For students and parents · Year 12 to August after Year 13
The UCAS application, step by step
A UCAS application takes about eighteen months from first research in Year 12 to a confirmed place in August after Year 13. Applications open in mid May of Year 12 and can be sent from early September; the deadline is 15 October at 6pm UK time for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, and mid January for most other courses.
What happens in Year 12?
The spring and summer of Year 12 are for research: reading course pages, checking entry requirements, going to open days and finding out whether any course on the list needs an admissions test. Medicine and dentistry applicants usually sit the UCAT in the summer before they apply, and Oxford and Cambridge applicants for many subjects sit an admissions test in October, so those dates have to be known well before the application goes in.
UCAS opens applications for the following year in mid May, so you can register, fill in your details and start the personal statement over the summer. The personal statement guide covers the three questions it now asks.
When is the UCAS deadline?
UCAS calls its deadlines equal consideration dates, because every application received by then is considered equally. The first is 15 October at 6pm UK time, for the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and most courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine or science. The second, for most other courses, is in mid January; for 2027 entry it is 13 January 2027 at 6pm.
Schools usually set their own internal deadline some weeks earlier, because a teacher has to write the reference and add predicted grades before the application is sent. The reference has three parts: a general statement about the school or college, any extenuating circumstances, and information about the applicant and the course.
Applications received after the January date can still be sent until the end of June, but universities do not have to consider them equally, and anything sent after that goes straight into Clearing.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Year 12, spring and summer | Research courses, go to open days and check which courses need an admissions test |
| Mid May of Year 12 | UCAS opens applications for the following year (12 May 2026) |
| July to September | The UCAT for medicine and dentistry (13 July to 24 September 2026) |
| Early September | Completed applications can be sent (from 1 September 2026) |
| 15 October, 6pm UK time | Equal consideration date for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses |
| Mid October | Oxford and Cambridge applicants sit the ESAT, TMUA or TARA where their course asks for one (12 to 16 October 2026) |
| Mid January, 6pm UK time | Equal consideration date for most other courses (13 January 2027) |
| Late February to early July | Extra, for applicants with five choices used and no offers (25 February to 1 July 2027) |
| Spring and early summer | Reply to offers, by a date that depends on when your last decision arrived |
| 30 June | Last date for applications to be sent to universities; after that, straight into Clearing |
| Early July | Clearing opens (2 July 2027) |
| Mid August | A level results, and places confirmed |
What happens after you apply?
Universities send their decisions through UCAS over the winter and spring, and some invite applicants to an interview or an assessment first. Once all the decisions are in, you choose a firm and an insurance offer by a reply date that depends on when your last decision arrived; the guide to replying to offers explains how that works.
An applicant who used all five choices and has no offers can add one more course at a time through Extra, which runs from late February to early July. Clearing opens in early July, and A level results come out in mid August, when UCAS shows whether each place has been confirmed. The Clearing guide and the results day guide cover the summer.
Where to check
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.
Common questions
When is the UCAS deadline?
15 October at 6pm UK time for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, and mid January at 6pm for most other courses (13 January 2027 for 2027 entry). Schools usually set an earlier internal deadline so the reference can be written.
When do UCAS applications open?
In mid May of Year 12, for courses starting the year after next. You can fill in the application over the summer, and completed applications can be sent from early September.
Can you apply after the January deadline?
Yes, until the end of June, but universities do not have to give a late application equal consideration, and popular courses may be full. After 30 June an application goes straight into Clearing.
Who writes the UCAS reference?
Usually a teacher or adviser at the school or college, and never a family member or friend. The school reference has three parts, and the referee also adds predicted grades for qualifications not yet finished.
When do you hear back from universities?
Decisions arrive through UCAS over the winter and spring, at different times for different universities. Oxford and Cambridge send theirs in January, after interviews in December.