How to apply for a full-time course
Read our helpful advice on how, when and where to apply for uni
You can apply for full-time Bachelor's degree courses, integrated Master's degree courses and most other undergraduate courses through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
UCAS handles most undergraduate applications for UK universities. It's handy because it means you don't have to apply to universities separately.
Each year, you can apply for 5 choices (5 courses at up to 5 universities) through UCAS. You can also apply to us directly on each course page.
Applying to UCAS through your school or college
If your school or college is registered with UCAS, you can apply online and submit your application to a member of staff who’ll send it to UCAS for you.
Your school or college will let you know how and when to do this.
Applying to UCAS directly
If your school or college isn't registered with UCAS or you want to apply to UCAS directly, register on the UCAS website and complete an application.
What to include in your UCAS application
To apply through UCAS, you need:
- UCAS course codes for the courses you want to apply for – our course codes are at the top of the course pages and in our prospectus
- institution codes for the unis you want to apply to – the University of Portsmouth code is P80
- a Personal Statement of up to 4,000 characters that shows why you’d make a great undergraduate student
If you’re not applying through your school or college, you’ll also need a reference from someone who knows you academically or professionally such as a teacher, tutor, principal, head teacher, manager or supervisor.
You can save your progress on your UCAS application. So you don’t have to complete and submit your application in one go.
Cost
For 2023 entry, the UCAS application fee is:
- £22.50 for a single choice (if you're applying for 1 course)
- £27 for more than 1 choice (if you're applying for multiple courses)
When to apply
It's best to submit your application by the UCAS 'deadline', which is 25 January in the year you want to start your course.
You can still apply after the January deadline, but you could miss out on your chosen course because it could become full or the entry requirements could change.
Submitting your application
You can submit your application from September in the year before you start your course (for example, September 2022 for courses that start in autumn 2023). So you’ve got plenty of time to put together an application to wow potential unis.
When you submit your application, UCAS will send your details to the unis you applied to and contact you to confirm it received your application OK. If you applied to us, we'll also send you an email to confirm your application.
UCAS will also send you details of how to log into UCAS Hub, which you use to follow the progress of your application to each uni.
Taking a gap year (deferred entry)
Taking a gap year before you come to uni is a great way to learn new skills, travel, earn some money and get some work experience. If you want to take a year out before you start your course, apply for 'deferred entry' when you complete your UCAS application. If you’re not sure, see our advice on the pros and cons of deferring your place.
Deferring your place at Portsmouth
Many of our courses accept deferred entry, but some don’t. Contact our admissions team to find out if the course you’re applying for accepts deferred entry before you submit your application.
If you want to apply for deferred entry in 2023/24 (for a 2024 start), it's still best to apply as soon as possible. You’ll need to meet the conditions of any offers by 6 September 2023.
If you don't apply for deferred entry on your UCAS application, you can switch to deferred entry up until the start of your course.