The official UCAS deadline to apply for a UK University course, commencing September 2023, was in January. But do not despair - If you haven't yet applied but want to study this year, there are a whole host of other entry routes available to you.

Apply for a Foundation Year Programme

Foundation Year Programmes offer an ideal route into University, and is often viewed as a successful preparation method in helping students succeed in their undergraduate degree.

Many foundation courses take place at a university, and if you get high enough grades at the end of the year you may get guaranteed entry into the degree level programme. You can choose a foundation programme according to what you want to go on to study for your degree, and popular options include Business, Engineering, Law, Medicine and the Humanities subjects.

It’s ideal for international students who do not have the right qualifications or english language proficiency, to get onto their undergraduate degree yet - in fact, a foundation programme is often mandatory for international applicants.

To apply, you can contact the University admissions team directly.  

UCAS Clearing

From 5 July - 17 October, you can apply for a University course via Clearing. In simple terms, Clearing is a way for Universities to fill empty seats on their courses, ran by UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), and open to UK and EU nationals.

The application service is often used by individuals who decide to go to University after the official application deadline, or for those who didn't get the desired results for their first choice course and want to find alternative study options or Universities.

For more information, please click here to read our Clearing Guide.

Apply Directly

Many very reputable UK universities are privately-run, and thus also accept direct applications, not just through UCAS. They tend not to have deadlines for application, although obviously the sooner you apply, the more likely they will have space for you. Furthermore, if you are an international student, please consider additional time for necessary visa processing.

Examples include the University of Buckingham, rated 1st for teaching quality by the Sunday Times Good University Guide, New College of the Humanities and Regent’s University London. Their websites show you exactly what you need to do in order to apply.

Application Support

Carfax Education have a dedicated and expert team of University consultants, available to help and guide you through the application process. For more information, please click here.

‍