Which courses are available in the UK's January intake?

Most reliably, business management and MBA programmes, computing and data science including conversion master's, public health, accounting and finance, some LLM programmes and a growing number of taught engineering master's. Among the universities we profile, Birmingham City, Aston, De Montfort, Salford, Robert Gordon, Brighton, Sunderland, Teesside, Hertfordshire, Wolverhampton, Huddersfield, Bradford, Kingston and Greenwich all run January starts in those areas. Health courses are mostly September-only, with adult nursing at Birmingham City and Coventry and clinical pharmacy at De Montfort as the notable exceptions.

Can I study nursing in the January intake in the UK?

At a small number of universities. Birmingham City University and Coventry University both run BSc Adult Nursing from January 2027, and Salford lists a limited number of nursing pathways with a January start. Most NMC-approved nursing degrees, all midwifery programmes and most other pre-registration health courses start in September only. January nursing starts also tend to have earlier deadlines and extra requirements — occupational health clearance, police checks and an interview — so they need applying for by early autumn.

Is OSPAP or MPharm available in the January intake?

No. The Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme and the MPharm start in September only at every provider, and OSPAP places for September 2027 should be applied for now because recent intakes filled months ahead. The one pharmacy-related January option among the universities we profile is De Montfort's MSc Clinical Pharmacy, a postgraduate course for already-qualified pharmacists that admits in January and September, with January 2027 applications closing on 14 December 2026.

Do undergraduate courses start in January in the UK?

A minority do. Greenwich has the broadest January undergraduate list among the universities we profile, Kingston admits a few undergraduate courses in January, and Birmingham City runs BSc Adult Nursing from January. The vast majority of bachelor's degrees start in September, and UCAS is built around that cycle. Pathway colleges attached to universities run more January, March and May starts for foundation year and international year one programmes, which progress into a September degree.

Is De Montfort University's January intake really in January?

Not in recent cycles. De Montfort runs a substantial mid-year intake across business, law, computing, engineering, art and design and some health courses, but it has started in late January or February, and the next is February 2027. Its MBA (Global) runs 16 months from the winter start against 12 months from September. Check the start date on the specific course page rather than relying on lists that label it a January intake.

When do applications close for January 2027 courses?

Between mid-November and mid-December 2026 at most universities, with some deposit deadlines falling in early February — Greenwich's deadlines are around mid-December, De Montfort's Clinical Pharmacy closes on 14 December, and Kingston's postgraduate deposit deadline was early February for January entry in recent cycles. Popular courses can close months earlier, as Salford's and Bradford's did for September 2026. Whatever the university deadline, the Student visa needs funds seasoned by late October and submission by early December.

Study in UK

January 2027 Intake: Which Courses Actually Run and Which Do Not

Abdullah Latif 11 September 2026 7 min read january intake uk courses, courses available in january intake uk, january intake mba uk

Key takeaways

Business and MBA, computing and data science, public health, accounting and finance and some law and engineering master's run reliably in January at the universities we profile.
Adult nursing starts in January at Birmingham City and Coventry, and De Montfort's Clinical Pharmacy MSc admits in January — these are exceptions, not the rule.
OSPAP, MPharm, medicine, dentistry, midwifery and most pre-registration health courses are September-only everywhere.
Most undergraduate degrees are September-only; Greenwich has the broadest January undergraduate list, and pathway colleges add mid-year starts leading into September.
De Montfort's 'January' intake is February 2027, Kingston adds March dates and Coventry runs six starts — read the date on the course page, not the label.
January lists change every cycle and popular courses close early, so confirm in writing that your course runs in January 2027 before paying a deposit.

"January intake" is a phrase universities and agents use loosely. A university that "offers a January intake" may run two hundred courses in September and fifteen in January — and the fifteen are almost never the ones the phrase makes you imagine. Applicants discover this late, after they have built a plan around a course that only starts in September.

This guide answers the question by subject rather than by university: which courses actually run in the January 2027 intake, where, which never do, and the small-print traps — a "January" start that is really February, a course that ran once and was withdrawn, a nursing programme that admits in January but only with a different application deadline. The examples come from our own university profiles, checked in 2026, and link to each university and course page for detail.

The short answer

Reliably available in January: MBA and business management, computing and data science, public health, accounting and finance, some law, and a growing number of engineering master's.
Available at a few universities only: adult nursing (BSc and MSc), clinical pharmacy MSc, and a small set of undergraduate degrees.
Never in January: OSPAP, MPharm, medicine, dentistry, midwifery, most pre-registration health courses, and most placement-year undergraduate degrees.
Check the actual start date. De Montfort's "January" intake is February 2027; Kingston adds March dates; Coventry's January sits among six starts.

Business, management and MBA

The safest bet in January. Business schools built the mid-year intake and still run it most broadly.

University	January 2027 examples
Birmingham City University	International MBA, MSc Management and International Business
Aston University	MSc International Business (also April)
De Montfort University	MBA (Global) — 16 months from the winter start, which is February 2027
University of Salford	Salford Business School master's
Robert Gordon University	International Business Management, Project Management
University of Brighton	Management, International Management, the Marketing suite
University of Sunderland	Business and management, especially at the London campus
University of Huddersfield	Business and management (also May)

Our MBA in the UK hub compares the programmes, fees and entry requirements. Note that MBA course lengths differ by intake at some universities — De Montfort's winter MBA is four months longer than its September version — which affects your visa length and health surcharge.

