Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Christ Church is a city-centre university in Canterbury, with its main campus on North Holmes Road, right next to St Augustine's Abbey and a few minutes' walk from the High Street. It's best known for teaching, nursing, health and social care, and it has a second campus in Medway.
Halls are good value for the South East, at £124–£176 a week on 39-week contracts for 2026/27, with bills included and no deposit. Canterbury is a small, historic city, so it's friendly and walkable but not a big-city scene. Many students commute, so check how much campus life you want.
Known for
Canterbury Christ Church University is 74th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 46.2, below the UK median of 48.5. Our rankings are built around the student experience, combining employability, freshers experience, happiness, nightlife, sustainability, inclusion, innovation and societies. That means big research names don’t automatically top the table. See how we score universities.
Marker shows the UK median across all ranked universities.
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | Aston University | 46.5 |
| 73 | University College London | 46.3 |
| 74 | Canterbury Christ Church University | 46.2 |
| 75 | Kingston University | 46.1 |
| 76 | De Montfort University | 46 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
28th of 124 · Safety Score 54.9
33rd of 124 · Sustainability Score 58.2
44th of 122 · Careers Score 34.8
50th of 124 · Freshers Score 57.7
51st of 124 · Employability Score 33
56th of 123 · Happiness Score 47.6
59th of 124 · Innovation Score 56.6
63rd of 124 · Wellbeing Score 51.1
76th of 124 · Value Score 41.8
76th of 124 · Affordability Score 52.3
97th of 124 · Inclusion Score 46.1
99th of 124 · Societies Score 41.1
106th of 124 · Balance Score 33.8
112th of 124 · Nightlife Score 31.6
118th of 124 · Social Score 32.8
Canterbury as a student city
Ranked 50th of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 47.5.
Canterbury Christ Church University appears in 44 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 11th | of 108 | 195 |
| Physiotherapy | 5th | of 49 | 134 |
| Criminology | 10th | of 94 | 190 |
| Sports Science | 9th | of 78 | 165 |
| Graphic Design | 9th | of 68 | 165 |
| Marketing | 13th | of 88 | 177 |
| Biomedical Science | 15th | of 93 | 168 |
| Biochemistry | 10th | of 60 | 137 |
| Business and Management | 19th | of 114 | 198 |
| Film Production | 15th | of 87 | 182 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media and Communication | 14th | of 79 | 167 |
| Architecture | 12th | of 55 | 121 |
| Law | 23rd | of 97 | 162 |
| Primary Education | 14th | of 59 | 139 |
| Human Resource Management | 14th | of 58 | 129 |
| Photography | 11th | of 44 | 95 |
| Drama, Theatre and Performance | 15th | of 60 | 126 |
| Politics | 20th | of 78 | 140 |
| International Relations | 19th | of 71 | 132 |
| Performing Arts | 10th | of 37 | 98 |
| Economics | 23rd | of 85 | 148 |
| Biology | 14th | of 51 | 120 |
| Radiography | 8th | of 29 | 75 |
| Social Work | 19th | of 67 | 147 |
| Public Health | 4th | of 14 | 52 |
| Nursing | 25th | of 85 | 152 |
| Music | 17th | of 56 | 114 |
| Philosophy | 17th | of 54 | 115 |
| History | 24th | of 76 | 132 |
| Teaching | 28th | of 79 | 141 |
| Chemical Engineering | 11th | of 30 | 76 |
| Computer Science | 38th | of 102 | 155 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 29th | of 77 | 139 |
| Archaeology | 11th | of 28 | 80 |
| Software Engineering | 25th | of 58 | 114 |
| Product Design | 19th | of 43 | 95 |
| Midwifery | 25th | of 54 | 85 |
| Engineering (General) | 14th | of 30 | 67 |
| Cyber Security | 29th | of 58 | 112 |
| Occupational Therapy | 22nd | of 40 | 89 |
| Creative Writing | 19th | of 34 | 69 |
| Geography | 38th | of 63 | 103 |
| Information Technology | 13th | of 21 | 52 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 41st | of 66 | 74 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Christ Church Students' Union runs societies, sports clubs and events. The main Canterbury campus is a short walk from the city centre, with its pubs, bars, cafés and historic streets, and the university's saver menu offers hot lunches from £2.50. Canterbury is shared with the University of Kent's students, so the city has a busy student scene for its size. Whitstable and the Kent coast are close by.
