UCAS Medicine and Dentistry Applications: 2025 Deadline Approaching
6 hours ago by Chris
The UCAS 2025 medicine application deadline is fast approaching. If you're planning to study medicine or dentistry next year, 15 October 2025 should be the most important date in your calendar. This is a hard deadline for applications for Oxford, Cambridge and most other medical and dental courses, making it critical for your future career plans.
Why This Deadline Matters
The UCAS 15 October deadline exists because medical and dental schools need extra time to process thousands of applications, coordinate interviews (which are conducted between November and March), and thoroughly assess candidates.
Applications must be submitted by 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2025 to be considered. Medical and dental schools do not accept applications after this deadline.
Your Four Plus One Application Strategy
When completing your UCAS UK medicine application, you can select up to four medicine or dentistry courses, plus one additional different course.
Applying strategically is essential when choosing your four medical or dental courses. Consider entry requirements, location preferences, and elements of the course carefully. Some universities require specific A-level combinations while others favour work experience or research involvement. You'll also need to consider UCAT requirements, as different universities have varying score expectations. Graduate entry programmes offer alternative pathways for students who already hold degrees.
Your fifth choice serves as a crucial backup and should relate to your medical interests while aligning with your academic strengths. Popular alternatives include health sciences such as pharmacy, physiotherapy or occupational therapy, or biomedical sciences. Vocational programs can provide valuable experience if you choose to reapply or pursue a graduate entry medicine route later. Most non-medicine related courses follow the standard 14 January 2026 deadline, giving you additional time to research your desired backup course.
Meeting the Deadline Requirements
Meeting the UCAS deadline means your completed application and written personal statement must reach UCAS before 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2025. This includes completing every section, paying the application fee, and having your school submit it if you're applying through them.
Don't wait until the final hours to submit. If you're applying through your school or college, remember they need time to review your application before sending it onwards. Your school might spot errors and send it back for corrections, or they may only process applications during school hours. Simply sending your application to your school before the deadline does not count as meeting it. UCAS must receive it by the deadline.
Furthermore, the UCAS system can become busy just before the deadline, and you don't want technical issues to prevent your application from going through.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Missing the 15 October deadline means medical and dental schools will not consider your application for 2025 entry. Unlike other undergraduate courses, there is no opportunity to apply late to medicine or dentistry programmes. Most students who miss the deadline choose to take a gap year and reapply for 2026 entry, using this time to strengthen their applications through additional work experience, volunteering, and resitting UCAT and/or A-levels.
Given the competitive nature of these programmes and the impossibility of late applications, meeting this deadline should be your top priority.
