Gathered field application process
For some postgraduate courses, the University operates a staged admissions process known as a ‘gathered field’ approach, to make sure the admissions process is fair to applicants. ‘Gathered field’ means grouping applications together and is used when the candidate quality and the level of interest in the course exceeds the number of places available.
Applying process
Application deadlines are set, with a cap on the number of offers that can be made during each deadline period. Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application in the week following the deadline, in some instances, due to the competition for places and volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application over to the next deadline date. You will be informed if this is the case. Some applications may be put on hold until the final deadline.
Dates and deadlines for September 2023 entry
| Gathered field |
Applications open | Application deadline | Application decision date |
| Field 1 | Monday 31 October | Monday 28 November | Monday 5 December |
| Field 2 | Monday 5 December | Monday 2 January | Friday 13 January |
| Field 3 | Monday 16 January | Monday 13 February | Monday 20 February |
| Field 4 | Monday 20 February | Monday 20 March | Monday 27 March |
| Field 5 | Monday 27 March | Monday 1 May | Friday 12 May |
Please note: all places are subject to availability. If you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We therefore recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.
Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.
Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation, such as personal statements, with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing your application. Applications will be rolled over to the next deadline in cases where documentation has not been received. Should documentation not be received after the subsequent deadline, the application will automatically be withdrawn.
Deposits
If you are offered a place, you must accept your offer and aim to pay your deposit by the deadline. Failure to do so may result in your offer being withdrawn.
Deferrals
In a 'gathered field' model deferral of an application or place is not possible. In other words, moving your application/offer to be considered for the next intake. This means that even if an applicant has received an offer but can no longer take up the place, a new application would need to be submitted for the next intake.
The University reserves the right to change entry criteria year to year, therefore if you are re-applying, it is important to be aware of any relevant changes.