UCAT bursary checker
Check whether you qualify for a UCAT bursary, which waives the whole test fee, and exactly what evidence to upload.
UCAT bursary · UCAT 2026 rules
Choose what you or your family receive
The bursary waives the whole test fee. One bursary per test cycle. We check your situation against UCAT's published list, including the evidence it asks for.
- Published UCAT date
Missing the test still costs you. If you miss a test paid for by a bursary (including being refused for ID or missing the reschedule deadline), you pay the fee to rebook and UCAT will not issue another bursary.
Universities see that a result was bursary-funded. UCAT says this will not disadvantage the application.
UCAT Consortium bursary scheme, checked 2026-09-27. Instructions for UCAT 2027 will be published in March 2027.
UCAT · 2027 entry
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How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
What it covers
The UCAT (UK) bursary scheme as published for the UCAT 2026 cycle on ucat.ac.uk, checked on 27 September 2026: eligibility, evidence, what is never accepted, and the cycle's dates.
Sources
- UCAT Consortium: Bursary Scheme, Bursary Eligibility and Evidence; Bursary Scheme FAQs; key dates. Official.
- UCAT Consortium: UCAT 2026 Test Dates, Key dates list. Official.
- UCAT Consortium: Booking your Test, Registration and booking for the UCAT 2026 is now closed; UCAT 2027 instructions in March 2027. Official.
- UCAT Consortium: Rescheduling and Cancelling, Reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before; bursary re-applies on rebooking. Official.
Method
- The scheme is open to UK candidates only, so candidates outside the UK get a no straight away.
- Your award or benefit is matched against UCAT's seven qualifying routes, each with the evidence UCAT asks you to upload.
- For Universal Credit, income-based benefits and Asylum Support, a parent's or guardian's award counts, unless you are over 21 and no longer in full-time secondary or undergraduate education: then you must receive it yourself.
- Awards on UCAT's 'not accepted under any circumstances' list get a no. Anything else is not on the published list; UCAT says it occasionally considers other evidence case by case.
Uncertainty and limits
- These are the UCAT 2026 criteria. UCAT says instructions for UCAT 2027 will be published in March 2027; criteria and dates may change.
- UCAT may ask for more evidence if the first upload is not enough, so a yes here is eligibility on paper, not an approval.
Dates and versions
- UCAT bursary scheme: eligibility, evidence and 2026 dates: data version 2026-09-27.1, checked 27 September 2026.
- Page last changed 27 September 2026.
What the answer means
A yes means your situation matches a route UCAT published, and shows the evidence to upload. The bursary waives the whole fee. It cannot approve a bursary: only UCAT can, after checking your evidence. It does not show the UCAT fee, which UCAT is not publishing between cycles.
Every UCAT bursary route and the evidence it needs
The bursary waives the whole test fee. One bursary per test cycle. If you are over the age of 21 and no longer in full-time secondary or undergraduate education, you must personally receive a qualifying award or means-tested benefit.
| You or your family receive | Evidence to upload |
|---|---|
| Free school meals (Local Authority funded) | An official letter or communication from your school or college confirming you currently receive free school meals (Local Authority funded only) for academic year 2025/26 or 2026/27, with your full name, the school or college (or Local Authority) and the full date. |
| 16 to 19 Bursary (England) or EMA (Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) | Your official award letter or communication for academic year 2025/26 or 2026/27, with your full name, your school or college and the full date of the award. |
| Learner Support (FE 19+) or the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish equivalent | An official award letter for academic year 2025/26 or 2026/27, with your full name, your college or place of study and the full date of the award. |
| Full-rate (means-tested) undergraduate Student Finance maintenance award | All pages of your award letter for 2025/26 or 2026/27 showing a full rate: Student Finance England maintenance grant or loan, SAAS Young or Independent Students' Bursary, or Student Finance Wales or Northern Ireland maintenance grant. |
| Universal Credit | One of your or your parent or guardian's Universal Credit statements dated within the last 3 months, with the claimant's name and address, the date and the award amount. |
| Income Support, or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance | All pages of your or your parent or guardian's award letter from a UK Jobcentre Plus, dated 2026. JSA or ESA must be the income-based (means-tested) award, not contribution-based. |
| Asylum Support from the UK Government | Your or your parent or guardian's official award letter, dated within the last 12 months. |
Questions people ask
Who can get a UCAT bursary?
UK candidates who receive, or whose parent or guardian receives, one of: free school meals (Local Authority funded), the 16 to 19 Bursary or EMA, Learner Support, a full-rate Student Finance maintenance award, Universal Credit, Income Support or income-based JSA or ESA, or Asylum Support. Candidates over 21 and out of full-time education must receive the award themselves.
How much does the UCAT bursary cover?
The whole test fee. You can have one bursary per test cycle, and it is applied automatically when you book.
When is the UCAT bursary deadline?
For UCAT 2026, applications opened on 20 May 2026 and the application and evidence deadline was 24 September 2026 at 15:00 UK time. UCAT will publish UCAT 2027 instructions in March 2027.
I already paid for the UCAT. Can I still get a bursary?
Yes. If you are approved after paying, request a refund through a Help Request in your UCAT account. For UCAT 2026 the refund deadline was 16 October 2026 at 17:00 UK time.
Does Child Benefit count for the UCAT bursary?
No. UCAT does not accept Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, Child Benefit or Personal Independence Payment under any circumstances, nor free school meals or bursaries at independent schools.
Do universities know I had a UCAT bursary?
Yes: results sent to universities are flagged when a bursary paid for the test. UCAT says this will not disadvantage an application, and some universities use it to identify applicants from under-represented backgrounds.
Sources
- UCAT Consortium: Bursary SchemeOfficialBursary Eligibility and Evidence; Bursary Scheme FAQs; key dates. Checked 27 September 2026.
- UCAT Consortium: UCAT 2026 Test DatesOfficialKey dates list. Checked 27 September 2026.
- UCAT Consortium: Booking your TestOfficialRegistration and booking for the UCAT 2026 is now closed; UCAT 2027 instructions in March 2027. Checked 27 September 2026.
- UCAT Consortium: Rescheduling and CancellingOfficialReschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before; bursary re-applies on rebooking. Checked 27 September 2026.
UCAT bursary scheme: eligibility, evidence and 2026 dates: version 2026-09-27.1, First version, quoted from ucat.ac.uk on the checked date.