Apply for postgraduate study

How to apply

Postgraduate application and decision timeline

The table below relates to the 2012/13 academic year.

Application stage Timeframe
Application deadline (non Business School)
 If there are spaces available, you can apply up to the start of your programme. Some programmes fill up much earlier in the year.

Advisory deadline for international students: 11 May 2012 (due to visa processing requirements)
Advisory deadline for home/EU students: 27 July 2012
Application deadline (Business School) For Business School programmes, due to demand for places we will be operating a two cycle admissions process for the School's taught Masters programmes.

First Cycle: Applicants should apply by 27 January 2012 to be guaranteed consideration
Second Cycle: Applications received between 28 January 2012 and 16 March 2012 will not be processed until the number of acceptances from the first application cycle is known i.e. after 16 March 2012. Please be aware of the resultant delay in receiving a decision.

Applications received after the 16th March 2012 will be considered subject to availability on a rolling basis.
Application deadline (College of Humanities) Advisory deadline for international students: 11 May 2012 (due to visa processing requirements)

Advisory deadline for Home/EU students: 27 July 2012

If there are places available the College will consider applications for September 2012 received by 1st September. Applications that are received or incomplete after this date will be considered for 2013 entry.
Application deadline - MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine To be guaranteed equal consideration applications must be received by 24 February 2012.

Applications received by this date will be assessed for their suitability to study the optional Clinical Aspects of Sports Injury module and if suitable will be contacted by the Sport and Health Sciences department with further information.

Applicants who apply after the 24 February 2012, will be considered for the programme and the Clinical Aspects of Sports Injury module on a rolling basis for as long places on either remain available.
Application deadline -
MSc Conservation and Biodiversity
MSc Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology MSc Applied Ecology
Due to the high volume of applications received, completed applications will only be processed on the third Monday of each month. Decisions will be communicated at the end of each month.
Email acknowledgement of receipt of your application Within 2 working days of receipt
Notification of our decision via email and/or hard copy offer or rejection letter Taught degrees: 20 working days from receipt of required supporting documents
Research degrees: 8 to 10 weeks depending on supporting documentation required
Deadline by which you should send all required supporting documents 2 months of your initial application
Deadline for responding to your offer As specified in your offer letter
Deposit payment deadline* 6 July 2012 or as specified in your offer letter
Accommodation application deadline** Please contact the Accomodation Office
Deadline for meeting any outstanding offer conditions 31 August 2012 for entry in September
Registration week Week commencing 17 September 2012

* Deposits are required for full-time postgraduate taught programmes and the MA Western Esotericism only
** You must hold a firmly accepted offer before you can apply for accommodation.

Taught degrees

Although for most programmes there is no formal closing date, some programmes are extremely popular and fill up quickly. You are advised to check the programme information on the School or Department webpage for any specific deadlines. 

If you are considering making an application later in the application cycle (ie from June onwards), it is advisable to check first that places are still available for the programme in which you are interested. You will also need to check the deadlines for any scholarships or other financial support for which you will be applying.

 

Deadline for supporting documentation and meeting the conditions of your offer

We will send you up to three email reminders regarding the outstanding supporting documents that we need in order to make a decision on your application (ie whether we are able to make you a Conditional offer). Please see our Supporting documents section for information on the minimum documentation we need to make an initial decision.  However, if we have not heard from you after approximately two months, we will withdraw your application.

Our deadline for meeting all the conditions of your offer is normally 31 August. (This date is particularly important for international students due to visa application deadlines). We will send you a reminder prior to the 31 August deadline but if we do not hear from you we reserve the right to defer your application to the following year. For further information see ‘Once you have an offer’.

Research degrees

There are no specific closing dates for applications to research degrees since research students can register at any time during the academic year, although the majority start their programmes in October.

If you are applying for a studentship or other forms of financial support, you will need to ensure that your application to the University ties in with the closing date for the type of funding for which you are applying. This is particularly important if you are applying for a Research Council or University studentship; for further information visit our postgraduate funding webpages.