If you’ve found yourself in a position where no unis have made you an offer, or you don’t want to accept any of the offers you’ve been made, don’t despair! There are still chances to go to uni this September.
Updated: 18 Mar 2025
If you’ve applied through UCAS and received no offers from the universities you want to accept, try to stay calm. UCAS offers two services through which you can add another choice and have another shot at securing your uni place. Which service you use will depend on the time of year you’re looking to apply.
Between 28 February and 4 July, you can apply to courses through Extra if you’re holding no offers. If you’re eligible, you’ll see “Add Extra choice” in the Choices section of your UCAS Hub. In Extra, you can only apply for one course at a time, but if you don’t receive an offer or if you change your mind and don’t want to accept the offer you’ve been made, you’ll be able to apply to a different course.
If you accept a place through UCAS Extra, you’ll be expected to take up this offer, and won’t be eligible for Clearing.
NEXT: Learn more about UCAS Extra.
If 4 July has been and gone, don’t panic. You can apply for courses through Clearing if you’re not holding any offers. You can apply through Clearing as soon as it opens, so there’s no need to wait until your results are confirmed to apply through Clearing if you’re holding no offers. You’ll have to wait until results day for your place to be confirmed, however.
NEXT: Learn more about UCAS Clearing.
This is the most important step. Just like when you first applied through UCAS, you’ll have to think about which courses you want to consider. They don’t have to be the same subject or unis you originally applied for, though they can be. Courses you can apply to through Extra will be marked with a grey X in UCAS’s course search. If you’re applying through Clearing, you can use Whatuni to find and research available courses.
Now you’ve researched, it’s time to draw up a shortlist of courses you might want to apply for. Using Whatuni, you can easily save and compare courses to make it easy to make your decision.
If you’re using Extra, then you’ll apply through UCAS. If you’re using Clearing, you’ll want to get in touch with the uni directly. Using Whatuni, you can easily call unis – just hit the ‘call now’ button and wait to be put through to an advisor. Make sure you have your UCAS number to hand as well as your predicted or actual grades and be ready to tell them why you want to study on the course you’ve chosen!
With Extra, your offer will come through UCAS. If you’re a Clearing applicant, then you may receive a verbal offer on the phone or be asked to fill out a form online. When you receive your Clearing offer, you’ll be told how long you have to accept it and how to accept it. You can only accept one Clearing offer, so be sure you’re happy with the offer before you accept. Once you've accepted the offer by adding it to your UCAS Hub, you should hear back from the uni within 24-72 hours.
If you’ve not been to the uni before (or even if you have), it’s a good idea to try to attend an open day before you accept your offer. If there aren’t any events, or if you can’t get to them, check out the uni’s website to see if they have any video tours or student vlogs that can give you a feel for the campus and local area.
NEXT: Find and book open days now.
It’s time to kick back and celebrate! You’ve got your place for September locked down. Congratulations!
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