Taught postgraduate admissions process
Taught postgraduate applications are submitted online directly to the University. Decisions are made by each academic school, with support from the Taught Admissions team.
How do applicants apply?
Applicants submit an application online using the taught postgraduate application portal. They can apply for up to ten courses, which can be in the same or in different faculties.
The deadline to apply varies between courses and is stated on the relevant course page.
For applicants working with one of our partner agents, the agency will submit the application through the agent version of the application portal, which enables them to view all of their applicants in one place. The applicant will also receive an email with instructions on registering for their own personal portal account.
Applicants and agents can use the portal to track their applications and send enquiries, as well as receive and respond to messages from admissions teams.
What makes a complete application?
In addition to a fully completed online application form, the following documents will usually be needed before a decision can be made:
- Degree certificate and academic transcripts (applicants who have not yet completed their degree are advised to submit interim transcripts showing their progress to date)
- Evidence of English language proficiency
Some courses may require additional documents, such as a personal statement or CV. Applicants are advised to check the relevant course page before applying.
The majority of master's courses require applicants to provide contact details for at least two referees. If the admissions team need to see references in order to make a decision they will email the referees directly.
International applicants must provide scanned copies of any UK visas/permits they currently hold or have previously held before an unconditional offer can be made, though the University is able to make conditional offers without these documents.
How does the University handle applications?
Taught postgraduate applications are received and reviewed by the admissions team in the relevant academic school or faculty, who make and confirm all academic decisions in the CRM. Support is provided by the Taught Admissions office.
Admissions teams may choose to invite applicants to an interview or audition before an offer is made. Offers can be unconditional (where all entry requirements have already been met) or conditional (where conditions typically include achieving specific grades in the applicant's bachelor degree and/or English language qualification).
Some academic schools operate a staged admissions process for some or all of their courses, with selection deadlines throughout the year. For more information, see the relevant webpage:
- Business School
- Business School – MBA
- School of Civil Engineering
- School of Computing
- School of Design
- School of Earth and Environment
- School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
- School of Law
- School of Mathematics
- School of Media and Communication
- School of Sociology and Social Policy
Admissions staff must complete CRM training in order to receive access to make offers in CRM.
More information on making offers is available in the Taught postgraduate admissions procedures section.
What happens after a decision is made?
Applicants are notified of the outcome of their application by email and can also view the decision in the applicant portal. If they have been successful, they can choose to accept or decline their offer through the portal. In most cases, unsuccessful applicants receive a brief explanation of the reason for the decision in the notification email.
Applicants who receive a conditional offer must provide evidence that they have met their conditions before they can be made unconditional. This should be uploaded to the portal for verification by the school or faculty admissions team.
Applicants are not permitted to defer their offer, and will need to reapply if they wish to join a different intake. The only exception is for students coming to us from our partner NCUK, who can defer for one year.
Who can I contact for help?
Contact the Taught Admissions team on tp_direct@leeds.ac.uk. For queries about a specific application in the CRM, you can also send a task to the Admissions Services: Central Admissions queue.