UK universities with a January 2027 intake for international students

Eleven UK universities say on their own websites, read on 24 September 2026, that international students can start in January 2027. All 11 hold "Student Sponsor - Track Record" status on the Home Office register, which is the status the Graduate visa requires. The first deadlines arrive early: the University of Portsmouth closes to some London-campus applicants on 19 October 2026, UWE Bristol closes on 27 November, and the University of Lancashire, London Metropolitan University and Northumbria University all close on 30 November. The University of Exeter stays open longest, until 4 January 2027. Lincoln and Manchester Metropolitan confirm January courses but had not published their international deadlines on 24 September 2026.

A January start is the usual fallback if September did not work out: a late offer, a visa refusal you need time to fix, or a CAS that arrived too late to apply. If that last one is you, read what to do when your UK CAS is delayed first, then use the dates below to pick your January option.

One change matters for everyone on this list. If you start in January 2027, you cannot finish your course before 1 January 2027, so you will apply for the Graduate visa after that date. GOV.UK gives Graduate visas applied for from that date 18 months, down from 2 years; a PhD still gets 3 years.

How this list was chosen

Each university passed two checks on 24 September 2026:

1. Its own page confirms a January 2027 start for international students. Agent sites, rankings and course aggregators were not used. Course lists, deadlines, deposit dates and CAS dates come only from the university's own pages, linked in each entry. Where a university has not published a date, the entry says so rather than estimating one.
2. It appears under its own name on the GOV.UK Register of licensed sponsors: students (the file dated 23 September 2026) with the Status "Student Sponsor - Track Record". GOV.UK says your Graduate visa application needs a provider with that status. The register also has an Immigration Compliance column, and two entries below show "Subject To Action Plan" there. If you have not used the register before, here is how to check a UK university on the sponsor register.

Order. This is not a quality ranking. The universities are ordered by the earliest fixed January 2027 application deadline each one prints, for any applicant group or campus, so you can read the list in the order you need to act. Ties are broken by the earlier deposit deadline. The two universities with no published deadline come last, alphabetically.

Checked but left out. The University of Greenwich has a January intake page, but on the 23 September 2026 register it does not appear under its own name; the nearest entry is "London and South East University Group". Ask Greenwich which licence your CAS would be issued under before you pay anything. On the same day, the international deadlines pages of the University of East London and Anglia Ruskin University gave dates for September 2026 only, so they are not listed. Check them again later in the autumn.

One rule for every course. GOV.UK allows a Student visa for a full-time course, or a part-time course only above degree level. Some January lists below include professional certificates and distance-learning courses, so check the study mode on the course page before you apply.

January 2027 deadlines compared

All dates are for January 2027 entry and were read on 24 September 2026. "Not published" means the university's page gave no date that day.

Student visa timing for a January 2027 start

The rules below come from GOV.UK's Student visa pages, read on 24 September 2026.

• When you can apply. From outside the UK, the earliest is 6 months before your course starts. You need your CAS first, and you must apply within 6 months of receiving it. For a mid-January start, the 6-month window is already open, so the date that holds you back is the CAS. If you are not sure what the CAS should show, see what a CAS contains and how to check it.
• How long it takes. A decision from outside the UK usually takes 3 weeks. The application fee is £558, and you also pay the healthcare surcharge.
• Money you must show. You need your first year's course fees (up to 9 months, as stated on your CAS) plus living costs for up to 9 months. The amount depends on the date you apply. For an application made before 30 November 2026 it is £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere (£13,761 or £10,539 for 9 months). From 30 November 2026, the date by which most January 2027 starters apply, it rises to £1,570 or £1,203 a month (£14,130 or £10,827 for 9 months) under the Statement of Changes HC 584. The money must sit in your account for 28 days in a row, and the 28 days must end within 31 days of the date you apply. So if you plan to apply on 15 December 2026, the 28 days can end no earlier than 14 November, which means the money, at the higher 30 November amounts, must be in place from 18 October. Nationals of countries on GOV.UK's "differential evidence requirement" list usually do not have to submit this evidence, but can be asked for it. The UK maintenance funds guide covers which documents count.
• When you can travel. For a course longer than 6 months, you can arrive up to 1 month before it starts, but never before the start date on your visa.
• After you graduate. The Graduate visa lasts 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 (3 years after a PhD). Your university must have Track Record status, and if your course runs longer than 12 months you must have studied in the UK for at least 12 of them (GOV.UK course rules).

