UCAS deadlines for 2027 entry: 15 October for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine courses, 13 January for most others

The first UCAS deadline for 2027 university entry is 15 October, and it applies to Oxford, Cambridge and most courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine/science, UCAS says. The cut-off is 18:00 UK time.

For most undergraduate courses the date is 13 January 2027, also at 18:00 UK time, according to the same page on dates and deadlines. UCAS calls both an “equal consideration date”.

A “Missed deadline?” section on the page says applicants who miss the main application deadline can still apply for many courses. UCAS recommends asking universities whether they have vacancies first, “especially for courses with a 15 October deadline”, because it is “unusual for them to consider late applications”.

Which courses have the 15 October deadline?

UCAS lists the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and most courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine/science. The word “most” is UCAS’s own, and the page tells applicants to check the course information in its search tool to see which deadline applies to them.

UCAS adds that choices with a different deadline can be added later, but an applicant can only have five choices in total.

What does “equal consideration date” mean?

In its section on 2026 entry, UCAS says a completed application, including personal details and the academic reference, that is submitted by the deadline is “guaranteed to be considered”. The 2027 section does not repeat that line.

By our count, 13 January 2027 is 95 days after 10 October 2026, the day this article was published, and 90 days after 15 October 2026.

How long is the application window open?

UCAS says completed applications can be submitted from 1 September 2026, and that an applicant needs a reference before sending one. Applications received by 30 June 2027 will be sent to universities and colleges. The final date for 2027 entry applications is 23 September 2027, which by our count is 83 days after Clearing opens on 2 July 2027.

What happens after the January deadline?

UCAS says Extra opens on 25 February 2027. For people who have used all five choices and are not holding any offers, it says they “may be able to add another choice” in their application. The last day to add an Extra choice is 1 July 2027.

Clearing opens on 2 July 2027, when vacancies are displayed in UCAS’s search tool. The list also gives 22 July 2027 as the last day for undergraduate reply swaps and 18 October 2027 as the last date to add a Clearing choice.