For students and parents · May to January
Applying to Oxford or Cambridge: the year, month by month
For 2027 entry the UCAS deadline for Oxford and Cambridge is 15 October 2026 at 6pm UK time, three months before most other courses, and the admissions tests have to be booked before that and sat in mid October. Interviews are in December, Oxford gives its decisions on 12 January 2027 and Cambridge on 27 January 2027.
Why does it start so early?
Everything that happens before an Oxford or Cambridge interview, the admissions test, the written work and Cambridge’s own form, has to fit between the start of Year 13 and December. So the useful preparation happens in the summer after Year 12: choosing the course, reading around it, drafting the personal statement, and practising for the admissions test if the course has one.
UCAS applications for 2027 entry opened on 12 May 2026, and completed applications can be sent from 1 September 2026. A school usually sets its own earlier internal deadline for Oxford and Cambridge applicants, so that the reference and predicted grades are ready in time, so ask about it before the summer holidays.
What happens in September and October?
The tests come first. The TMUA, ESAT and TARA have to be booked by 6pm UK time on 28 September 2026 and are sat between 12 and 16 October 2026. Law applicants register and book the LNAT by 15 September and sit it by 15 October, and medicine applicants sit the UCAT, which runs from 13 July to 24 September 2026. The admissions tests guide lists which course asks for which.
The UCAS application is due by 6pm UK time on 15 October 2026. Cambridge applicants then complete My Cambridge Application by 6pm on 22 October 2026. It is personalised, so it may ask for transcripts or test scores, and it includes an optional Cambridge-specific statement of up to 1,200 characters.
What happens from November to January?
Some courses ask for written work. Oxford’s timeline gives 10 November 2026 as the date to send it to the college considering your application, and Cambridge asks for one or two examples for some courses, usually in the arts and social sciences; each course page says whether it is needed.
Oxford’s guidance says shortlisted applicants hear usually between the middle of November and early December, and interviews for both universities are in December. Cambridge’s main interview period is 7 to 18 December 2026. Oxford gives its decisions on 12 January 2027 through UCAS; Cambridge interviews some applicants from its winter pool in mid to late January and gives its decisions on 27 January 2027.
An offer is usually conditional on the results in August 2027, and Cambridge mathematics offers usually include grades in STEP, which is sat in June.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 12 May 2026 | UCAS applications for 2027 entry open |
| 1 September 2026 | Completed UCAS applications can be sent |
| 13 July to 24 September 2026 | The UCAT, for medicine |
| By 15 September 2026 | Register and book the LNAT, for law |
| By 28 September 2026, 6pm | Book the TMUA, ESAT or TARA |
| 12 to 16 October 2026 | TMUA, ESAT and TARA sitting |
| By 15 October 2026 | Sit the LNAT |
| 15 October 2026, 6pm | UCAS deadline for Oxford and Cambridge |
| 22 October 2026, 6pm | My Cambridge Application |
| 10 November 2026 | Oxford written work, where the course asks for it |
| Mid November to early December | Oxford shortlisting |
| December 2026 | Interviews (Cambridge: 7 to 18 December) |
| 12 January 2027 | Oxford decisions |
| Mid to late January 2027 | Cambridge winter pool interviews |
| 27 January 2027 | Cambridge decisions |
| June 2027 | STEP, for Cambridge mathematics offers |
| August 2027 | Results, and offers confirmed |
Where to check
- UCAS
- Cambridge: application dates and deadlines
- Cambridge: My Cambridge Application
- Cambridge: written work
- Cambridge: interviews
- Cambridge: application decisions
- Oxford: admissions timeline
- Oxford: interviews
- UAT-UK (ESAT, TMUA and TARA)
- LNAT dates and deadlines
- UCAT test dates
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them. cookie is not connected to the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.
Common questions
When is the Oxford and Cambridge deadline?
For 2027 entry it is 15 October 2026 at 6pm UK time, the same date as most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses.
When do you have to book the admissions tests?
The TMUA, ESAT and TARA have to be booked by 6pm UK time on 28 September 2026 and are sat between 12 and 16 October 2026. The LNAT and UCAT have their own, earlier registration dates.
When are Oxford and Cambridge interviews?
In December. Cambridge’s main interview period for 2027 entry is 7 to 18 December 2026, and Oxford’s interviews are in December too.
When do Oxford and Cambridge send offers?
For 2027 entry Oxford gives its decisions on 12 January 2027 and Cambridge on 27 January 2027.
Is it too late to start preparing in September?
Not too late, but tight. The admissions test and the personal statement both come within about six weeks of the start of term, so doing the reading and some test practice over the summer takes the pressure off.