1. University of Portsmouth

What starts in January 2027. At the Portsmouth campus: five undergraduate top-up degrees in engineering and computer science, 49 taught postgraduate courses (engineering, computing, business, law, education, international relations, TESOL and more) and three MRes courses. The University of Portsmouth London campus adds undergraduate and master's courses in business, accounting, computing, marketing and project management. Foundation and pre-master's routes run through its two pathway colleges (course list).

Deadlines. Portsmouth sets deadlines by nationality and campus. At the Portsmouth campus, new applications close on 2 November 2026 for applicants from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Yemen; 16 November for Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ghana, Uganda, Vietnam and Kenya (Eldoret only); 30 November for India and Kenya; and 7 December for everyone else. Deposits are due within two weeks of each of those dates (16 November to 18 December), and every other offer condition must be met between 23 November and 28 December, depending on your group. The London campus runs about two to three weeks earlier, from 19 October for the first group to 16 November for the rest of the world, and allows no late registration. The page notes that London deadlines for Pakistan were still to be confirmed.

CAS. The CAS page says the earliest you can receive a CAS is three months before your course starts, and at least three working days after you accept an unconditional firm offer, pay the deposit and complete the CAS Shield eligibility check. Teaching starts on 18 January 2027.

Who it suits. You want the widest choice of taught master's subjects, and you can meet an early deadline.

Where it falls short. Its earliest deadlines are the earliest on this list, and they depend on your nationality, so check your group before you plan anything else.

2. UWE Bristol (University of the West of England)

What starts in January 2027. UWE's January page does not list courses. Its course pages show January as a start option instead. For example, the MSc International Business Management page was closed for September 2026 but open for January 2027 (course page).

Deadlines. The January 2027 key dates page gives: CAS issued from 15 October 2026; applications close on 27 November 2026, although applications from some countries may close from 15 October; deposit (paid through Flywire only) by 9 December; bank statement uploaded by 14 December if you come from a country UKVI does not class as low risk, with UWE advising the funds be in place by 4 November; pre-CAS interviews finished by 14 December; last CAS on 18 December. Induction starts for most courses on 18 January 2027.

Register. Track Record, and the Immigration Compliance column reads "Subject To Action Plan". GOV.UK's sponsor compliance guidance says the Home Office issues an action plan after a breach that falls short of a serious breach. Until the plan is lifted, it can limit how many CAS the sponsor issues, and it expects the sponsor to tell its students how the plan affects them. Ask UWE that question before you pay a deposit.

Who it suits. You want a clear, dated January timeline with every step in one place.

Where it falls short. No single list of January courses, some countries may close well before 27 November, and there is the action plan note above.

3. University of Lancashire

What starts in January 2027. The January page lists undergraduate degrees in business, hospitality, tourism and international business (some on an accelerated model), an LLB in Law, and top-ups in business administration, mechatronics and nursing. It also lists 33 taught postgraduate courses, including aerospace engineering, computing, cyber security, construction project management, supply chain management and an MBA, plus 11 research degrees.

Deadlines. Applications close on Monday 30 November 2026 and deposits are due by Monday 7 December 2026. The offer-holder page says you receive your CAS once you meet your academic conditions and pay the deposit. No January CAS date was published.

Who it suits. You want an undergraduate January start, which is rarer than a postgraduate one, or a technical master's.

