How to Get Into a University in the United Kingdom as an International Student
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Almost every full-time bachelor's degree in the United Kingdom is applied for through UCAS. You file one application with up to five courses, and each university decides on its own whether to make you an offer. There is no national exam: universities look at your grades, predicted grades, personal statement and reference, and some add a test or interview.
Our catalogue lists 17,679 bachelor's programmes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; browse them by city and field.
One application, five choices
- For 2027 entry the UCAS fee is £34.50 (about €41) for up to five choices.
- You can apply to at most four courses in any one of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science; the fifth must be another subject.
- Usually you can apply to one course at either Oxford or Cambridge, not both.
- If your school does not use UCAS, you apply as an individual and still need a reference.
Personal statement and reference
Since 2026 entry the personal statement is three questions instead of one essay:
- 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 useful?
The limit is still 4,000 characters in total, including spaces, with at least 350 per answer. All five universities see the same text.
The reference comes from someone who knows you academically and is not family or a friend, usually a teacher or counsellor. The referee also gives your predicted grades: the results your school expects in your final exams.
Deadlines for autumn 2027
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time | Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses |
| 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time | Equal consideration date for most other courses |
| 30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time | Last applications sent to universities; later ones go into Clearing |
| 2 July 2027 | Clearing opens for courses with free places |
After January, popular courses may already be full. If you need a visa, a place found in Clearing leaves little time for the visa and housing, so aim for January.
Conditional and unconditional offers
Most applicants are still at school, so offers are usually conditional: the place is yours if your final results reach the stated grades, such as AAB at A level or a set IB total, sometimes with a named subject or an English score. If you already have your results, the offer can be unconditional. When all replies are in, you accept one offer as your firm choice and, if it is conditional, another as your insurance choice.
Foreign school certificates
Requirements are usually written in A levels, but universities accept equivalents and most publish their requirements by country.
- IB Diploma and European Baccalaureate: widely accepted, with a required total and subject grades.
- National certificates, such as the Abitur or the French baccalauréat: each university compares them with A levels.
- Some certificates are not enough for direct entry to some courses. The university then suggests a foundation year, either an international foundation programme or a degree "with foundation year". See foundation years.
Translations and UK ENIC are covered in document recognition for the UK.
Scotland: four-year degrees
A Scottish honours degree normally takes four years, against three elsewhere in the UK, with broader first years. Some Scottish universities admit students with strong A levels or Advanced Highers straight into the second year, course by course.
English language
Each university sets its own requirement. For a Student visa at degree level you need English at CEFR level B2, and the university may assess it itself, so many accept a standard IELTS Academic. Some ask for a Home Office approved Secure English Language Test, such as IELTS for UKVI. Check before booking. Citizens of some countries, including Ireland and the USA, are exempt. See IELTS and TOEFL.
Admissions tests
Some courses add a test, booked separately, usually in the autumn or winter before entry:
- UCAT for most medicine and dentistry courses; for 2027 entry it was sat between July and September 2026.
- LNAT for law at some universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
- TMUA and ESAT, run by UAT-UK, for mathematics, computer science, economics, science and engineering at a few universities, including Cambridge and Imperial.
Oxford sets its own tests for several subjects. For medicine, see studying medicine in English.
After the offer
Unless you are British, Irish or have settled or pre-settled status, you need a Student visa. Once your place is confirmed, the university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), and you apply for the visa with it.
Where to look next
- How much it costs to study in the UK
- Student visa for the UK
- Document recognition for the UK
- Student housing in the UK
- All 17,679 programmes in the UK, by city and field
Official sources
- UCAS: dates and deadlines
- UCAS: filling in your application
- UCAS: the personal statement from 2026 entry
- GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English
- UCAT: test dates
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.