UCAS 2027 entry: applications can be submitted from 1 September 2026

Updated 18 October 2026

Key facts and figures

• Application fee, 2027 entry: £34.50 for up to five choices (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).
• Choices: five in total, the same or different courses at the same or different universities (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).
• 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses. That date has now passed (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).
• 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for most other undergraduate courses, and the next deadline that commands the cycle (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).
• Personal statement: 4,000 characters including spaces (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).
• Oxford 2027 entry: written work, where a course requires it, by 10 November 2026; shortlisting from the end of November; online interviews in December 2026; decisions on Tuesday 12 January 2027 through UCAS (source: University of Oxford, consulted 18 October 2026).
• Your Dream School: 1,000+ students supported since 2018, 160+ Google reviews, 650+ UK offers across the 2019 to 2025 intakes.

Figures taken from our admissions database, 2019 to 2025 intakes. They are minimums: the 2017-2018 and 2025-2026 intakes are not yet consolidated.

Registration for the UCAS 2027 entry cycle opened on 12 May 2026 and submission opened on 1 September 2026. The 15 October 2026 deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine has now passed, so the date that commands the rest of the cycle is 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time.

The calendar matters most to international applicants, who often meet the British timetable only once term has started. Here is the official 2027 timeline as UCAS publishes it today, what changed this year, what happens to an application sent after 15 October, and what to settle before January.

What exactly happens on 1 September 2026?

UCAS opened submission for completed applications to courses starting in autumn 2027. An application can only be sent once it carries the academic reference written by the school. Until that reference is attached, the application stays locked in the UCAS Hub, even if every other section is finished. That single item is still what blocks most files now, in the run-up to January.

On the same topic, see our article: What to do after sending your UCAS application.

The official UCAS timeline for 2027 entry

• 12 May 2026: applications open, you can register and start filling in the form
• 1 September 2026: completed applications can be submitted to UCAS
• 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for Oxford, Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses. Now passed
• 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for most other undergraduate courses
• 25 February 2027: UCAS Extra opens, for applicants who have used all five choices and hold no offer
• 1 July 2027: last day to add an Extra choice
• 30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time: last applications passed on to universities, after which they go into Clearing
• 2 July 2027: Clearing opens
• 22 July 2027, 18:00 UK time: last day for undergraduate reply swaps
• 23 September 2027, 18:00 UK time: final deadline of the 2027 cycle

These dates shift from one cycle to the next, and that is the most common source of confusion. For 2026 entry, submission opened on 2 September 2025 and equal consideration fell on 14 January 2026. Copying last year’s calendar quietly costs a day, sometimes more.

To go further, read our guide: Cover letter foreign university.

Is it too late to apply now that 15 October has passed?

Not for most courses. UCAS states that an applicant who misses the main application deadline “can still apply for many courses”, and recommends asking the universities whether they have vacancies first, “especially for courses with a 15 October deadline, as it is unusual for them to consider late applications because their courses are really competitive”. UCAS also notes that many universities and colleges keep accepting applications from international students later in the year. In practice: Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine are closed for 2027 entry, while the rest of the UK system is still open until 13 January 2027, and every application received before that date is read on the same footing (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).

How much does a UCAS application cost for 2027?

The 2027 cycle fee is £34.50 for up to five choices. That one fee covers the UCAS Hub, UCAS Extra and Clearing. UCAS states that students who are care leavers may be eligible for a fee waiver from 2027 entry onwards, as may students who have received UK government funded free school meals at any point during their secondary education (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).

For more detail, see also: Writing a letter of recommendation.

What changed in the personal statement?

From 2026 entry onwards, the single free-form essay was replaced by three questions: why this course, how your studies prepared you for it, and what you have done outside formal education. The limit is still 4,000 characters including spaces, split across the three answers as you like (source: UCAS, consulted 18 October 2026).

Related reading: Meet Eva, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Bath.

What was the deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and medicine, and what happens next?

15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time. It covered every course at Oxford and Cambridge, plus most medicine, veterinary and dentistry courses, and school leavers may only apply to one of the two universities in a given year. Oxford now describes the rest of its cycle this way: written work, where the course requires it, by 10 November 2026; shortlisting from the end of November to the beginning of December; online interviews in December 2026; and a decision for every shortlisted candidate on Tuesday 12 January 2027 through UCAS, with colleges following up directly later the same day (source: University of Oxford, consulted 18 October 2026).

On the same topic, see our article: Interview with Matthew, an Engineering student at the University of Warwick.

What to settle before 13 January 2027

• Lock the course list. Five choices only, so every line counts. Check the required subjects and expected grades course by course, then balance ambitious, target and safe choices.
• Draft the personal statement. Three answers, 4,000 characters. Expect several versions: a statement written in one evening reads like one written in one evening.
• Brief the teacher writing your reference. This is the single item that blocks most applications, and it is not in the student’s hands.
• Check the English language requirement. Thresholds vary by course and by university. Sitting a test now leaves room to retake it before January.
• Look at admissions tests. The UAT-UK tests, the LNAT and the UCAT run their own registration calendars, separate from UCAS. If mathematics, economics or computer science at Oxford or Cambridge is on the list for a future cycle, start with our TMUA preparation, format and 2027 dates page, then the TMUA past papers and how the TMUA score is read. Check every exact date with the test provider.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Leaving the course list open once term and tests are under way. There is then no room left to weigh options calmly.
• Treating the five choices as five identical bets, then holding no offer in February.
• Recycling a personal statement built for the old format. The three questions expect distinct answers, not one essay cut into three pieces.
• Finding out in late December that the academic reference was never written.
• Assuming Scotland runs on a separate system. Scottish universities apply through UCAS too, with the same dates.

Getting support

Your Dream School has supported more than 1,000 students into universities abroad, with 160+ Google reviews and 650+ UK offers across the 2019 to 2025 intakes. Figures taken from our admissions database, 2019 to 2025 intakes. They are minimums: the 2017-2018 and 2025-2026 intakes are not yet consolidated. Our team works on the UCAS application end to end: course selection, personal statement, admissions tests and interview preparation. If you are starting from scratch, our study in England page is the place to begin, and our UCAS admissions coaching page sets out how the support works.

Timeline, application fee, choice limit, fee waivers, personal statement format and late-application guidance verified on the official UCAS website on 18 October 2026. The Oxford post-deadline timeline was verified on ox.ac.uk the same day. Details can change during a cycle, so always check the course listing for the programme you are targeting.

On the same topic, see our article: Meet Louis, International Management student at the University of Bath.

Author

About Adam Girsault

With a Bachelor's (LLB) from UCL and Assas, and the Grande Ecole program at HEC Paris, Adam co-founded Your Dream School in 2018. Since then the company has coached more than 1,000 students through university admissions and interview preparation for top global institutions.

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