Where it falls short. No published CAS deadline. The list also mixes full-time degrees with professional certificates, such as the Clinical Community Nursing PGCert and Professional Nurse Advocacy, so check each course's study mode against the Student visa rules.

4. London Metropolitan University

What starts in January 2027. The January page says many undergraduate and postgraduate courses can start in January or February, and international students apply through each course page. It does not print the list.

Deadlines. London Met's deadlines page splits January 2027 dates by whether your nationality is on the differential evidence list:

• Not on the list: apply by 30 November 2026, documents by 4 December, compliance interview by 4 December (required for applicants from Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka), deposit by 9 December, last CAS on 14 December.
• On the list: apply by 14 December 2026, documents by 18 December, deposit by 21 December, last CAS on 23 December.

Welcome Week starts on 25 January 2027, and the latest enrolment date for CAS holders is 8 February 2027.

Who it suits. You want a London January start with every step dated for your nationality group.

Where it falls short. You have to find January courses one by one, and applicants who need a compliance interview face the early dates.

5. Northumbria University

What starts in January 2027. Mostly postgraduate courses, in Newcastle, at the London campus or by distance learning. The London campus also lists full-time undergraduate degrees and top-ups in business, finance and tourism with a January start (January page). Full-time January courses in Newcastle run for 12 to 24 months. Examples include MSc courses in accounting and finance, computer science, data science, business and management, construction project management with BIM and aerospace satellite engineering.

Deadlines (Newcastle campus). The deadlines page asks for applications by 30 November 2026 and deposits by 13 December. CAS are issued from October 2026, and you should request yours by 16 December; later requests are handled case by case. If there is not enough time for you to arrive, Northumbria may consider you for a later intake. If you are applying to the London campus, check its own dates.

Who it suits. You want a longer master's: Northumbria says many of its January courses come in 12, 16 or 24-month versions.

Where it falls short. January undergraduate courses are at the London campus only, and its dates page listed the January 2027 international application deadline as "Coming soon" on 24 September 2026. The January nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy MSc courses recruit in phases, and the final phase (1 September to 30 November 2026), which runs only if places remain, is open to UK-based applicants only.

6. Bangor University

What starts in January 2027. The January page lists undergraduate BSc degrees in accounting and finance, business data analytics, business management, business enterprise and entrepreneurship, and tourism management. At postgraduate level it lists MBAs; MSc courses in finance, accounting, banking, data analytics, computing, artificial intelligence, electronic engineering and public health; MA courses in history, heritage, criminology, sociology and social policy; and three LLMs. January courses run for 12 months and are taught in the UK.

Deadlines. Apply by 4 December 2026, pay the deposit by 15 December, CAS deadline 23 December, arrival date 18 January 2027 and classes start on 25 January. Bangor charges no application fee.

Who it suits. You want one set of dates that applies to everyone, plus a choice of business, computing, law and social science courses.

Where it falls short. Bangor says the January fee for a course can differ from the September fee, so check the fees page for your intake. Not every Bangor course has a January start.

7. Royal Holloway, University of London

What starts in January 2027. Three courses, all in the Business School on the Egham campus: MSc International Business Management and its Marketing and Strategy and Leadership versions (January page).

Deadlines. Applications close on 7 December 2026; later ones are considered case by case. The international fees page says you pay a £3,000 or £10,000 deposit before a CAS is issued, and that a CAS can only be issued in the six months before your course starts. The offers page says applicants from regions with more UKVI refusals pay the higher amount, shown in the offer letter. That page still showed the January 2026 deposit date, so no January 2027 deposit date was published.

Who it suits. You want a business master's at a University of London college, especially if you live in a country covered by one of the January scholarships the page lists.

Where it falls short. Only three courses, all in one subject, and no dated January 2027 deposit deadline yet.

