UCAT 2027: Dates, Registration, Fees & Universities

The UCAT, or University Clinical Aptitude Test, is a computer-based admissions test that a consortium of UK universities uses to select applicants for medicine and dentistry. It is run by the UCAT Consortium and delivered by Pearson VUE at test centres in the UK and worldwide. It tests reasoning and professional judgement, not science knowledge.

This guide is about the UK UCAT. The UCAT ANZ is a separate sitting for universities in Australia and New Zealand. It uses the same test content, but has its own dates and booking process. You may not sit both in the same year.

Last checked: 19 September 2026. The official site currently publishes the UCAT 2026 cycle, which is for 2027 entry or deferred 2028 entry. Dates, fees and the university list for the next cycle have not been published yet. Where this guide gives a figure, it names the cycle that figure belongs to.

What "UCAT 2027" Means

The UCAT is named after the year you sit it, not the year you start university. The official eligibility page says you sit UCAT 2026 "if you are intending to apply for entry in 2027 (or deferred entry in 2028)". It also says you may only sit the test once in a test cycle.

On that naming convention, UCAT 2027 would be the test taken in 2027 for 2028 entry, or deferred 2029 entry. That is the expected cycle for many students in Year 12 or S5 during 2026/27; confirm it when the consortium publishes its 2027 eligibility rules.

If you applied or are applying for 2027 entry, you need the 2026 cycle. On the date this guide was checked, booking for UCAT 2026 has closed (the deadline was 16 September 2026). The last test day is 24 September 2026.

UCAT at a Glance

UCAT Dates: The Latest Official Timeline

Dates for UCAT 2027 are not on the official site yet. The University of Glasgow's UCAT page says "Key UCAT dates for 2027 will be confirmed early 2027."

To plan ahead, use the shape of the current cycle. These are the official UCAT 2026 dates. They are not the 2027 dates.

The consortium says it is "unable to make exceptions" to its deadlines. It says the test is the same difficulty throughout the window, so when you sit it is up to you. The booking page strongly recommends a July or August date. September appointments are in high demand, and it is hard to reschedule late in the window.

How to Register and Book

The 2026 cycle used a new registration system, and the process has three steps:

1. Create a UCAT Account. For 2026 every candidate, including returning ones, had to create a new account. Old accounts no longer work.
2. Register for the test from the account dashboard. This only says you plan to sit the test. It is not a booking.
3. Book your test once booking opens. You are passed to Pearson VUE's booking system to choose a centre, date and time, and you pay at the time of booking.

Apply for access arrangements and any bursary before you book. The official page says access arrangements must be approved first, because they cannot be added to an existing booking. If you have already booked, you have to cancel and rebook.

You can reschedule or cancel for free up to 24 hours before your appointment. If you miss a test or the reschedule deadline, you get no refund and no free reschedule, whatever the reason. The details are in the rescheduling and cancellation policy.

UCAT results are matched to your UCAS choices after the 15 October deadline. Your UCAT registration details, especially your name and date of birth, should therefore match your UCAS application exactly.

UCAT Fees and the Bursary Scheme

The fee depends on where the test centre is, not on your nationality. It is paid by debit or credit card when you book. These are the 2026 fees, and fees for the 2027 cycle have not been announced.

The UCAT Bursary Scheme covers the full test fee for UK candidates who meet the criteria. Accepted evidence for the 2026 cycle included free school meals, the 16 to 19 Bursary or EMA, a full-rate maintenance award, Universal Credit, some income-related benefits and asylum support. Approved bursaries are applied automatically at checkout. You must apply again every cycle.

Two points are easy to miss:

• When results go to consortium universities, they show whether you received a bursary. The consortium says this will not disadvantage you, and some universities use it as a contextual flag.
• If you miss a test that a bursary paid for, you have to pay the fee to rebook.

Access Arrangements

Candidates with a disability can apply for access arrangements. These include 25% extra time, pause-the-clock rest breaks of 10 minutes per hour of testing, and a separate room. Online proctored testing is available only in very exceptional circumstances. Most applications are processed within 5 working days. Check the evidence requirements before applying: an application with incorrect evidence can be rejected and delay your booking.

UCAT Format in Brief

The UCAT has four separately timed multiple-choice subtests. Each one starts with a timed instruction section.

A basic on-screen calculator is available in Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning. Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, so older guides describing five subtests or a 3600 maximum score are out of date. Our UCAT syllabus and exam format guide covers every question type.

UCAT Results

You get your score report before you leave the Pearson VUE test centre. Scores also appear in your UCAT Account about 24 hours later. The report shows:

• a scaled score from 300 to 900 for each of the three cognitive subtests
• a total score from 900 to 2700
• a Situational Judgement band from 1 to 4

UCAT sends results directly to your UK university choices in early November. You do not add them to your UCAS form. The official results page says a result is valid only for the one admissions cycle it was taken for.

Because you get your result before the UCAS deadline, the consortium advises using it to choose where to apply. Our UCAT scores and university requirements guide explains the published statistics and how schools use them.

Which Universities Use the UCAT?

The official UCAT universities list is for 2027 entry, the most recent one published. By our count it names 50 UK universities, each with the UCAS course codes that need the test:

Aberdeen, Anglia Ruskin, Aston, Bangor, Birmingham, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Bristol, Brunel, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chester, City St George's, Dundee, East Anglia, Edge Hill, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, Hull York Medical School, Imperial, Keele, Kent and Medway Medical School, King's College London, Lancashire, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Queen Mary University of London, Queen's University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, St Andrews, St Mary's University Twickenham, Sunderland, Surrey, Swansea, UCL, Warwick and Worcester.

The same page lists seven partner universities outside the UK:

• American University of the Caribbean
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• University of Kurdistan Hewlêr
• Nanyang Technological University
• Thammasat University
• National University of Singapore
• University of Nicosia (graduate entry)

Three points before you rely on this list:

• It is per course, not per university. Only the listed course codes need the test, and some are marked as having alternative requirements for certain applicants.
• It is for 2027 entry. Check the list again when the consortium publishes the next cycle.
• Look up the course page too. Each university's own page explains how it uses the score and any extra requirements for your applicant group.

Key Rules to Remember

• Sit the UCAT in the same year you apply; results do not carry forward.
• Only one sitting per test cycle is allowed. Sitting it twice, or sitting both UCAT and UCAT ANZ in one year, is treated as misconduct.
• Do not sit the test early as a "practice run". The consortium advises against it and may act if it thinks you have.
• Bring permitted photo ID that meets the ID policy. Without it you cannot test and you lose the fee.
• Arrive 15 minutes early for check-in, as the test day page advises.
• The consortium does not have a special-consideration process. Under its Fitness to Test policy, sitting the test means declaring yourself fit to take it.

Continue Your UCAT Preparation

• Learn every subtest in the UCAT syllabus and exam format guide.
• Understand the scale in UCAT scores and university requirements.
• Build a timetable with how to prepare for the UCAT.

Use the free official tutorials and practice tests first. ExamPrepIQ UCAT practice offers additional timed subtests and a full mock, with worked explanations. Access is free. ExamPrepIQ is independent of the UCAT Consortium, Pearson VUE and the universities.