Computing, data science and IT

Nearly as broad as business, and the conversion master's — computer science for non-computing graduates — is a January staple.

Birmingham City: MSc Computer Science (conversion)
Aston: MSc Data Science (also April)
Robert Gordon: data science
Teesside: computing and data science (also May)
Brighton: Computer Science, Data Analytics, User Experience Design
Hertfordshire, Salford, Wolverhampton, Sunderland, Huddersfield: computing master's on their January lists

Two checks. Courses with an industry placement year sometimes run only from September because the placement calendar is fixed. And if your subject touches certain sensitive technologies, an ATAS certificate may be required before the visa — it takes weeks, so read our ATAS guide early.

Public health

The Master of Public Health has become one of the most dependable January courses, partly because it draws heavily on international applicants.

Birmingham City: Master of Public Health
Teesside: MPH (January and May)
Robert Gordon: public health
Sunderland: public health, particularly in London

Salford's MSc Public Health, by contrast, closed for September 2026 well before the start date — a reminder that January lists at popular universities also fill early. Compare programmes on our MSc Public Health hub.

Accounting, finance and law

ACCA-linked accounting master's and LLM programmes run in January at a smaller set of universities. Birmingham City offers the LLM International Business Law and MSc International Professional Accounting; Brighton runs its Accounting (ACCA) master's in January. Our ACCA in the UK and LLM in the UK hubs list the options. The SQE-focused legal practice LLMs, such as Aston's, tend to be September-only because they are timed to the SQE assessment calendar.

Engineering

Taught engineering master's have moved into January at several universities — Hertfordshire's business, computing and engineering list, Salford's science and engineering master's, De Montfort's mid-year engineering courses — but accredited undergraduate BEng degrees are almost always September-only, and MSc courses with a lab-heavy first semester sometimes are too. Check the specific course.

Nursing and health: the exceptions

This is where the phrase "January intake" misleads most. Regulated health courses are overwhelmingly September-only, but there are genuine exceptions:

Course	January 2027 availability
BSc Adult Nursing	Birmingham City and Coventry both run January starts; most other universities are September-only
MSc Nursing (pre-registration)	Rare in January; Salford lists a small number of nursing pathways — check the exact programme
MSc Clinical Pharmacy	De Montfort admits in January and September (January 2027 applications close 14 December 2026)
MPharm, OSPAP	September only, everywhere — and OSPAP for September 2027 should be applied for now
Midwifery, physiotherapy, radiography, other pre-registration courses	September only at almost every university

Nursing courses that do admit in January often have earlier deadlines and additional requirements — occupational health clearance, DBS or overseas police checks, an interview — so a January nursing start needs applying for by early autumn. Our MSc Nursing hub and nursing universities list cover the September-heavy landscape, and internationally qualified pharmacists should read our OSPAP 2027 application guide rather than waiting for a January that does not exist.

Undergraduate degrees

A small number of universities admit undergraduates in January — Greenwich has a broad list, Kingston a few, Birmingham City the nursing degree above — but the vast majority of bachelor's programmes start in September, and UCAS is built around that cycle. Pathway colleges attached to universities run more January (and March and May) starts for foundation and international year one programmes, which lead into a September degree. See our guide to foundation years and international year one if that is your route.

Three small-print traps

"January" that is February. De Montfort's mid-year intake has started in late January or February in recent cycles, with February 2027 next. Coventry lists January as one of six starts. Read the date on the course page, not the label on the list.
Courses that ran once. January lists change every cycle. A course that started in January 2026 may be September-only for 2027. Confirm with admissions in writing before paying a deposit.
Deadlines that arrive before you expect. Greenwich's January deadlines fall around mid-December; Kingston's postgraduate deposit deadline was early February for January entry; De Montfort's Clinical Pharmacy closes on 14 December. Popular courses at Salford and Bradford closed months early for September and can do the same in January.

Frequently asked questions

Which courses are available in the January intake in the UK?

Most reliably, business and MBA, computing and data science, public health, accounting and finance, some law and a growing number of engineering master's. Health courses are mostly September-only, with adult nursing at Birmingham City and Coventry and clinical pharmacy at De Montfort as exceptions.

Can I study nursing in the January intake?

At a few universities. Birmingham City and Coventry run BSc Adult Nursing from January, and Salford lists a small number of nursing pathways. Most nursing degrees, and midwifery, start in September only.

Is OSPAP or MPharm available in January?

No. Both are September-only at every provider. OSPAP applications for September 2027 should be made now.

Do undergraduate courses start in January?

A minority do — Greenwich has the broadest list among the universities we profile — but most bachelor's degrees are September-only. Pathway programmes offer more January starts leading into a September degree.

Is De Montfort's January intake really in January?

Not in recent cycles. Its mid-year intake has started in late January or February, and the next is February 2027. Check the start date on the course page.

When do January 2027 course applications close?

Between mid-November and mid-December at most universities, with some deposit deadlines in early February; popular courses can close earlier. Plan the visa around an early-December submission regardless.

The right question is never "does this university have a January intake?" but "does my course start in January at this university, this year?" If you want that checked against current course pages for the subjects you are considering, with a shortlist of universities that genuinely run them in January 2027, book a free consultation or start with our January intake university list.