8. Kingston University

What starts in January 2027. Kingston's international admissions timeline gives a January 2027 timeline for its "standard courses", and its deposit deadline applies to postgraduate taught applicants. The timeline does not list the courses; each course page shows its intakes, for example the AI for Business and Innovation MSc, which has September and January intakes.

Deadlines. CAS requests opened on 1 September 2026. Applications close on 11 December 2026, with no applications accepted after that date. You must send any outstanding documents and meet your offer conditions by 15 December. Postgraduate taught applicants pay the deposit by 18 December, and CAS requests close the same day. Applicants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are urged to finish the pre-CAS interview by 18 December. Welcome Week starts on 18 January 2027 and teaching on 25 January.

Who it suits. You are applying late in the cycle and want a London-area master's. Kingston also runs a March 2027 intake, with applications closing on 29 January 2027, if January is too tight.

Where it falls short. The deadline is fixed, and you have to check each course page to confirm a January start.

9. University of Exeter

What starts in January 2027. Ten MSc courses on the Streatham campus (January page): Business Analytics, Business and Management, Finance and Management, International Business and Strategy, Marketing Management, Advanced Data Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering Business Management and International Supply Chain Management.

Deadlines. The deadlines page says January 2027 applications close at 23:59 on Monday 4 January 2027. The January page adds that deadlines vary by subject, so check your course page. Neither page gave a deposit or CAS date for January.

Who it suits. You need the latest application date on this list and want a business, data or engineering management master's. The third round of Exeter's Excellence Scholarships is open to international students starting in January 2027.

Where it falls short. A 4 January deadline leaves very little time. You still need an offer, a CAS and then a visa decision, which usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK. Treat the date as a last resort, not a plan.

10. University of Lincoln

What starts in January 2027. Twenty-one taught postgraduate courses (January page). They cover agri-food technology, artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering management, robotics, education, two LLMs and seven business master's, plus two-year pre-registration MSc courses in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and adult nursing.

Deadlines. Not published. The CAS page said the January 2027 CAS window opens in October and that deadlines would follow. The January page said Lincoln was closed to applicants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Applicants from Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria complete a pre-CAS interview before paying the deposit.

Register. Track Record, with "Subject To Action Plan" in the Immigration Compliance column. The GOV.UK meaning is explained under UWE Bristol above. Ask Lincoln how it affects CAS for January.

Who it suits. You want a two-year pre-registration master's in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy or adult nursing, starting in January.

Where it falls short. No published deadlines yet, the action plan note, and three nationalities closed.

11. Manchester Metropolitan University

What starts in January 2027. Nineteen postgraduate courses (January page), including adult and mental health nursing, dietetics, business analytics, international business management, management, digital marketing communications, engineering project management, robotics and automation, global public health, an LLM, applied linguistics, TESOL, creative writing and landscape architecture. The only undergraduate January course is the BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing (Top Up).

Deadlines. Not published. The page said international application and CAS deadlines for January 2027 would be shared soon.

Who it suits. You want a January master's in Manchester, in a professional or creative subject.

Where it falls short. Until the deadlines appear, you cannot plan your deposit and funds dates. Check the page again in October.

Is a January start the same degree?

On the universities' own pages, yes. Exeter says the award is the same and that your transcript and certificate do not show your start month, and Greenwich and Bangor say January courses share the September content. What changes is the calendar. Some January master's run longer (Northumbria offers 12 to 24 months), some intakes are smaller, and the fee can differ (Bangor). A January 2027 start also means you apply for the Graduate visa after 1 January 2027, so it lasts 18 months (3 years after a PhD).

Before you pay a deposit

1. Confirm the course page shows a January 2027 start, full-time, for international students.
2. Find your nationality group on the deadlines page and write down the application, deposit and CAS dates.
3. Check the university on the sponsor register and note its Status and Immigration Compliance entries.
4. Count back from your planned visa application date and make sure the money has sat in your account for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying.
5. Ask what happens to your deposit if your visa is refused. Each university sets its own refund terms.