Kent College Canterbury（肯特学院坎特伯雷校区）has been welcoming international students for a long time, and its website is unusually explicit about what applying from abroad involves: the entry points, the assessments, the fees, the guardian requirement and the visa route. This guide is based on the official website as checked in August 2026, and follows the five-stage process the school itself publishes: register, assess, offer and guardian, visa, then joining paperwork.
Kent College Canterbury at a Glance
Kent College Canterbury is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in Canterbury, Kent, covering ages 0-18 across a Junior School and a Senior School. The website says around one-third of pupils are boarders and that the boarding community represents over 40 nationalities. There are five boarding houses: three for boys (Elfick, Gamon and Guilford) and two for girls (Austen and Wesley), which the school describes as a home away from home for international students. Kent College Canterbury describes itself as a high-achieving but non-selective school offering GCSE, A Level and the International Baccalaureate, and notes that its most recent full inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) judged the school excellent in every aspect. Pupils usually join in Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) or Year 12 (16+), with other year groups possible when places allow, plus a pre-Sixth option in Year 11 (15+) for international boarders.
Programs: From Junior School to IB
The academic route at Kent College Canterbury starts in the Junior School and runs through GCSE, A Level and the IB in the Senior School. The website states that at A Level, 70% of students regularly achieve A*-B grades, and that the school is a leading IB World school. For international students who need to improve their English before joining mainstream classes, the International Study Centre (ISC) runs intensive English programmes with an average class size of 3 to 10. In Years 7-9 the ISC accepts students from beginner to lower-intermediate English and combines intensive EAL teaching with subjects such as Maths, Art and Science, moving pupils into the mainstream as their English reaches the right level; bespoke timetables cover intensive courses, examination courses and access to mainstream subjects. The ISC prepares students for IGCSE in Years 10-11 and IB English B in Years 12-13, and offers preparation for Cambridge KET, PET, FCE and CAE, while Sixth Form international students are commonly prepared for IELTS. The school also has a specialist Learning Support Centre for pupils with additional learning needs.
Entry Requirements and the Application Process
Kent College Canterbury publishes a five-stage application process. Stage 1 is registration: an online form, a non-refundable registration fee of £150, and a recent school report. Stage 2 is assessment: all applicants sit entrance examinations in English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning, which can be taken at the pupil’s current school, a lawyer’s office or the British Council; there is also an online assessment of spoken and written English, and a possible video interview. Stage 3 is the offer and guardian arrangements: parents of boarders must appoint an educational guardian, aged over 25 and resident in the UK within two hours’ travel of the school; the website advises using only guardian companies accredited by AEGIS (the Association for Education and Guardianship of International Students) or the BSA (Boarding School Association). Stage 4 covers the visa, detailed below. Stage 5 is the parents’ contract: a medical questionnaire (which must be completed before the pupil can start term), laptop and IT usage agreements, and a biometrics consent form. New pupils and their parents are invited to the New Boarders Welcome Day at the start of the autumn term in September.
Fees and Deposits for 2026/27
Fees at Kent College Canterbury are published per term and include VAT. For the Senior School, day fees are £8,609 for Year 7, £8,951 for Year 8, £9,419 for Year 9, £9,527 for Year 10, and £9,899 for Years 11-13, with 80 after-school clubs included in the day fee. Weekly boarding (Monday to Friday) is £11,207 per term for Years 7-8 and £16,475 for Years 9-13. Full boarding is £13,445 per term for Years 7-8 and £18,515 for Years 9-13. Junior School day fees run from £5,230 (Reception) to £8,249 (Year 6). The registration fee is £150. Deposits are £4,000 for UK and EU boarding places, £15,500 for non-EU boarding places (which in some circumstances may total a full year’s fees), and £750 for day places; deposits are payable when a place is accepted. The standard fee includes curriculum activities, books and stationery, first-sitting external exam fees, breakfast, evening meals and snacks for boarders, personal accident insurance, bedding and laundry, and obligatory trips; lunch is compulsory for all pupils but charged separately.
Visas, Guardianship and Support
Visa arrangements are where international families need the clearest picture. Kent College Canterbury’s website states that pupils without British or Irish passports who plan to stay in the UK for more than 6 months will usually need a Child Student Visa with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). The school is a licensed sponsor for Child Student visas for boarding students only; it does not sponsor day pupils for student visas. A CAS is issued once the place is confirmed, the guardian agreement is in place, the deposit has been paid, and evidence of funds covering one year’s fees has been provided. Guardianship runs alongside the visa: the guardian must be over 25, resident in the UK and within two hours’ travel of the school. On the English side, the EAL department supports international students at every level, and the ISC’s courses lead into IGCSE, IB English B and IELTS preparation; boarding house rooms pair pupils of different nationalities so English stays the shared language. The school also offers short-term boarding for two terms, aimed at pupils preparing for full UK boarding life or wanting to spend time in the UK improving their English.
Term Dates and Application Timeline
The timeline anchors on the Kent College Canterbury Senior School term dates for 2026/27: the autumn term begins on Thursday 3 September 2026 (new boarders arrive on Wednesday 2 September) and ends on Tuesday 15 December; the spring term runs from Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027; and the summer term runs from Tuesday 20 April to Thursday 1 July 2027, which ends with Speech Day. Half-term breaks are around a week in each term. Working backwards: register and complete assessments well ahead, ideally in the year before entry; once an offer arrives, start guardian selection and visa preparation immediately, because the CAS is issued only after the guardian agreement, deposit and funds evidence are in place. Book flights for the boarders’ arrival day at the start of term, check that the passport covers the whole study period, and complete the medical questionnaire and IT agreements before travel.
Planning Checklist for International Students
A practical checklist based on the Kent College Canterbury website: confirm the entry year (usually Year 7, 9 or 12, with a Year 11 pre-Sixth option for international boarders) and decide whether the International Study Centre route is needed for English. Complete the online registration with the £150 fee and a recent school report, then arrange the English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning examinations at the current school, a lawyer’s office or the British Council, plus the online English assessment. On receiving an offer, appoint an AEGIS- or BSA-accredited guardian and sign the guardian agreement, then prepare the visa application with the CAS issued by the school. Budget for the 2026/27 fees and deposits, book travel for the boarders’ arrival day (2 September 2026 for the autumn term), complete the joining forms, and keep the latest version of the school website as the reference point throughout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which year groups can international students join? Kent College Canterbury’s website says pupils usually join in Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) or Year 12 (16+), with other year groups subject to availability and a pre-Sixth option in Year 11 (15+). What do the entrance examinations cover? English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning, taken remotely at the current school, a lawyer’s office or the British Council, plus an online English assessment and a possible video interview. Is a guardian required? Yes, boarding parents must appoint an educational guardian over 25, resident in the UK within two hours of the school, preferably through an AEGIS- or BSA-accredited company. What if English is not ready? The International Study Centre accepts students from beginner level in Years 7-9, with bespoke timetables and an average class size of 3 to 10. How much are the fees? For 2026/27, full boarding for Years 9-13 is £18,515 per term and day fees for Year 7 start at £8,609, both including VAT. How does the visa work? The school sponsors Child Student visas for boarding students and issues a CAS once the place, guardian agreement, deposit and funds evidence are all in place.
Information in this guide is based on the Kent College Canterbury website as checked in August 2026; fees, dates and visa requirements should be confirmed against the latest official information. If you would like to plan an application route that fits the student’s age, English level and academic goals, you can speak to the advisers on this site.