Why wait? – January university admissions

Why wait? – January university admissions

Off By Ed Hanna

If you’re keen on enrolling for a study course but missed the September intake, don’t worry. Many universities up and down the country offer courses that start in January, so you can still apply if you get working on your submission now.

By Gary Buswell

Although the UK academic year traditionally runs from September to July, a number of universities have a January admissions window for some of their courses so it’s worth checking out details now, if you don’t want to wait.

A January start could be good for you if:

  • You want to study a course but missed the initial UCAS deadline for 2018-19
  • You have only just decided you’d like to take up a course
  • You want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the busy September start. Although January courses can still be popular, especially with overseas students, things won’t be quite so hectic.

What courses can you apply for?

The choice of courses and universities is slightly limited compared with September admissions but there are still plenty of good options available so it’s worth taking a look. If your preferred subject or university isn’t listed, you might find something else that appeals to you.

As well as undergraduate programmes, you can also find postgraduate courses (both Master’s and PhD), foundation degrees, short courses and distance learning programmes. There tends to be a wider range of postgraduate and foundation programmes available for January start.

When to apply

Most universities start accepting applications for January admissions around August or September, so it’s advisable to start the application process as soon as possible to give yourself plenty of time to prepare a strong application. Be sure to choose the right university and course, write a good personal statement and get all the paperwork sorted.

Check for any deadlines that you need to be aware of. Some colleges have rolling admissions, which means they will continue to accept applications until the course is filled, but don’t leave it too late.

How to apply

You can check details of available courses for January 2019 intake on college and university websites. These sites will offer a list of courses and details on how to apply. You can also contact institutions directly to speak with their admissions staff. Websites such as www.studyin-uk.com and www.fasttrackedu.co.uk are useful for finding information on universities offering January starts.

You should also look out for university open days, where you can find out information on programmes and ask questions about intake.

Universities offering January admissions

Plenty of universities and colleges have started to increase the number of courses they offer with a January intake. Here are just a few of the UK universities offering January 2019 admissions:

Bangor University
www.bangor.ac.uk
Tel: 01248 383717
Email: applicantservices@bangor.ac.uk

Birkbeck University, London
www.birkbeck.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7631 6000

Bournemouth University
www.bournemouth.ac.uk
Tel: 01202 961916
Email: futurestudents@bournemouth.ac.uk

Coventry University
www.coventry.ac.uk
Tel: 02477 652222
Email: studentenquiries@coventry.ac.uk

De Montfort University, Leicester
www.dmu.ac.uk
Tel: 01162 506070
Email: askus@dmu.ac.uk

London Metropolitan University
www.londonmet.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7423 0000

The Open University
www.open.ac.uk
Tel: 0300 303 5303
(For February admissions)

University of Glasgow
www.gla.ac.uk
Tel: 0141 330 2000

University of Greenwich
www.gre.ac.uk
Tel: 020 8331 9000
Email: courseinfo@gre.ac.uk

University of Portsmouth
www.port.ac.uk
Tel: 02392 844444
Email: myport@port.ac.uk

University of Westminster
www.westminster.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7911 5000 ext. 66333
Email: course-enquiries@westminster.ac.uk