UCAS Extra & Clearing

 

UCAS Extra

UCAS Extra is available from 25 February 2010, and is for applicants who have used all five choices on their application but are holding no offers – they may have been unsuccessful or they may have declined their offers. Extra gives those applicants the chance to maintain their motivation by adding additional choices, one at a time, to be made before Clearing. Extra is applicant driven and all choices are made through the online Track service. Last year over 5,600 applicants obtained a place in higher education through Extra.

Courses that have places available are indicated on www.ucas.com from 25 February by the annotation ‘x’ after a course title. Not all courses are available in Extra and applicants should research availability not only through Course Search but also directly with universities and colleges.

The Independent newspaper publishes course vacancies throughout the Extra process. The dates for publishing are:

Thursday 25 February
Thursday 18 March
Thursday 29 April
Thursday 27 May
Thursday 24 June

What is Extra?

If you have applied through UCAS, used all five choices on your application and aren't holding any offers, you might be able to apply through Extra for another course. Extra lets you apply for courses with vacancies between the end of February and the end of June. In Extra, you apply for one course at a time using UCAS Track.

 

Am I eligible?

To use Extra you need to have:

• already made five choices
• received decisions from all these choices, and
• either had no offers or declined all the offers you have received.

 

If you decline your offers and add an Extra choice, you will not be able to accept any of your original choices later.

 

How does it work?

If you are eligible for Extra, a button will appear on your Track screen which you can use to apply for a course in Extra. Course Search will tell you which courses have vacancies - an 'x' will be displayed next to any available courses. Before you apply, try to contact the university or college to make sure that they can consider you.

 

Check Course Search to see if there is an Entry Profile for the course because some will tell you what the university or college looks for in their students and might also have case studies from students who have taken the course.

 

Choose a course and enter the details in Track. UCAS willl then send your application to the university or college.

 

Choosing a course

Research the courses before deciding which to apply for. If you applied for high-demand courses originally and were unsuccessful, you could consider related or alternative subjects.

 

What happens next?

If you are offered a place, you can choose whether or not to accept it. If you accept an offer, you are committed to it, which means that you cannot apply anywhere else. You will need to reply to your offer by the date shown in Track.

 

If you decline an offer, or the university or college turns you down, you can apply for a different choice through Extra (time permitting). Your Extra button in Track will be reactivated. You can also apply for a different choice if you haven't received a decision from your Extra choice within 21 days of applying to them.

 

If you don't get an offer in Extra, don't worry! You can apply through the Clearing process, which gives you another opportunity to apply for vacancies later in the year.

 

UCAS Clearing

Clearing is a service available between July and September, but for most people it is used after the exam results are published in August. It can help people without a university or college place to find suitable vacancies on higher education courses.

If you are flexible and you have reasonable exam results, there is still a good chance you will find another course through Clearing.

 

The facts about Clearing

Clearing is a service that operates between mid-July and September. You can take part in Clearing if you have already applied through UCAS and you are in one of the following categories.

• You have not received any offers.
• You have declined all your offers or not responded by the due date.
• Your offers have not been confirmed because you have not met the conditions (eg you have not achieved the required grades).
• You have declined a changed course, a changed date of entry and/or changed point of entry offer.
• You applied for one course which has been declined/unsuccessful and you have paid the full £19 fee.
• UCAS receives your application after 30 June 2010. If UCAS receives your application after this date, it will not send it to any universities and colleges.

 

If you only made a single choice on your original application, you can pay a further £10 and apply to other universities and colleges through Clearing.

 

Course vacancies in Clearing are published on the UCAS website from mid-August until late-September.

 

Track your progress online

Check Track on the UCAS website to see if you're eligible to use Clearing. It is important that you check Track because UCAS will not send you anything in the post to tell you if you are eligible. If you are eligible for Clearing an 'Add Clearing choice' button will appear on your Track 'choices' screen which you can use to apply for a course.

Make sure that you're available to speak to universities and colleges

 

Treat your Clearing application like a job application - deal with it yourself! Don't leave it to your parents or friends to sort out. During Clearing, you need to be available in person to deal with admissions tutors and to make decisions. It is important to plan your summer holidays so that you are at home when your exam results come out.

 

What you need to do in Clearing

Feel free to approach as many universities and colleges as you wish during Clearing. Don't feel that you have to accept the first offer that you receive: remember that you will be spending at least three years studying the course, so please make sure that the university or college and course are right for you before you accept a place.

Read through the seven points below to help you secure a place in Clearing.

 

1. Get advice

Talk to someone at school or local careers office. They can help you decide which courses and subjects would be most suitable for you.

 

2. Look at the vacancies

Find out which courses have vacancies. Official vacancy lists are published on the UCAS website and in the national media following the publication of exam results in August. You don't have to stick to the subject choices you made originally - there may be other areas which might suit you better.

 

The lists are updated continually, but not all universities, colleges and courses have vacancies in Clearing, and some vacancies may be filled quickly. There is no guarantee that places will be available on any particular course. At the same time, a course that is full may have vacancies later. Check the vacancy list to see the latest information.

 

3. Contact universities and colleges that interest you

Once you have your exam results, you can contact universities and colleges about the possibility of gaining a place through Clearing. If you do not have your exam results, you should wait until you have them before approaching any universities or colleges.

 

If you declined an offer from a university or college earlier in the year you can contact it again to see if they will accept you in Clearing, either for the same course or any other.

 

The best way to find out more about a university or college, its accommodation and social life, is to make a visit and have a good look around. Most are happy to make arrangements to meet applicants and show them around, and many will have open days.

 

4. Clearing Number

Your Clearing Number is displayed on the 'welcome' page and 'choices' page in Track. When you contact a university or college they will ask for your Clearing Number to confirm that they can consider you in Clearing. They can then view your complete application immediately on our secure online system.

 

5. Accepting an offer

When you are speaking to different universities and colleges, you may be informally offered several places. You will need to decide which offer you want to accept.

 

6. Adding a Clearing choice

If a university or college provisionally offers you a place in Clearing, they will give you a date by which you must enter their course details on Track. If you want to be formally considered, you need to click on your 'Add Clearing choice' button and enter the course details. You can only enter details for one choice. Only enter a Clearing choice if the university or college has provisionally offered you a place on the course and you want to accept it. If you enter a Clearing choice without discussing it with the university or college, this may delay the progress of your application.

7. Your place is confirmed

 

UCAS will let the university or college know that you have entered their details on Track. If the university or college accepts you, the acceptance will be displayed in the 'choices' section of Track and UCAS will send you a letter to let you know your place is confirmed. This letter - known as a Confirmation letter - will explain whether there is anything you need to do now. Once you receive this letter, you will be pleased to know that you have officially gained a place. If you are not accepted, the 'Add Clearing choice' link in Track will be reactivated so that you can apply to another choice in Clearing.

 

By taking up this place, you accept the university's or college's terms and conditions, so you must read all about them in their prospectus or other published materials. You cannot apply to another university or college in the UCAS application cycle for 2010 entry.

 

Go to the A level results: what to do page for further information.