TMUA Dates & Registration 2026-27: Everything You Need to Know

28th September, 2026 | Abhishek Malani | 11 Min Read

Introduction
If you’re asking when is the TMUA exam for the current cycle, here’s the short version: the main sitting runs 12–16 October 2026, and registration is already open with a hard deadline of 28 September 2026. For an admissions test that has no late-entry route and no second chance within the same cycle, staying on top of every one of the TMUA deadlines matters just as much as the maths itself. At Quest for Success, we’ve pulled together the full, current TMUA 2026 timetable, so you know exactly when to register, when to sit the test, and when results land.
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Table of Contents

What Is the TMUA?

The Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) is a UK admissions test assessing mathematical thinking and reasoning, used by a specific group of universities and courses, including Cambridge, Imperial College London, Warwick, LSE, and others, primarily for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics applicants. It’s administered by UAT-UK (University Admissions Testing UK), a joint venture between the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, and delivered on-screen at Pearson VUE test centres worldwide.
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TMUA Dates 2026-27 at a Glance

For the current admissions cycle (October 2026 sitting = September 2027 university entry), here are the confirmed TMUA exam dates:
Milestone October 2026 Sitting January 2027 Sitting
Registration/booking opens
20 July 2026
26 October 2026
Booking deadline
28 September 2026, 6 p.m. BST
21 December 2026, 6 p.m. GMT
Test window
12-16 October 2026
4-8 January 2027
Results released
16 November 2026
8 February 2027
A few specifics worth flagging directly from this table: candidates in China, Hong Kong, and Macau testing in the October window can only book the 15th or 16th of October specifically, not the full five-day window available elsewhere. And if you’re applying under the 15 October UCAS deadline (which covers Cambridge and several other courses requiring the TMUA), you must take the test in the October sitting, the January window won’t count for that deadline.
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TMUA Registration: Key Deadlines You Cannot Miss

This is the part of the TMUA 2026 deadline picture that trips up the most applicants, because there is genuinely no flexibility once the window closes:
  • Account creation and early booking access typically opens in early summer (around 1 June 2026, per UAT-UK), with full test-slot booking opening 20 July 2026 for the October sitting.
  • The hard registration deadline is 28 September 2026 at 6 p.m. BST. After this point, there is no late-entry route, universities that require the TMUA will not chase you to register, and missing this deadline effectively removes you from consideration for any course that mandates the test.
  • Register yourself, directly through UAT-UK and Pearson VUE. Applying through UCAS does not register you for the TMUA, these are two entirely separate systems, and conflating them is one of the most common, costly mistakes applicants make.
  • Book well before the deadline, not on it. Test centre slots are limited, and UAT-UK itself advises registering at least several weeks ahead, ideally as soon as the July booking window opens, rather than waiting until September.

October vs. January Sitting: Which One Do You Need?

Most applicants only need to think about the October sitting, but it’s worth understanding the distinction clearly:

  • The October sitting is the standard route for the vast majority of applicants, particularly anyone applying under the 15 October UCAS deadline (Cambridge and other early-deadline courses).
  • The January sitting is generally reserved for mature applicants or specific later-round admissions cycles, not a second attempt for students who already sat, or plan to sit, the October test.
  • You can only sit the TMUA once per admissions cycle. Booking January isn’t an alternative shot at improving an October score within the same cycle, it’s a genuinely separate route for applicants whose circumstances fit that later timeline.
  • Always confirm which sitting your specific target university and course require, since this isn’t universal across every institution that uses the TMUA.

TMUA Exam Format and Scoring

  • Total test length: 2 hours 30 minutes, split across two papers, Paper 1 (Applications of Mathematical Knowledge) and Paper 2 (Mathematical Reasoning), each multiple-choice.
  • Delivered entirely on-screen at Pearson VUE test centres, both in the UK and internationally.
  • Scored on a scale of 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place, rather than a simple raw percentage or pass/fail outcome.
  • No fixed, published grade boundaries. Universities interpret TMUA scores individually as part of a holistic application review, rather than applying a single universal cutoff.
  • Scores are sent directly to universities that use the test, though some, including Durham, require you to separately authorise score release yourself, so check your specific university’s instructions rather than assuming automatic delivery everywhere.

TMUA Fees

Candidate Location Fee
UK and Ireland
£78
International
£133
Fees are paid directly through the UAT-UK/Pearson VUE booking system at the time of registration. Reduced-fee or bursary arrangements may be available for eligible candidates; check the official UAT-UK site directly for current eligibility criteria and how to apply, since this isn’t something arranged after the fact.

