University application deadline: What sixth-form students need to know to guarantee equal consideration

• There is now less than a month to go to get university applications in via UCAS for equal consideration
• The application process has quite a few steps, and you’ll need help from a teacher or your school
• If you miss the deadline, you may still be able to apply for the courses you want

The clock is ticking for 2025’s new university hopefuls to get their university applications in.

The University and Colleges Admissions Service’s (UCAS) equal consideration date for most undergraduate courses is coming up fast, landing on 29 January this year. Students planning to start university in September will need to get their application in by 6pm that day - while those applying to more competitive institutions or courses like Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry, or veterinary science needed the get theirs in last October.

It’s not just a matter of filling out an online form, and young people taking their A Levels or Highers exams this summer are urged not to leave it to the last minute. But what exactly do you need to do, and what happens if you miss the deadline?

Here’s what you need to know:

How to complete and submit your application

The process of applying UCAS, the UK’s national shared admissions service, has quite a few steps involved. Some schools will let you apply through them, in which case you won’t have to worry about most of this.

If not, you’ll first need to create a UCAS account and register, which you can do online here. You’ll need to tell them when you’re planning on starting university, and that you’ll be applying for ‘undergraduate’ courses.

Once your login has been created, you’ll be able to see a button on your dashboard marked ‘Your Application’. You can click on it to get started. The next stage involves filling out your details. You must answer all mandatory questions, including those about your residency status, demographic information (which won’t impact your chances at all), and how you’ll be paying for your studies. You’ll also need to add your school or college’s ‘buzzword’ here if you haven’t already, which connects them to your application. School staff will be able to give this to you.

The next step is filling out your education history, including all of the secondary qualifications you’ve earned so far. You’ll also need to add those that you’re currently studying towards - as well as your predicted grades via your school - as well as any resits you’ve taken. There will also be a section to add your paid employment history, if you’ve had a full or part-time job before.

Next, you can choose up to five courses you’d be interested in studying, and the universities you’d be interested in learning at. UCAS says that you don’t need to put them in order of preference, and universities won’t see where else you’ve applied to until after you accept or reject your offers.

Although UCAS plans on replacing personal statements with a new format for students applying to study from 2026, this year’s applicants will still need to write one and add it in. This is your chance to tell prospective universities about your passion for your chosen course of study, as well as your academic achievements and life experiences, in your own words. This will need to be between 1,000 and 4,000 characters - and its main goal is to convince the possible universities you might attend that you’ll be a good fit.

Finally, you’ll need a written recommendation. You’ll need to ask a trusted teacher or school leader, but you can ask any professional who has worked with you in an academic capacity. Everyone needs one of these, and your application can’t be submitted without it - which is why you really shouldn’t leave it too late. If you’re applying through your school, they’ll able to upload your reference directly.

The very last step is to pay the application fee. For 2025 entry, the application fee is set as £28.50 for up to five choices. You can pay online with a credit or debit card. If your school is applying on your behalf, you’ll pay them instead. From this year onwards, if you were eligible for free school meals while attending secondary school, your application will be free.

As soon as your application is submitted and sent off to your selected universities, they will be able to look at them and potentially offer you a place. If you haven’t received any offers by 26 February, you’ll be able to apply for another one via UCAS Extra.

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What happens if you miss the deadline?

If you don’t get your choices in by the deadline - or if you haven’t decided yet whether university will be your next step after school - it’s not the end of the world. You can still apply in the exact same was up until 30 June.

The only difference will be that applications received by the original deadline, 29 January, are guaranteed to be given equal consideration by universities - or in other words, each application is treated the same. Those received later are only considered if there are still spaces available in your chosen courses - which often boils down to first come, first served.

Even if you miss the 30 June deadline, you can still send in an application. In this case, you’ll be instantly entered into the Clearing process (find out more about this here), which matches university courses that still have places up with students who don’t have one - such as those who don’t get any conditional offers from their first-choice universities.

The UCAS website has all sorts of advice for aspiring university students wanting to begin their studies this year, from entry requirements to guidance on writing your personal statement - as likely the last cohort to do so. You can check it out online here.