This guide describes what UCAS says on its own website, as we read it on 28 October 2026. It does not predict outcomes or tell you what will happen to your application. UCAS can change rules and dates, so use the UCAS pages linked below as the final word.
Application at a glance
You apply through UCAS for most undergraduate courses. UCAS says its search tool began showing 2027 entry courses on 28 April 2026, that applications for 2027 entry opened on 12 May 2026, and that completed applications can be submitted to UCAS from 1 September 2026.
Two points matter early. First, UCAS sets an equal consideration date for most undergraduate courses of 13 January 2027 (18:00 UK time). Second, there is an earlier equal consideration date of 15 October 2026 for applications to Oxford and Cambridge and for most medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine or science courses. That date has now passed; UCAS says you can add choices with a different deadline later.
Ask your teacher at school or college whether they set an internal deadline for applications, and what help they give.
Personal statement from 2026 entry onward
UCAS has changed the personal statement format. Instead of one long piece of writing, it is now three questions. UCAS gives them as:
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences helpful?
UCAS states that the total limit is 4,000 characters, which you can split flexibly across the three sections, and that all three questions are mandatory. In its personal statement toolkit for advisers, UCAS also says the questions themselves do not count towards the 4,000 characters, and that the format applies to both university and conservatoire applications. UCAS's toolkit words the third question slightly differently from the news release, so check the current wording on the UCAS application itself.
We have not described a minimum length for each section, because the pages we could read did not state a consistent figure. Check that with UCAS before you start writing.
Plan the statement from your own experience. Keep notes on subjects you enjoy, anything you have read or done beyond class, and what you want from the course. Write in your own words and ask someone you trust to read a draft.
Key UCAS dates for 2027 entry
These are the dates UCAS lists, all times UK time. To count down to them alongside your exams, add them to the free exam countdown, or see them beside the exam series on our key dates calendar.
- 13 January 2027, 18:00: equal consideration date for most undergraduate courses.
- 25 February 2027: Extra opens.
- 30 June 2027, 18:00: applications received by this deadline are sent to universities and colleges.
- 1 July 2027: last day to add an Extra choice in your application.
- 2 July 2027: Clearing opens.
- 22 July 2027, 18:00: last day for undergraduate reply swaps.
- 23 September 2027, 18:00: final date for 2027 entry applications.
- 18 October 2027: last date to add a Clearing choice.
Results days are set by the exam boards together and published in JCQ’s key dates. These dates are subject to change, so confirm them on the sources listed at the end.
How Clearing works, per UCAS
UCAS describes Clearing as a way to apply for a course if you are not already holding an offer from a university or college. It lists the people who can use it as including those who did not receive offers, those who did not meet the conditions of their offers, and those who have declined a place. UCAS also says applications submitted after 30 June are automatically entered into Clearing, and that you can use Clearing even if you have never applied before.
UCAS says Clearing runs from 2 July and that Clearing vacancies are shown from then. If you are eligible, your Clearing number shows under Application status in your application. UCAS says that if you find yourself in Clearing, it will match you to courses you may be interested in, which it describes as your top 50 course matches, and that you should only add a Clearing choice once the university or college has given you permission.
For applying directly, UCAS gives these steps: contact the universities or colleges you are interested in to check for space, register with UCAS, complete and submit your application (you cannot add choices at this stage), then add a Clearing choice in the UCAS Hub once you have permission.
Adjustment
We have not described adjustment. UCAS's Clearing pages that we read did not mention it. If you think it might apply to you, ask UCAS or your school or college.
What to do on results day
UCAS says that before results day there is an embargo period when your application may look frozen and read-only, and the options to decline your place or add a Clearing choice are unavailable until official results day. A calm sequence to follow once you are able to act:
- Check your application status in UCAS Hub before you do anything else.
- If you are eligible for Clearing, find your Clearing number.
- Look at the vacancies in the UCAS search tool and your Clearing matches.
- Contact the university or college and ask whether they can offer you a place on the course.
- Add a Clearing choice only once they have given permission.
No step here promises a place: that is for each university or college to decide. For the wider picture on the day, including what to do if your results are not what you hoped, read our results day guide. Bring a parent, carer or someone from school if that helps.
Before you rely on this
Dates for the next cycle and the wording of UCAS pages can change, and nobody can promise how your application will turn out. UCAS's own pages are the authority. If you are a parent or carer helping with an application, our guide to helping without nagging covers how to support without taking over.