Building a UCAS list of five before the January deadline
Five choices, one deadline, and a firm and insurance decision to come. How to spread a list across offer levels without including anywhere you would not go.
Most students should spread their five UCAS choices across at least two offer levels, with at least one below their predicted grades. Every choice should be a course they would be glad to take. The deadline for most courses is 18:00 UK time on 13 January 2027, and school internal deadlines usually fall weeks earlier.
How do you read offer levels?
Start with the typical offer on each course page, then look for the lower offers beside it. Many universities publish a contextual offer for applicants from certain schools or areas, and several reduce the offer by a grade for a good EPQ. Some, such as Edinburgh, publish a range rather than a single offer. A student at the bottom of a range is aiming high, not playing safe. Our guides to History at ABB, Economics at ABB, Politics at ABB and PPE and its alternatives set these out course by course.
What does a balanced list look like?
For a student predicted AAA, a common shape is one or two choices at A*AA or AAA, two at AAA or AAB, and one at AAB or ABB. The lower choice matters most when offers arrive. You will eventually pick a firm choice and an insurance choice, and the insurance only works if its offer sits below the firm.
Should the course or the grades come first?
The course. Degrees with the same title can differ more than their entry requirements, in modules, assessment and the weight of the final-year dissertation. An afternoon with the module catalogues, as we describe in reading the syllabus before you apply, often reorders a list. The Russell Group section of our Resources page links to UCAS course search and the official guidance.
What if you are applying to the US as well?
Your UCAS list and your US applications interact, particularly if you are weighing a binding Early Decision application. Early Decision results arrive in December, and an admitted student must withdraw their other applications, including UCAS choices, before Oxford or Cambridge decide in January. Our US college admissions page sets out the US calendar. If you would like a second view on a list of five, we can go through it with you.
Frequently asked questions
Can universities see my other choices? No. Each university sees only its own place on your form.
Do I have to use all five choices? No, but an unused choice is a back-up you have given away.
