop, they regularly host in-store gigs.

Bentalls Centre: You really can shop til you drop! The Bentalls Centre is home to over 75 stores – just remember to pick up your student discount card for savings on your favourite brands.

Kingston’s riverside: If you are looking for amazing views, a relaxing drink with a friend or a bite to eat after a long day studying, then head down to the riverside. There is no better place to unwind on a sunny day in Kingston.

Ancient marketplace: Located in the centre of town, the ancient marketplace is open seven days a week selling fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, flowers, and more. It hosts festivals and events throughout the year and come December, the space is transformed into a magical Christmas market, where you can pick up festive treats from traditional wooden cabins.

Stanley Picker Gallery and Dorich House Museum: You can immerse yourself in art and culture at Kingston School of Art’s many events and exhibitions at the Stanley Picker Gallery and Dorich House Museum. As they’re both affiliated with the University, there’s no charge for you to visit.

The Rose Theatre: The largest producing theatre in South West London has played hosts to all the greats including Dame Judy Dench and of course, Kingston’s own dance and drama students, who regularly perform there.

Parks and Palaces: The lively, student-friendly riverside town neighbours Hampton Court Palace and two royal parks, perfect for long walks, deer watching and quiet study time.

Take a tour of Kingston upon Thames with Kingston student, Alberto here.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Kingston is great for shopping, also easy to get to London if you wish.”

“Good selection of shops. Far away enough to reduce traffic and noise but close enough to be useful.”

“Full of things for you to do, you'll never get bored.”

Cost of a pint This is the average cost of a pint.

Source: IDP Connect 2019

£3.65

per pint

You can share your passion or develop a new one with over 70 societies to choose from, whether you’re passionate about a cause, enjoy playing video games, or reading a good book. If none of the societies currently on offer take your fancy, the Union of Kingston Students will help you run, and fund, your own.

There are over 30 different sports clubs at Kingston including all the usual favourites from football and boxing to cheerleading and rowing. All these activities provide you with the opportunity to meet fellow students, develop confidence and gain new skills.

To see what societies and sports clubs you could join, please click here.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Great engagement and very fun.”

“The clubs are really inclusive and social.”

“Loads of clubs and societies for you to join, just find the one that suits you best really.”

Whether you need advice on managing your budget or help with academic writing, Kingston’s wide range of support will connect you with the help you need, when you need it. Their friendly teams are there for you from the moment you apply. They’ll provide expert advice and guidance to ensure you have the tools you need to succeed and are well looked after whilst studying.

Student Life Centre

The University has a dedicated Student Life Centre offering help and advice on pretty much anything, from money and accommodation advice, to disability support and student funding. They are available to talk to at every Open Day so come along and have a chat.

Personal tutors

Every student gets their own personal tutor and regular opportunities to meet with them one-to-one. They’ll be on-hand to answer any questions about your academic studies and signpost you to further support.

Health and wellbeing

The health and wellbeing team provide confidential, flexible services, such as one-to-one counselling and online support and self-help. They are available for booked appointments or drop-in sessions; they also attend open days if you have any questions. There is also an on campus NHS Doctors Surgery available to every student. They offer a wide range of wellbeing services and therapies, including aromatherapy and osteopathy, students can register at enrolment.

Academic Skills Centres

Student advisors and lecturers will provide you with one-to-one support and help with your coursework. There is a skills centre located at every campus, so you won’t have to travel very far.

KU Cares

The KU Cares programme supports students aged 25 or under who are local authority care leavers, formally estranged from their families and/or have caring responsibilities for a relative with a long term health condition.

They are here for you throughout your time at Kingston and can help you with UCAS and Student Finance applications, as well as advocate on your behalf with your local authority and other internal and external services. If you are a local authority care leaver, connect with the team at an Open Day or Applicant Experience Day- the earlier in the journey you connect, the more help they can be. For more information, please click here.

Mentoring

Kingston also offers a number of different mentoring programmes you can take part in. These include peer-to-peer schemes that will support your transition to university and academic mentoring to help support your confidence. The Beyond Barriers mentoring scheme allows students from particular backgrounds to be paired with a professional mentor who will provide tailored advice and real-world insight. For more information, please click here.

