I wouldnt worry if you miss the deadline, it usually means it will be late, but sometimes you can be lucky and it will arrive on time. It did for me and my friend who is down in London did hers on time and hers came late, so i think alot depends on the council as well. I tend to go and hand mine in as well in the offices instead of posting it, maybe that has something to do with it but i dont know

Just make sure you double check everything as you dont want t o make a mistake, i ended up applying fo £0 last year by mistake, so ended up wioth no money and it took ages to sort out. But as long as you get everything in before you start in September, it should be fine.