UCAS Extra & Clearing

UCAS Extra

If you are rejected by all the universities to which you apply, but you did not make five applications, you may ring UCAS and ask them to put in further applications for you (up to the five maximum). This can be done up to the end of June.

If you applied to five universities and have received rejections from all of them, you will automatically be entered for UCAS Extra, and will receive an "Extra Passport". This will allow you to make an additional application. The UCAS website will have information on which courses still have vacancies. If you receive a negative response from your application, you may continue applying, one course at a time, until you are either made an offer or clearing begins.

UCAS Clearing

Clearing officially begins at the end of June, but if you haven't got a conditional offer by that time using the UCAS Extra, you're better off waiting until you get your results.

Many students find perfectly acceptable places at university through clearing.  The system is fairly simple; you ring universities to ask if they have vacancies for your subject and to see if they will accept you with the grades that you have.  UCAS will send you a clearing form, which you send to the university which has indicated firmly that they will accept you and to which you want to go.  However, clearing really only gives you one additional application so it is very important that you are certain that the university to which you send your clearing form will actually accept you.

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