University halls cost £123.97–£175.98 per week (2026/27 Canterbury rooms, 39-week licence; a Lanfranc studio is £199.99 on 51 weeks) (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
CCCU says "all first year undergraduate students are guaranteed accommodation (T&Cs apply)". Accommodation is offered subject to availability and its Student Accommodation Allocations Policy. The detailed guarantee terms page didn't load during research, so check the deadline and conditions on the university's accommodation guarantee page before you apply.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Place | Canterbury city | single room, shared bathroom | £123.97/wk | The cheapest option: a 'value standard' room is £4,834.83 for 39 weeks. 26 rooms around a shared kitchen and lounge. |
| University Houses | Canterbury | room in a 3–5 person house | £123.97/wk | Houses with their own kitchen, lounge and garden; standard rooms with fewer sharers are £127.96. |
| Lanfranc | Canterbury city centre (King's Mile) | en-suite or studio | £154.98/wk | 212 en-suite rooms in flats or houses, five minutes' walk from main campus. Large en-suites are £157.99; studios are £199.99 on a 51-week licence. |
| Dover Street Houses | Next to the St George's Centre | shared bathroom or en-suite | £155.96/wk | Ten three-bedroom town houses, an easy walk to campus and the city centre. |
| St George's Centre | Canterbury city centre | en-suite | £170.94/wk | 200 en-suite rooms in flats of up to eight, with easy access to all Canterbury university buildings. |
| Petros Court | Behind Augustine House | superior large en-suite | £175.98/wk | The most popular hall, according to CCCU: 418 en-suite rooms in a gated courtyard. £6,863.22 for 39 weeks. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Walkable to campus and everything else, but rooms in older properties can be pricey.
Residential areas on the edge of the centre with lots of shared houses.
Handy for the Medway campus and often cheaper than Canterbury.
Top tip
Book through the CCCU accommodation portal once you have an offer. There's no deposit, just a £115 pre-payment that goes towards your first instalment. If you can pay the year up front, CCCU adds a £250 bonus to your student card for its catering outlets. Check whether your course has placements that need extra weeks beyond the standard 39-week licence.
For the South East, CCCU halls are affordable. For 2026/27, Canterbury rooms cost £123.97–£175.98 a week on 39-week licences, with all bills included and no deposit, just a £115 pre-payment. The saver menu on campus offers hot lunches from £2.50. CCCU doesn't publish a total living-cost estimate, so budget carefully for food, travel and course costs.
Getting around
The Canterbury campus is in the city centre, and all CCCU halls are within walking distance of university buildings. Canterbury is compact and easy to get around on foot. CCCU works with Kent's main bus, train and coach operators to offer student travel discounts once you've registered. The Medway campus is a separate site, so check where your course is taught.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
Canterbury Christ Church University is 74th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 46.2. Its strongest results are for safety (28th), sustainability (33rd).
CCCU says all first-year undergraduates are guaranteed accommodation, with terms and conditions. Rooms are offered subject to availability and its allocations policy, so check the deadline on the accommodation guarantee page and apply early.
For 2026/27, Canterbury rooms cost £123.97–£175.98 a week on a 39-week licence, with bills included. Shared-bathroom rooms in Vernon Place and university houses are cheapest; en-suites at Petros Court and St George's are £170.94–£175.98.
No. You pay a £115 pre-payment that's used towards your first instalment. If you pay your fees up front, you get a £250 bonus on your student card to spend at university catering outlets.
No. They're separate universities in the same city. CCCU's main campus is in the city centre on North Holmes Road; Kent's is on a hill on the edge of the city. They jointly run the Kent and Medway Medical School.
Full-time students at the Medway campus can apply for Pier Quays, which is owned and managed by Unite Students. Your contract and rent payments are with Unite, not CCCU.
No. All CCCU halls are self-catered, with shared kitchens (or your own kitchen in a studio). Campus cafés offer a saver menu with hot lunches from £2.50.
About this guide. Rankings data comes from the Unifresher Rankings 2027 (methodology). Facts, hall prices and costs come from the university and official sources listed below. Last updated 23 October 2026.
