How to apply to our taught courses

Applying to your postgraduate taught programme can be done in a few simple steps.

Your application is specifically designed for the programme you choose to apply for and it is sensitive to the answers you provide as you proceed through the application. 

Please read through the following information carefully before submitting your application. Doing so will help to avoid any unnecessary delays in processing your application.

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    1. Choose your course

    Find the course that’s right for you by using our course finder tool.

    Find your course
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    2. Check entry requirements

    Check the entry requirements on your chosen course page. Each course has different requirements so make sure you read these carefully.

    Entry requirement information
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    3. Complete your application

    Apply for your course and submit any supporting documents through our online portal. You can find this on your chosen course page.

    How to complete your application
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    4. Explore funding opportunities

    From student loans to scholarships, there are many different ways for you to fund your postgraduate study. The best place to start is our postgraduate funding database which lists all the scholarships and funding opportunities available to you.

    Funding your degee
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    5. Receive a decision on your application

    Once you’ve applied, your application will then be reviewed by the Admissions Tutor for your course, who will decide whether your application should receive an offer.

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    6. Meet your conditions

    If you are offered a place at Birmingham, you may have a Conditional Offer. This usually means that we still need some more information from you before we can accept you on to your course.

    This could be things like your undergraduate degree certificate, your English Language test results or a reference. However, your offer letter will outline exactly what these are. Upload these to your online portal as soon as you receive these, so that the admissions team can move your application along.

    Understanding your offer
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    7. Accept your offer

    To confirm your place at Birmingham, you’ll need to accept your offer via the online portal. You can do this if you have a conditional offer or an unconditional offer.

    Accept your offer
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    8. Pay your deposit (international students only)

    If you are an international student, you may need to pay a £3,000 deposit to secure your place at Birmingham. You will need to pay this before your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) can be issued.

    Paying your deposit

Important application dates (2025 entry)

Overseas deadline dates

12 May 2025 Application deadline for most postgraduate taught courses
15 August 2025 Deposit deadline*
18 August 2025 Last date for meeting conditions
29 August 2025 Latest date to issue CAS for September starters

*This is the final deposit deadline and therefore your deposit deadline may vary. Please see your applicant portal for more details.

Home deadline dates

29 August 2025 Application deadline
15 September 2025 Latest dates for meeting conditions 

Please note that some individual programmes may have varying application deadlines and would therefore recommend that you check the details on the individual course pages before making your application.

Non-standard application route for specific programmes

Applications for the following postgraduate programmes should be made through the appropriate central Clearing House:

  • For the MA Social Work, applications must be made through UCAS
  • For Post Graduate Certificate in Education qualifications in the UK, applications must be made through UCAS-TT
  • For Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies (CPE) applications must be made through the Law Central Application Board
  • For all other postgraduate courses, requiring a specific method of application, other than our usual online application, information on ‘how to apply’ is available through course finder.

Applying via UCAS (Teacher Training, MA Social Work and Graduate Entry Medicine)

Some programmes follow a different Admissions process to our standard postgraduate programmes.

If you hold an offer for one of the below programmes, you will need to follow different procedure to accept your place.

If you are in receipt of a conditional offer of a place, you will need to inform the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) of your decision.

Teacher Training

To firmly accept this offer of a place you will need to reply online through the UCAS Track service at https://www.ucas.com/teaching-in-the-uk.

MA Social Work and Graduate entry Medicine (MBChB)

You will need to enter your firm and insurance choices via UCAS track.

If you do not reply by the deadline specified by UCAS, they will decline your offer by default.