Once you have completed and submitted your application, it will join a queue to be processed. You can check our current processing dates online.
Document check
As soon as your application is processed, we will send you an email with your application number and details of any documents which are missing or illegible. If there are any missing or illegible documents, you will need to submit these before your application proceeds to the next stage.
Application passed to selectors
Once all required documents have been received and processed, the file is passed to the selectors for your first choice. We will send you an email when this happens. At this stage you become an applicant under consideration.
Please note: Your application will only be considered for your second choice if your first choice application is unsuccessful or if the first choice programme has already closed.
Time-frame for decisions
Master's and diploma applications: We operate a rolling application system throughout the year. The first offers will be released from January 2017 onwards. We aim to release decisions within eight weeks of our acknowledgement of your complete application, but at busy times the decision time increases. Our busiest times are following the Christmas and Easter vacations, and in the days/weeks following PhD funding deadlines. We publish our current processing times, and you should check these before contacting us.
Tip: Any decision will be visible in your online application tracker as soon as it is made.
Research programmes: Panels of selectors make decisions at meetings throughout the year. You should apply at least six months before the start of the term you plan to commence your study and take note of funding deadlines. Plan ahead and get your application in as early as you can. It may take time to allocate a suitable supervisor. Shortlisted applicants may be interviewed by telephone or Skype. The department will contact you if an interview is necessary.
The decision
A decision is authoritative and official only if it has been sent in writing from the Graduate Admissions Office. Decisions on admissions are made on the basis of academic merit and the availability of places on specific programmes.
The decision sent to you will be one of these:
-
An unconditional offer. You satisfy all of the academic conditions required before entry and we are offering you a place. You may still need to supply originals or certified copies of some documents.
-
A conditional offer. You do not yet satisfy the academic conditions required before entry but you plan to do so. The conditions are given in the offer letter and may include tests such as English language as well as degree results, or attendance at introductory or summer school courses.
-
You are on a waiting list. In this case we need more time before making a full decision. We will make that decision by the end of April 2017. At that stage we may be able to offer you admission, a place on the reserve list, or, depending on the level of competition, we may be unable to offer you a place.
-
We are unable to offer you a place. This decision is final and not open to appeal. It may be that the programme is already full – in this case, you may request that your application is considered for an alternative choice(s) or that your application is reinstated for the following year.
-
You are on a reserve list. Your application is considered to be of a high enough standard, but no places remain on your chosen programme. If a place becomes available, you may be sent an offer later in the year. Final offers to reserve listed applicants will be sent out by the end of August 2017.
-
If we are unable to make you an offer for your original choices, but the academic selector considers your application is suitable for another programme, we will forward your application to the other programme selector for consideration. We will also contact you to check if you wish to be considered for this alternative programme.
Further guidance
For more detailed information on the next steps after submitting your application, please see our pages for applicants under consideration and offer holders.