Admissions counseling for UCAS

Updated 1 October 2026

Key facts and figures

• UCAS 2027 entry calendar: applications opened on 12 May 2026; the deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses is 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time; the equal-consideration deadline for most other courses is 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026).
• After January: UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 for applicants without offers; applications received by 30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time are still sent to universities; Clearing opens on 2 July 2027; and the final date for any 2027 entry application is 23 September 2027, 18:00 UK time (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026).
• Choices and personal statement: a UCAS application carries 5 course choices, one personal statement and one reference. The personal statement is set out as three questions (why this course or subject; how your qualifications and studies have prepared you; what else you have done outside education and why it is useful), with a minimum of 350 characters per question and 4,000 characters in total, spaces included (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026).
• Admissions tests and decisions: UAT-UK test registration opened on 1 June 2026 and the tests are sat in October 2026; UCAT for medicine; LNAT for law. Shortlisted Oxford candidates are interviewed online in December 2026 and Oxford releases its decisions on Tuesday 12 January 2027, Cambridge on 27 January 2027. Cambridge also requires the My Cambridge Application and the transcript by 22 October 2026, 18:00 UK time, one week after the UCAS deadline (sources: University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, consulted 1 October 2026). ESAT, TMUA and TARA were scheduled 12 to 16 October 2026, booking closed 28 September 2026 (source: University of Oxford, consulted 5 September 2026).
• Your Dream School results: 650+ admission offers from the most selective UK universities since 2018, including 110 students admitted to King’s College London, 100 to UCL, 75 to LSE, 68 to Warwick and 23 to Imperial College (source: our bachelor results page).

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

For LSE, our article sets out the LSE grade requirements for French Baccalauréat students for 2027 entry. Beyond the best-known names, our piece on the University of Bath, 8th in all three UK 2027 league tables shows how to balance a list of five UCAS choices. Durham, ranked 6th in all three 2027 tables, is the other name worth a slot on that list, and it keeps the standard 13 January deadline. For students sitting the French Baccalauréat, our piece on the French Bac 2027 exam calendar explains how the June exam dates sit against the October and January UCAS deadlines.

I felt their authentic and personal engagement and involvement when it came to my daughter, which was extremely precious throughout the process.

Mother of Chiara, admitted to University College London (UCL), Bath, Durham and King’s College in Psychology, client testimonial

Why Your Dream School for UCAS applications

Five choices, one personal statement, one reference with predicted grades: a UCAS file leaves little room for error, and the 15 October and 13 January deadlines do not move. We have set out what the first of those two dates actually requires in our article on the 15 October 2026 UCAS deadline for Oxbridge and medicine. Medicine applicants only get four of their five choices, and our article on using a 2026 UCAT score to choose medical schools sets out how to rank them. We work with the student and the school on each element, in English or French, then prepare admissions tests and interviews. Founded in 2018, Your Dream School has coached more than 1,000 students and its UK record stands at 650+ admission offers, including 100 students admitted to UCL and 75 to LSE; families have posted 160+ five-star Google reviews. No admission to one of the 3 first-choice universities set at the start? We accompany the re-application. Applicants with Scotland on the list can read what St Andrews slipping to 4th in the Guardian 2027 guide does, and does not, change for an application. Building the five choices around a single top-five name is the most common mistake we correct, and Warwick, ranked 7th in all three UK guides for 2027, is the clearest example of a course that rewards a well-judged list. Talk to a coach.

Related pages: Oxbridge admissions pack, IELTS preparation, college counselling for international students and our bachelor admission results.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UCAS deadline for 2027 entry?

Two dates matter. Applications to Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses close on 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time. All other courses have an equal-consideration deadline of 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time, and the final date for any 2027 entry application is 23 September 2027 at 18:00 UK time (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026). Applications opened on 12 May 2026, so files can be built over the summer.

How many universities can I apply to through UCAS?

A UCAS application holds 5 course choices, sent together with one personal statement and one academic reference (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026). The personal statement answers three set questions, each at least 350 characters, for 4,000 characters in total. Each choice is one course at one university. We usually balance 1 or 2 ambitious choices with 3 realistic ones, and check that the predicted grades in the reference match the entry requirements of each course. When calibrating that balance, our reading of the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027 is a useful reference point: St Andrews now ranks first and both Oxford and Cambridge sit outside the top three.

What happens if I receive no offer?

UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 and lets applicants who have used all 5 choices without holding an offer add further choices one at a time. Applications received by 30 June 2027 at 18:00 UK time are still forwarded to universities, Clearing opens on 2 July 2027 for remaining places, and 23 September 2027 at 18:00 UK time is the final date for any 2027 entry application (source: UCAS, consulted 1 October 2026). Our guarantee covers the re-application if needed.

Which UCAS courses require an admissions test?

Oxford and Cambridge use UAT-UK tests for many courses: ESAT for engineering and science, TMUA for mathematics and computer science, TARA for economics, PPE, psychology and related subjects, sat 12 to 16 October 2026 (source: University of Oxford, consulted 5 September 2026). Medicine requires the UCAT and law at several universities requires the LNAT. Registration closes first, and we set out the steps in our guide to booking the ESAT, TMUA or TARA before the 28 September 2026 deadline.

How does Your Dream School help with a UCAS application?

We select the 5 courses, structure and edit the personal statement over several drafts, brief the referee on predicted grades, prepare any admissions test and run mock interviews. Since 2018 our students have received 650+ offers from the most selective UK universities, with 100 students admitted to UCL and 75 to LSE. Coaching is one-to-one, online, in English or French.