Deadlines for on-time applications
2022 entry applications
You can start your application now in the UCAS Hub and submit it to us from 7 September 2021.
For courses starting in 2022 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
If you're applying through your school/college, please check their deadline, and follow this to get your application in on time. This gives them enough time to read your application, check you've entered your qualifications correctly, write and attach your reference, and submit your application to us.
- 15 October 2021 for 2022 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
- 26 January 2022 for 2022 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests.
Check course information in our search tool to see which deadline applies to you.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
2021 entry applications
The application deadlines (including deferred applications) were:
- 15 October 2020 at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry.
- 29 January 2021 at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses. (Following UK COVID-19 restriction announcements the deadline for undergraduate applications was extended from 15 January.)
The application deadline for dance and drama at conservatoires was also extended to 29 January. Find out more.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing – find out more about Clearing.
Applying for an apprenticeship?
You can apply for as many apprenticeships as you like, on top of your university applications. It’s more like applying to a job – positions can start at any time of year and application deadlines differ between employers. Head to Career Finder to find vacancies – next to each will be the closing date.
What needs to be done by these dates?
After you find courses and you’re ready to apply, we’ll explain everything in more detail, but here’s a brief overview:
- Fill in your details, qualifications and course choices.
- Write a personal statement to demonstrate you’ll be a good student.
- Include your reference and pay your application fee.
How to meet entry requirements
As such, many applicants apply during their final year at school or college.
- When you go to find courses, you’ll need to check the entry requirements so you can apply for courses you have a good chance of getting a place on.
- This is where the option to apply for up to five courses comes in handy – you can choose courses with higher and lower requirements so that you’ll have a backup.
How to defer your uni or college application
There are two ways to defer your application to university or college, depending what stage of the application process you’re at.
- When making your application – you can select a ‘deferred’ start date for your chosen course in Apply, but it’s important to contact the uni or college before submitting your application to make sure they are happy to accept a deferred application.
- After you’ve applied – contact your chosen uni or college and ask if they’d be happy to change your course start date to the following year.