Get a Head Start

Head Start is Kingston’s free, residential orientation programme that takes place in the summer before you enrol. Its innovative programme has been a game changer for students, who have reported feeling more confident about starting university.

Head Start is an opportunity to:

• Meet other new students, so you already have a network of friends
• Find out about the support services available, so you’ll know exactly where to go to access support and guidance if you need it
• Develop study skills to help you tackle your university work with ease
• Learn how to budget your money
• Discover more about the University and all the amazing opportunities you’ll have here
• Meet your dedicated contact person from the Head Start team that you can contact anytime if you have any questions or concerns
• Three different programmes are offered, so you can select the most suitable one for you.
• Head Start – the main programmes are residential, three-day enhanced induction programmes
• Head Start Express: a one-day condensed event
• Head Start for mature learners: a one-day event specifically for mature learners

All programmes are completely free, including accommodation in halls of residences if you register for the three day enhanced residential programme. For more information, please click here.

Connect with other new students via the Official Facebook group

Meet a wider network of friends by joining the official Facebook group for new starters. You’ll receive an invite by email or you can sign you up in person at an Applicant Experience Day.

Take part in Kingston’s Big Read- the award winning book club

Kingston is a community and a really important part of building this community is the Big Read project, which has been running for the past five years.

Each year all new students receive a limited-edition copy of a carefully selected book. The idea is to give everyone the chance to be part of one big book club – and have something in common to talk about before you get here.

The Big Read has been recognised as the most imaginative and innovative university project to encourage students to enter higher education, by being awarded the Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year at the Times Higher Education awards.

Kingston University students on Whatuni say:

“Always get help when needed. Academic staff try their best to be supportive.”

“Very supportive.”

“Academic tutors are easy to contact and make an appointment with.”

We understand studying at university is a big financial commitment for our students, but believe it’s an investment well worth making. 

UK and EU student fees

For most full-time undergraduate degree courses, they charge £9,250* tuition fees a year.

International student fees

For most undergraduate degree courses, they charge between £12,300 and £14,900* tuition fees a year.

Currently, the UK government is undertaking a review of tuition fees. The outcome of this is currently unknown, but it could affect the tuition fees charged by universities. The UK government have not currently made an announcement on tuition fees for EU students going to university in September 2020. Please refer to Kingston’s website for the most up-to-date information.

* There are some exceptions to this and more information is available on each course webpage.

Kingston offer a minimum of 400 bursaries of £2,000 to students starting in September 2019. They are for first year students only.

To be eligible, you have to meet a number of criteria – please see their website for a full list.

Fashion

Kingston’s fashion programme was ranked sixth best in the UK by The Guardian's fashion and textiles subject league 2019, and third best in the Business of Fashion's Global Fashion School Rankings 2016. It has also been awarded the Creative Skillset Tick, recognising its contribution to the creative industries.

You will have the opportunity to work abroad, undertake a paid summer placement around the world and go on a trip to New York Fashion Week. The course is linked to major fashion companies, including Banana Republic, GAP, H&M, Old Navy, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Outfitters and Inditex (Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti).

Journalism

Kingston is considered to be a top-ranking journalism college. The programme has a partnership with publishers Haymarket, which could see you working on a real-life magazine project. You will develop practical skills, from hard news to interview techniques, while guest speakers have included Simon Hattenstone, acclaimed Guardian feature writer and sports journalist and Luke Lewis, editor of NME.com.

Kingston University is committed to ensuring higher education is accessible to everyone and proudly champions alternative routes into university.

When assessing applications, they look for evidence of ability, potential, and passion for your subject area. They not only look at your formal educational achievements, but also at the skills and experience you have in order to evaluate your suitability for a course.

If you’d like to study at Kingston, but aren’t sure if you have the right qualifications to do so, pick up the phone or drop them an email, they’re always happy to talk you through your options.

Contact the enquiries team on:

T: 0203 510 0106.