LNAT Test Dates and Deadlines for 2027 Entry
When registration opens, when testing runs, and the sitting deadline attached to each LNAT university for September 2027 entry.
The LNAT
DatesThere is no single LNAT test day. Registration for 2027 entry opens on 1 August 2026, testing runs from 1 September 2026, and you book an individual slot at a Pearson VUE centre whenever suits you inside your university’s window. Your deadline comes from the universities you apply to, and those differ by up to three months. Apply to Oxford and you must have sat by 15 October 2026; apply to UCL, LSE or King’s and the last date is 31 December 2026; most other consortium universities let you sit until 25 January 2027.
1 Aug 2026Registration and booking open
1 Sep 2026First day you can sit the test
15 Oct 2026Earliest deadline (Oxford, Cambridge)
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Find your binding LNAT deadline
Tick every group you are applying to. Your deadline is the earliest date across all of them, not the latest.
You must have sat the LNAT by
15 October 2026
Set by Oxford and Cambridge. Booking for that group closes on 15 September 2026. Your UCAS form is due 15 October 2026.
Dates are the Consortium’s published calendar for 2027 entry. Registration and booking open on 1 August 2026. Re-check against lnat.ac.uk before booking.
LNAT dates for 2027 entry, by university
The table below is the Consortium’s published calendar for candidates entering university in September 2027. Take the earliest date across every university on your UCAS form; that is the one you have to meet.
| Applying to | Register and book by | Sit the LNAT by | UCAS form by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford and Cambridge | 15 September 2026 | 15 October 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| UCL, LSE, King’s College London | not separately published | 31 December 2026 | 13 January 2027, 6:00pm UK |
| Bristol and Durham | 13 January 2027 | 13 January 2027 | 13 January 2027, 6:00pm UK |
| All other LNAT universities, including Glasgow and SOAS | 20 January 2027 | 25 January 2027 | 13 January 2027, 6:00pm UK |
| Late international applications | 25 July 2027 | 31 July 2027 | 30 June 2027 |
Oxford runs a separate 13 January 2027 deadline for its Foundation Year in Law. Singapore University of Social Sciences applicants for the July 2027 intake test in a longer window, 1 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. Dates are the Consortium’s published 2027-entry calendar; always re-check them against lnat.ac.uk before you book, because a missed LNAT deadline is not appealable.
The Oxford and Cambridge window is six weeks long. Booking closes on 15 September, a month before the 15 October sitting deadline, and the popular slots go first. If Oxford or Cambridge is on your list, book on 1 August 2026.
How the booking works
The LNAT is not sat on a fixed national date like an A-Level. You register an account with the Consortium, then book an appointment at a Pearson VUE test centre on any day that centre has a free slot inside your window. Availability usually runs out before the calendar does: centres in London and other high-demand cities fill their October slots weeks in advance.
- Register from 1 August 2026. Registration and booking open the same day, and you need the account before you can see any appointment times.
- Book the slot, not just the account. Registering does not reserve a seat, and the deadline runs to the date your test is sat.
- Pick a date with room behind it. If a centre cancels, or you are ill, a slot booked for the last week of your window leaves you nowhere to move.
- Sit once. You may take the LNAT only once per admissions cycle. There is no retake, so an early sitting to see how it goes costs you the only attempt you have.
When to sit, within your window
Oxford and Cambridge candidates have six weeks to choose from, so book the latest slot that still leaves a fortnight spare. For everyone else the window runs for months. Sit when your preparation is finished, which for most candidates means November or December.
Early, September to October
Sit early only if you are ready early
Useful if you have finished a full mock cycle and want the result out of the way before A-Level mocks. Sitting early with unfinished preparation buys nothing: the score is the score.
Middle, November to December
Where most candidates should land
Long enough to have drilled Section A and written timed essays, and clear of the January crush. This is also the last window if UCL, LSE or King’s is on your list.
Late, January
Only if your universities allow it
Bristol, Durham, Glasgow and SOAS all permit it, and the extra weeks are more preparation time. The risk is availability: you are competing for the last slots with everyone else who waited.
Results and what happens after
You do not get your Section A score in the test centre. Pearson VUE releases the multiple-choice score and a copy of your essay for download shortly after you sit, and your results are sent to the LNAT universities you have applied to. The essay is not centrally marked: each university reads or scores it in its own way, which is why essay figures are not comparable between institutions. See what counts as a good LNAT score for what the numbers mean once you have them.
FAQ
When does LNAT registration open for 2027 entry?
1 August 2026. Registration and test booking open on the same day, and testing itself begins on 1 September 2026.
What is the last date I can sit the LNAT?
It depends where you are applying. 15 October 2026 for Oxford and Cambridge, 31 December 2026 for UCL, LSE and King’s, 13 January 2027 for Bristol and Durham, and 25 January 2027 for the remaining consortium universities. Late international applicants have until 31 July 2027.
Can I take the LNAT twice?
No. You may sit the LNAT once per admissions cycle. If you reapply in a later cycle you sit it again, and the new score is the one used.
Does the LNAT date have to come before my UCAS form?
Not generally, but the two deadlines interact. Oxford and Cambridge share a 15 October date for both. Elsewhere the UCAS deadline is 13 January 2027 while some test deadlines fall earlier, so check both rather than assuming the later one governs.
What if I miss my LNAT deadline?
Universities treat the test deadline as a hard requirement, and a missed sitting normally means the application cannot be considered. Leave yourself a fortnight rather than counting on a late exception.
How we checked this
Dates are taken from the LNAT Consortium’s published dates and deadlines page for the 2027 entry cycle, and the per-university requirements are cross-checked against our own university admissions guides. Consortium membership and individual deadlines change between cycles, so this page states the 2027-entry calendar only. Where the Consortium does not publish a figure, such as a separate booking deadline for UCL, LSE and King’s, we say so rather than infer one.
Continue reading
What to do with the weeks between booking and sitting.
Preparation
How to prepare for the LNAT
A 12-week plan you can anchor to the date you just booked.
Read the guide →Universities
Which universities require the LNAT?
Who requires it for 2027 entry, and which courses are exempt.
Read the guide →Resources
Best LNAT preparation resources
What to use, in what order, official material first.
Read the guide →