Access Arrangements: Start Early

If you normally receive access arrangements (extra time, rest breaks, assistive technology) for your school exams, the same accommodations can generally be requested for the TMUA, but the process needs to start well before your booking deadline, not alongside it. For the January sitting specifically, access arrangements need to be confirmed by 7 December 2026, ahead of the 21 December booking deadline itself. While a precisely equivalent early cutoff for the October sitting isn’t always published as clearly, the safest approach is to begin the access arrangements conversation with your school as early in the summer as possible, well before the 28 September booking deadline, since documentation review takes real time.

Which Universities Require the TMUA

The TMUA isn’t universal across UK admissions, it’s required by a specific set of universities and courses, most commonly for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics applications:
  • University of Cambridge: for Mathematics and Computer Science, with some colleges extending this to related courses
  • Imperial College London: for Mathematics and some joint Mathematics/Computer Science pathways
  • University of Warwick: for Mathematics and related courses
  • London School of Economics (LSE): for select Mathematics and Economics courses
  • University College London (UCL): for specific Economics and Computer Science courses
  • Durham University, Lancaster University: and several others, for select course-specific requirements
Because exact requirements shift by course and even by year, always confirm directly on your specific target course’s admissions page whether the TMUA is required, recommended, or not used at all, rather than assuming based on the university’s general reputation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Assuming UCAS registration also registers you for the TMUA: These are separate systems entirely; you must register directly with UAT-UK yourself.
  • Waiting until close to the 28 September deadline to book: Test centre slots fill up, and UAT-UK explicitly advises booking as early into the July window as possible.
  • Confusing the October sitting with a “practice” attempt before January: You can only sit the TMUA once per cycle, there’s no do-over within the same admissions round.
  • Leaving access arrangements requests until the last minute: Documentation review takes time, so this conversation needs to start well ahead of your booking deadline, not alongside it.
  • Not confirming whether your specific course actually requires the TMUA: Requirements vary by course within the same university, not just by institution.

How can Quest For Success help?

Between UAT-UK registration, Pearson VUE booking, access arrangements, and the actual mathematical preparation, the TMUA has more moving logistical parts than most applicants expect until a deadline is already close. At Quest for Success, we help students map out their full TMUA registration timeline alongside a genuine, structured prep plan, so the administrative side never becomes the reason a strong applicant misses their shot at a required test.

Summary

For the current cycle, the TMUA dates that matter most are the October 2026 sitting, running 12-16 October 2026, with TMUA registration open from 20 July 2026 and a hard TMUA 2026 deadline of 28 September 2026 at 6 p.m. BST, after which there is no late-entry route. Results follow on 16 November 2026. A smaller January 2027 sitting exists for mature applicants and specific later-round admissions cycles, running 4–8 January 2027 with its own 21 December 2026 booking deadline, but this is not a second attempt for students who already tested in October, since only one sitting is permitted per admissions cycle. The test runs for 2 hours 30 minutes across two multiple-choice papers, is scored from 1.0 to 9.0 with no published grade boundaries, and costs £78 for UK/Ireland candidates or £133 internationally. Because registration happens directly through UAT-UK and Pearson VUE, entirely separate from UCAS, and because test centre slots and access arrangements both require real lead time, the safest approach is to treat registration as a July task and preparation as a June-to-October project, not something to sort out as September closes in.
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FAQs

The main sitting runs 12-16 October 2026, with registration open from 20 July 2026 and a booking deadline of 28 September 2026, 6 p.m. BST. A smaller January 2027 sitting runs 4-8 January 2027 for mature and specific later-round applicants.
28 September 2026 at 6 p.m. BST for the October sitting. There is no late-entry route once this deadline passes.
No. TMUA registration is entirely separate, done directly through UAT-UK and Pearson VUE, not through UCAS.
No. You can only sit the TMUA once per admissions cycle, the January sitting is a separate route for specific applicant circumstances, not a retake opportunity.
£78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland, and £133 for international candidates, paid directly through the UAT-UK/Pearson VUE booking system.
On a scale of 1.0 to 9.0, with no fixed, published grade boundaries. Universities interpret scores individually as part of a holistic admissions review.
16 November 2026 for the October sitting, and 8 February 2027 for the January sitting.

Need help mapping out your TMUA registration timeline alongside a genuine prep plan? Reach out to Quest for Success; we’re here to help you stay ahead of every deadline that matters.

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