What Is Already Closed for 2026 Entry, and What Is Not
35 UK medicine programs closed for September 2026 entry back in October 2025. Meanwhile 111 programs across Europe close in September 2026 or later. If you think you have missed the year, check which year.
Quick Answer
It depends entirely on which country, and the answer is less bleak than it looks. 35 UK medicine programs record their September 2026 entry as closed — that deadline was 15 October 2025, almost a year before the course starts, and it is the earliest in Europe by a long way. But the next UK cycle is already running: UCAS opened on 12 May 2026 and the medicine deadline is 15 October 2026 for 2027 entry. Elsewhere the picture is completely different. 111 programs across Europe record a closing date in September 2026 or later, including the Medical University of Sofia on 11 September, one Charles University dentistry route on 5 September, the Medical University of Lodz on 7 September and Carol Davila on 18 September. A handful of individual programs are full rather than closed on schedule — Masaryk University records its 2026-2027 dentistry admission as closed and the programme full for the cycle. So if you are reading this in the second half of 2026: the UK is closed for this September and open for next, and much of Central and Eastern Europe is still taking applications.
Source Status
Closed and open statuses are read from the published application-close text recorded for each program. Dates are cycle-specific and this guide is rewritten at each review rather than adjusted.
Quick Take
- 35 UK medicine programs record September 2026 entry as closed.
- The next UK cycle opened 12 May 2026 and closes 15 October 2026.
- 111 programs across Europe close in September 2026 or later.
The UK closed a long time ago, and reopened already
35 UK medicine programs carry the same published wording: applications closed at 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2025 for September 2026 entry, with the next cycle opening on UCAS on 12 May 2026 and closing on 15 October 2026 for 2027 entry.
Two things worth taking from that. First, the UK's deadline sits almost a full year before the course begins, which is the earliest in Europe and the single most common way applicants lose a year without realising it. Second, if you missed it, the replacement cycle is not far off — it is open now and closes in mid-October.
The University of Oxford is the exception worth noting: it publishes a UCAS deadline of 15 October 2026 at 18:00 with its own supplementary form and two referee submissions due 22 October 2026. If Oxford is on your list, there is a second deadline a week after the first.
What is still open, and where
111 programs record a closing date in September 2026 or later. By country:
| Country | Programs closing September or later |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 88 |
| Bulgaria | 4 |
| Poland | 4 |
| Hungary | 3 |
| Romania | 3 |
| Ireland | 3 |
| Croatia | 2 |
| Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Latvia | 1 each |
The UK's 88 are the next cycle rather than this one, so read that row carefully. The rest are genuinely still taking applications for the coming intake.
Named examples with published dates: the Medical University of Sofia closes 11 September 2026, the Medical University of Varna sets a non-EU deadline of 11 September 2026, one Charles University dentistry route closes 5 September 2026 while its medicine programs closed on 30 April, the Medical University of Łódź closes 7 September 2026 at 09:00 CET, and Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy closes 18 September 2026.
Closed, and full, are different things
A deadline that has passed is one situation. A programme that has filled is another, and the wording on the page tells you which you are looking at.
Masaryk University records its 2026-2027 dentistry admission as closed with the programme full for this cycle. That is capacity, not calendar, and it will not reopen because you asked nicely.
RCSI records its 2026 pharmacy intake as closed at the audit date, with the 2027 intake opening on 1 November 2026. That is a scheduled reopening you can plan around.
The University of Debrecen publishes a final application deadline of 15 May 2027 for the September 2027 intake — a year and a half of notice, and an example of how far ahead some universities publish.
The practical difference: a closed-on-schedule programme tells you when to come back; a full programme tells you to look elsewhere for this cycle.
If you think you have missed the year
Check which intake the deadline refers to. The most common confusion in this whole topic is reading a UK October deadline and assuming it is for the September two months earlier. It is not; it is for the September eleven months later.
Look at the session-based schools. Several universities run examination sessions rather than one window, so "the deadline" is one of several — the Medical University of Plovdiv publishes six. Those schools are listed here.
Check September closers before assuming the year is gone. Sofia, Varna, Łódź and Carol Davila all close in September, and one Charles University dentistry route does too, and several other programs run rolling admission with no fixed date at all.
And if it genuinely is gone, use the time. The single biggest advantage an applicant can have next cycle is having the apostilles, certified translations and recognition finished before the window opens, because that chain is what actually delays people — not the application form.
FAQs
Is it too late to apply for September 2026 entry?
For UK medicine, yes — 35 programs closed on 15 October 2025 for that intake. Elsewhere, often not: 111 programs record a closing date in September 2026 or later, including the Medical University of Sofia on 11 September and Charles University on 5 September.
When does the next UK cycle close?
UCAS opened on 12 May 2026 and the medicine and dentistry deadline is 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time for 2027 entry. Oxford adds a supplementary form and two referee submissions due 22 October 2026.
Why is the UK deadline so early?
It sits almost a full year before the course begins, which is the earliest in Europe. It is the single most common way applicants lose a year — they start researching in spring and find the door shut since the previous October.
What is the difference between closed and full?
A closed programme has passed its published deadline and will reopen on schedule. A full programme has run out of places — Masaryk University records its 2026-2027 dentistry admission as closed with the programme full for the cycle, which is capacity rather than calendar.
Which programs close latest?
Among those publishing dates, Carol Davila closes 18 September 2026, the Medical University of Sofia and the Medical University of Varna on 11 September, the Medical University of Łódź on 7 September and one Charles University dentistry route on 5 September. Several other programs run rolling admission with no fixed date.
What should I do if I have missed this cycle?
Use the time on the document chain rather than the application. Apostilles, certified translations and formal recognition of your school qualification take weeks and run in sequence, and having them finished before the next window opens is the largest single advantage available.