Should you apply for more than one course at the same university?
We spoke to some university admissions teams to find out whether applying to different courses at the same university could affect your application.
By Alan Bullock (Careers Adviser) | 18 March 2025 | 4 minutes read
You might assume that applying to more than one course at a university shows that you’re keen on going there. It can be risky though – it won’t necessarily improve your chances of getting a place.
Some universities may prefer students to be focused and committed to one course, but is this always the case? Let's take a look.
Consider your focus
If you're going to apply to more than one course from a particular university, your personal statement becomes even more important. Can you write one that will work for multiple courses?
If it’s a struggle to cater your personal statement to your two chosen subjects, then it's a good idea to narrow your focus.
Your five choices are yours to use however you wish – if you’re really interested in one university and want to keep your course options open, then it makes sense to apply for multiple courses at one institution. Bear in mind that you can ultimately only pick your firm and insurance, and your university of choice may also be able to offer you an alternative course if you change your mind.Jessica Chilton (head of admissions at University of Nottingham)
On the other hand, it’s not always necessary to use up two of your choices if the courses are just a variant of the same course, such as a BEng or MEng in a specific branch of engineering. Universities tend to agree.
Where we can, we will often make an applicant an alternative course offer if they have been unsuccessful for their chosen course. Therefore making more than one application for a related course may be a wasted choice.HELOA)
Applying for different courses that each require a very specific commitment to one vocation – such as midwifery and physiotherapy – is not recommended.
Admissions tutors will assume that you're not committed to either field. In that case, it’s better to go back to the drawing board and decide which one you’re most interested in.
Don't make assumptions!
With courses like medicine, dentistry and veterinary science where you can only use four of your five Ucas choices, it can be a good idea to choose an alternative subject (like biomedical sciences) as your fifth Ucas choice.
If you’re interested in being considered for an alternative course on top of your medicine/veterinary medicine/dentistry applications, then definitely use that fifth choice to do so.We’d be happy to receive an additional application for a related course and fully understand that your personal statement will need to be fully dedicated to your clinical course choice.We’re also able to offer alternative courses to some of our applicants who are ultimately unsuccessful for medicine or vet med.Jessica Chilton (head of admissions at University of Nottingham)
Some universities encourage you to do this, while others are less keen. So do your research in advance to avoid making any assumptions.
You may be applying to a university course where all applicants who meet their entry requirements are offered a place. In this case, your personal statement may only get a quick glance so it might not be a problem to apply for different courses at the same uni.
This could be appropriate if your choice of uni is restricted by where you live. If you're unsure, contact universities directly to explain your situation.
If in doubt, ask at an open day
Open days are a great opportunity to find out what different courses will actually be like. You can ask about which modules you’ll take and how flexible these are, as well as how many hours a week you’ll be in lectures or tutorials and how the course is assessed. You’ll hopefully come away with a clear idea of which course you want to do.
Applicants are encouraged to come to an open day at which they can discuss options with tutors, thereby reducing any need to apply to more than one course.Tom Hay | Recruitment Manager \- University of Glamorgan
At the end of the day, it usually comes down to your own individual circumstances. So if you're still finding it hard to decide between two different courses, don't be afraid ask the uni you're applying to if it's fine to apply for both.
