When should I start applying for Fall 2023

Some courses have different deadlines, and many are a long time in advance of the start of the course. Find out which deadline applies to you, and what you need to do by that deadline.

Deadlines for on-time applications

2023 entry application deadlines

For courses starting in 2023 (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 2022 for 2023 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.  
• 25 January 2023 for 2023 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. 

• Missed your deadline?

• International students

• Part-time students

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?

You'll need to leave enough time to complete your application, resolve any queries and make sure it reaches us by the deadline.

After you find courses and you’re ready to apply, we’ll explain everything in more detail, but here’s a brief overview:

1. Fill in your details, qualifications and course choices.
2. Write a personal statement to demonstrate you’ll be a good student.
3. Include your reference and pay your application fee.

• Independent applicants (not through a school)

• Does your course start early between January and July?

• Are you deferring your application until the following year?

• International and EU students

• Siaradwyr Cymraeg

How to meet entry requirements

Each course has different requirements you should have or be working towards in school or college – usually a mix of qualifications, subjects and/or exam grades.

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.

• International and EU students

• Mature students (over 21)

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.

1. When making your application – you can select a ‘deferred’ start date for your chosen course in your application, 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.
2. 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.

Find out more about deferring your application 

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