For parents and caregivers: a timeline for UK university applications
What your child needs to do and when.
These are the key dates for 2026 entry, but they don’t tend to change by very much year to year.
| Key Dates | Information |
|---|---|
2 October at 18:00 (GMT)
| If you're applying to study music at a conservatoire, you must complete your application by this date or it may not be considered. Find out more about studying music in the UK in this guide. |
15 October at 18:00 (GMT)
| Applications for Oxford, Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science courses need to besubmitted though UCAS. This means ALL aspects of your application – including your reference from teachers. Need more info on these pathways? Check out our guides on Oxbridge, and our Subjects library profiles for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. |
14 January at 18:00 (GMT)
| Deadline for almost all other applications. If you want to make sure your application is given equal consideration by universities, today is the day you have to submit the final product to UCAS. |
26 February
| UCAS Extra opens. If you applied by the 14 January deadline, used all your five options, but don't hold any offers, UCAS Extra could be for you. UCAS Extra gives candidates who haven't secured a place a chance to add another option to their application. |
7 April
| If you applied to a conservatoire and received all your decisions by 12 March, you must reply to them by this date. Otherwise, your application will be declined. |
6 May
| If you applied by the 14 January deadline, universities have until today to reply to you. If you do not hear back from them about your application by the end of the day, UCAS will decline the application on their behalf. |
| 30 June at 18:00 (GMT) | UCAS automatically enter applications sent after this time into Clearing, rather than sending them directly to your chosen university or college. Want to start getting ready for Clearing? Check out our guide 'Results day and Clearing: are you ready for Clearing?' |
4 July
| Last date to apply for Extra. If you miss this deadline, you can still apply via Clearing from 5 July. |
5 July
| Clearing opens and university vacancies - including those that were unclaimed on UCAS Extra - will be displayed on the Clearing search tool on UCAS from today. You can apply for a course through Clearing if you have not accepted any offers, if you do not achieve the grades you were expecting, if you change your mind about your firm/insurance choice, or if you haven't applied to university yet this academic year. Find out more about Clearing in our guide ‘Results day and Clearing: what is Clearing and how does it work?’. |
4 August
| SQA results published. If you receive results that are lower than you were expecting, take a look at our guide ‘Results day and Clearing: lower results than expected?’. If you receive results that are higher than you were expecting, you can apply to universities with higher grade entries through Clearing; check out our guide ‘Results day and Clearing: higher results than expected?’ for more information. |
15 August
| A level results published. If you receive results that are lower than you were expecting, take a look at our guide ‘Results day and Clearing: lower results than expected?’. If you receive results that are higher than you were expecting, you can apply to universities with higher grade entries through Clearing; check out our guide ‘Results day and Clearing: higher results than expected?’ for more information. |
8 September
| If you applied to a conservatoire and received all your decisions by 1 August, you must reply by this date. Otherwise, your application will be declined. |
24 September at 18:00 (GMT)
| Final deadline for all this academic year's entry applications. |
19 October
| Final deadline for adding Clearing choices entry in the current academic year. |
Last updated on 8 April 2025