Governance - University of Kent
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Governance
The University of Kent is a self-governing autonomous institution established by Royal Charter in 1965. The Charter sets out its overall constitution and is supplemented by Statutes and Ordinances that provide more detail as to how the University operates in pratice.
On this page
Constitution and Management
Magna Charta Universitatum
Charity information
Birds-eye view of Canterbury campus
Building a strong university
The University has in place robust mechanisms
for ensuring accountability of its processes and decisions and for the
management of risks.
This section of the University website provides links to
Policies and Procedures
and the records of the key governing bodies of the University including
the Council
the Senate
, and
the Court
Constitution and Management
Charter, Statutes and Ordinances
The University of Kent at Canterbury received its Royal Charter in 1965. The University’s Charter, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations form the University’s constitutional framework.
The Charter
sets out the University’s fundamental objectives.
The Statutes
provide information on the appointments of the Chair, Deputy Chair of the Council, the Vice-Chancellor and the Chancellor and make provision for the appointment of Deputy Vice-Chancellors and the Secretary of the Council.
The Ordinances
define, amongst other things: the academic Schools, the University awards and membership of the University.
The Council, the Senate and the Court
the Council
and its sub committees have overall responsibility for the governance of the institution.
the Senate
, which has responsibility for the academic work of the University.
the Court
which includes representatives from many sections of the local and national community as well as the University’s principal officers.
Academic Schools
The University has ten academic Schools (The School of Computing; The School of Engineering, Mathematics & Physics; The School of Arts & Architecture; The School of Psychology; The School of Economics, Politics & International Relations; The School of Social Sciences; The Kent Law School; The School of Humanities; The Kent Business School; and The School of Natural Sciences) each led by a Head of School.
Learn more about
Kent's ten academic Schools
Principal Officers and Management
The Vice-Chancellor is the principal academic and administrative officer of the University. The Vice-Chancellor is assisted by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor(s), the Secretary of the Council and other administrative officers and their staff in the day-to-day management of the University.
Learn more about the University
Principal Officers
Magna Charta Universitatum
The University of Kent is a founding signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum. Signed in 1988, the Charta is a commitment to institutional autonomy for universities, the link between teaching and research, academic freedom and the internationalism of higher learning. The Charta has an associated
Observatory
that gathers information and forms opinion from signatory institutions to promote fundamental university values.
Read more about the Observatory
Charity information
The University of Kent was established by Royal Charter in 1965. It is an exempt charity subject to the provisions of the Charities Act 2011 (HMRC reference number XN5452).
The Office for Students is the principal regulator for all higher education institutions (HEIs) in England which are exempt charities. All HEIs with exempt charity status are required to publish the following information on their websites:
The legal name and the correspondence address of the institution (see below).
The
main constitutional documents in force currently
The
names of the institution’s trustees (members of Council)
on 31 January each year, together with a list of all other charities (if any) of which each trustee is then also a trustee.
The
full audited consolidated financial statements
for at least five years.
The
main constitutional document of the HEI, the Royal Charter,
versions published from the 2009/2010 academic year onwards.
The University of Kent is an exempt charity in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011. The
Order in Council
came into operation on 1 October 1965.
The University’s legal name and correspondence address is:
The University of Kent
The Registry
Canterbury
Kent
CT2 7NZ
United Kingdom
Queries about the above should be sent to the Director of Governance and Assurance (Jo Wright) at the above address.
To contact us about anything Governance matters please email
councilsec@kent.ac.uk
27 November 2025