When does the 2027 exam diet start?

Monday 26 April 2027, with the last papers on Thursday 3 June. National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher all sit within that window.

Why is it earlier than the rest of the UK?

Scotland runs its own school year end to end. Term starts in mid-August and finishes in late June, so the diet sits earlier in the calendar than the May and June window used elsewhere.

Are prelims on this timetable?

No. Prelims are set by each school, usually in the winter term, so the dates come from the school and not from Qualifications Scotland.

Key dates

The 2027 exam diet.

The diet runs from late April into early June, which is a fortnight ahead of the rest of the UK at both ends. Qualifications Scotland sets it.

Qualifications Scotland dietPrelims land in winter

The exam window

Monday 26 April 2027
Advanced Higher exams begin (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source
Monday 26 April 2027
Higher exams begin (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source
Monday 26 April 2027
National 5 exams begin (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source
Thursday 3 June 2027
Last Advanced Higher exam (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source
Thursday 3 June 2027
Last Higher exam (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source
Thursday 3 June 2027
Last National 5 exam (Qualifications Scotland diet)Source

Applying to university

UCAS runs one cycle for the whole UK, so these dates are the same wherever you are reading from.

Thursday 15 October 202618:00 UK time
UCAS deadline: Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry, veterinarySource
Wednesday 13 January 202718:00 UK time
UCAS equal consideration deadline (all other courses)Source
Thursday 25 February 2027
UCAS Extra opensSource
Wednesday 30 June 202718:00 UK time
UCAS final application deadline (then Clearing)Source
Friday 2 July 2027
UCAS Clearing opensSource

Scotland runs on its own calendar and it is earlier than families arriving from elsewhere expect. Study leave and the diet begin while other systems are still teaching, which matters if a household is planning around two different school systems at once.

The diet is not the only thing being marked. Most courses carry coursework or an assignment with its own deadline set well before April, and in Advanced Higher that piece is substantial. Those deadlines are the ones missed most often, because they do not appear on any national timetable.

Prelims sit in the winter and are set by the school rather than nationally, so they will not be found here. They are worth treating seriously anyway: they are the evidence a school uses if an exceptional circumstances claim is ever needed.

Results land in August. Results day 2027, and what to do on it.

Common questions

When does the 2027 exam diet start?: Monday 26 April 2027, with the last papers on Thursday 3 June. National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher all sit within that window.
Why is it earlier than the rest of the UK?: Scotland runs its own school year end to end. Term starts in mid-August and finishes in late June, so the diet sits earlier in the calendar than the May and June window used elsewhere.
Are prelims on this timetable?: No. Prelims are set by each school, usually in the winter term, so the dates come from the school and not from Qualifications Scotland.

Where these dates come from

Dates change every year. We re-check them each September and January, and every row above links to the page it came from.

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