The two dates that matter most
- 15 October 2026, 18:00 for Oxford, Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses.
- 13 January 2027, 18:00, the equal consideration date, for most other courses.
What happens, and when?
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12 May 2026 | Applications open for 2027 entry courses. |
| 1 September 2026 | Completed applications can be submitted to UCAS. |
| 15 October 2026, 18:00 | Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge, and for most courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine or science. |
| 13 January 2027, 18:00 | Equal consideration date for most undergraduate courses. Applications that arrive by this time are considered equally. |
| 25 February 2027 | Extra opens, for applicants who are not holding any offers. |
| 31 March 2027 | The date universities aim to have sent all their decisions by. |
| May and June 2027 | Reply deadlines for offers. UCAS shows your own date in your application, because it depends on when your last decision arrives. |
| 2 July 2027 | Clearing opens for eligible applicants, and vacancies appear in the UCAS search tool. |
| August 2027 | Exam results are published, and Clearing is at its busiest. Your school will confirm the exact results day, and UCAS publishes the Clearing dates. |
| 23 September 2027 | Final date for 2027 entry applications. |
| 18 October 2027 | Last date to add a Clearing choice. |
Which courses have different dates?
- Music conservatoires. Applications to conservatoire music courses have their own deadline, earlier than the main January date. For 2027 entry it is 1 October 2026 at 18:00.
- Courses that start early. A few courses start between January and July rather than in September, and their deadlines come earlier. UCAS lists them on its dates page.
- Oxford and Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses. These use the 15 October deadline, not the January one.
What if you miss a deadline?
You can still apply for many courses. UCAS says that if you do not meet the main application deadline, you can still apply for many courses, and applications received later are considered by universities if they have places. From July, applications go through Clearing.
What this page does not cover
- Student finance. Funding applications have their own dates, set by the funding body for where you live. Apply in the spring of the year you start, and check your own funding body's dates.
- Entrance tests and portfolios. Some courses ask for tests (medicine and law, for example) or portfolios, with deadlines months before the UCAS date. Check the course page on the university's own website.
- Conservatoire acting and dance courses. These also have their own timetables, listed by UCAS and the conservatoires.
Where these dates come from
Both sources are UCAS's own pages. They are the ones to check before you act on any date on this page:
We checked both on 8 October 2026. If a date on this page disagrees with UCAS, UCAS is right, and please tell us so we can fix it.
While you are waiting for a deadline
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