University Challenge 2026/27
Applications are now open for the 2026/27 series of University Challenge!
University Challenge is a televised quiz competition in which teams of students take part
representing their universities or colleges.
UC is one of the oldest programmes still airing on UK television, and its rules and format
have changed very little since it first aired in 1962! Each series is a single tournament,
consisting of six rounds of head-to-head matches, with 28 teams taking part. Gameplay
revolves around ‘starters for ten’ – questions that all players compete to answer on the
buzzer, with the aim of winning their team ten points and a round of bonus questions.
You can watch past episodes of the programme here.
Application process
Before applying to UC, the UCB Guild of Students will be running try out sessions on the 12th of November 2025 between 2pm – 3.30pm.
In the try out sessions, we will test you on some past UC questions to test your knowledge!
To sign up to this try out session, please complete this form.
If you would like to try out for UC, but you can’t make this date, please email Megan@ucbguild.co.uk and we can rearrange.
What does taking part involve?
To make up a team, you need five players: four main team members, with one nominated as captain, and a reserve player, who would be able to step in to replace a main team
member if they become unavailable at any point during the recording process.
The series is recorded at Dock10 Studios in MediaCityUK in Salford, over three ‘blocks’:
24th February 2026 to 27th February 2026 inclusive (Round One)
25th March 2026 to 27th March 2026 inclusive (Repechage and Round Two)
21st April 2026 to 23rd April 2026 inclusive (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, and Final)
Filming takes place largely between 9am and 7pm, and it takes around three hours to
prepare for and film one episode. In the later stages of the competition, teams may be
required to film more than one episode in a day, and potentially on multiple days
back-to-back. The maximum number of episodes a team could be required to film in total
is eight!
Before applying to the try outs, you must confirm that you are potentially available to attend all the filming dates above.
If your application is successful, you’ll be able to claim back reasonable travel and food expenses incurred in the course of taking part in recording through ITV, and they can arrange and pay for hotel accommodation for the recording if needed.
What is the programme looking for in a team?
They’re looking for teams that:
Know a lot, collectively, about a lot of things
University Challenge covers a wide range of subjects in every episode, and so they are looking for teams with wide-ranging general knowledge. That doesn’t necessarily
equate to all team members studying very different things – having varied
extracurricular interests and passions, and/or life experiences, will also help.
Work well together, led by a strong captain
UC is a team game, and good teamwork can absolutely mean the difference
between winning and losing a match – for example, knowing, when a starter
question begins, which of your team members is likely to have the best shot at
answering it; or making sure, during bonus conferrals, that all team members are
heard and conversations stay on track.
Choosing the right team captain is really important in this respect – and others. They
need to be somebody who can co-ordinate the team’s application, preparations, and
gameplay, as well as being a good player themselves.