For UK students, the normal application route for full-time study is online via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

• If you are in full-time education, your school or college will help you register with UCAS and make your application; it will also supply your reference
• If you are returning to learning after a break or you are a mature student (over 21), you apply independently through UCAS and find your own referee
• If you are a mature student but still have contact with your old school/college, you can ask them if they will support your application and be your referee

Find out more about providing your reference

Every course has its own UCAS course code; if your chosen course doesn’t have one yet, it is likely to be because it is a new course still awaiting its code. In these cases, please contact our Admissions team at admission@beds.ac.uk

Information and payment required

The UCAS application form allows you to choose up to five courses; to add University of Bedfordshire courses, it’s useful to have to hand the UCAS code for your course and our UCAS codes – you’ll find these at the base of the page. The form will also need relevant personal details, education and employment history, and a personal statement, written by you - all of which can take some time to gather together. UCAS offers information about completing your application; our tips on writing your personal statement and jargon buster [PDF] will also build your confidence.

The final section to fill in is payment. If you are applying through a school that has an alternative payment arrangement with UCAS, you will not see the payment screen. Otherwise, you pay the application fee online using a credit or debit card. For the 2024 applicant cycle, there is a flat fee of £27.50 for up to five course choices; for 2025 entry, the fee is £28.50 for up to five choices. For the 2025 cycle, the fee may be waived if you have been in receipt of free school meals at some point during your secondary education.

After applying, it’s possible you will be invited for an interview. If you have any dates you already know of when you won’t be available for interview, it’s an idea to include them on your UCAS application.

Timings and deadlines

Once your application is completed, either you or your school will send it electronically to UCAS, who process it and send a copy to your chosen universities and colleges. We expect to receive most UCAS applications from early/mid September to mid/late January for courses starting in the following academic year. Applications received after the January deadline are considered late applications but you can still contact Admissions at admission@beds.ac.uk to see if we have places available for your preferred course.

Deadlines change slightly every year. Please check out the application timetable for your year of entry at ucas.com. Download our Key Dates calendar [PDF] and personalise it with your entry-year deadlines.

If you have problems applying online to UCAS, please contact the UCAS Customer Service team on 0371 468 0468 (Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm). You can also reach them via a direct message on Facebook (ucasonline) or X (@ucas_online).

Clearing starts at the beginning of July and normally continues to the end of September.

There are a number of reasons why you might ‘go into Clearing’. For college leavers, it might be that results’ day didn’t bring the grades needed. You may have changed your mind about the subject you want to study. Or you could have only just decided that you’d like to go to uni. Whatever led you there, you can find the perfect course through Clearing.

If you are applying to the University of Bedfordshire during Clearing, check out our applicants’ guide to Clearing, which takes you step by step through the process.

Most part-time courses do not have specific application deadlines. Once you have chosen your part-time course, you apply directly to the University of Bedfordshire via our online admissions portal, accessed from the relevant course page on our website. This also applies if you are looking for a part-time place during Clearing. However, for main cycle (non-Clearing) applications, we advise you to apply at least 30 days before the course starts to allow us time to process your application.

We offer around 130 Master’s (MA/MSc/LLM) and professional courses (MProf) at the University of Bedfordshire as well as research degrees (MA/MSc by Research/MPhil/PhD) affiliated to one of our 10 research institutes. Many courses offer part-time options and multiple start times to make studying easier to fit around life and work.

Postgraduate taught courses

Once you have chosen your course, you should apply via our online application portal, accessed directly from our website course pages. Most postgraduate courses do not have specific application deadlines but we advise you to apply at least 30 days before the course starts to allow us time to process your application.

There are some courses that require students to apply via UCAS or the Department for Education; in these cases, it is flagged up on both the prospectus and website course descriptions.

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

All applications for a PGCE course should be made online through the Department for Education Teaching Training portal. You can make up to four choices from late October. Our Admissions team will assess your application as quickly as possible, your DfE record will be updated and you will also receive an email detailing the decision.

Research degrees

Research degree applications are managed by the Research Graduate School. You should email the Research Graduate School and you will then be advised on the application process relevant to your subject area. Once your application is received, it will be considered by the relevant research institute.

E: research@beds.ac.uk

Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses: apply through UCAS, following the guidance given under Applying for full-time undergraduate courses.

Part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses: once you have chosen your part-time course, you can apply directly to the University of Bedfordshire via our online admissions portal, accessed from the course page on our website.

Continuing professional development for registered healthcare practitioners: apply for degree- and Master’s-level top-up studies or a range of short courses through our NHS Business Unit at nhs-business-unit@beds.ac.uk or via the switchboard on (0)1234 400 400.