After school · 5 min read
What is Clearing and how does it work?
How UCAS Clearing works: the 2 July to 19 October window, what happens on results day, Clearing Plus, who can use it and how to choose a course under pressure.
The short answer
Clearing is the UCAS process that matches applicants without a confirmed place to courses that still have spaces. It runs from early July to mid-October, with most activity on and after A level results day in mid-August. You can use it if you missed your conditions, declined your offers, applied late, or did better than expected and want to change. You phone universities directly, get a verbal offer, then add the course as a Clearing choice in your UCAS Hub.
Key takeaways
- Clearing 2026 opened on 2 July and closes on 19 October; results day was 13 August, with Clearing choices addable from 1pm.
- You're eligible if you hold no offers, missed your conditions, declined your place, or applied after 30 June.
- Clearing Plus suggests courses matched to your profile; the full vacancy list is searchable in the UCAS Hub.
- You can add only one Clearing choice at a time, so get a verbal offer by phone first and ask how long it's held.
On this pageHow the day works
How the day works
| Time | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Evening before | Vacancy lists and Clearing Plus are live | Shortlist five courses with places, note phone numbers and course codes |
| 8am | UCAS Hub updates: placed, unplaced or unconditional changed course | Check the Hub before checking the news |
| 8am to 1pm | Universities take Clearing calls | Call your shortlist in order, grades and UCAS ID to hand |
| From 1pm | Clearing choices can be added | Add the course you've been verbally offered; the university confirms |
| Following days | Places keep changing hands | If you were unlucky, keep calling; new vacancies appear all week |
Who Clearing is for
- Missed your firm and insurance conditions and weren't accepted anyway.
- Declined your offers or changed your mind about the course.
- Applied after 30 June, so your application went straight into Clearing.
- Did better than expected and want to trade up, through the release option in the Hub.
- Didn't apply at all this year and now want to, with results in hand.
Choosing well under pressure
The pressure on results day pushes people to accept the first yes. Slow down by a day if you can; verbal offers are often held for 24 to 48 hours. Check the course modules, the outcomes on Discover Uni, whether accommodation is guaranteed for Clearing entrants, and whether you'd rather resit, take a foundation year or do something else for a year. A year's delay beats three years on the wrong course.
If you don't want to go through Clearing
Not finding a place in August isn't the end of the route. Resits in the autumn or next summer, a foundation year, an Access to HE course if you're 19, a Level 4 apprenticeship, or a year of work and a fresh application with results already known are all normal paths. Universities see plenty of strong applicants who took a year.
Illustrative example: the second call
A student misses her ABB firm with BBC. Her first call, to a course she picked at random the night before, gets a quick yes. She asks for 24 hours. Her second call is to a similar course she'd researched in June, which also says yes. She chooses the second one, having read its modules and spoken to a current student. Same day, better decision.
Questions people ask
- When does Clearing open and close?
- In 2026 Clearing opened on 2 July and closes on 19 October, the last date to add a Clearing choice. Vacancies appear in the UCAS search from July, but most places are released after A level results on 13 August, when universities know how many offer holders have met their conditions. Scottish results in early August start it earlier north of the border.
- Can I use Clearing if I got better grades than expected?
- Yes. If you've met and exceeded your firm offer you can release yourself into Clearing through the UCAS Hub and apply for a different course. Be sure first: once you release your place, your original university doesn't have to take you back. Get a verbal offer from the new course before you decline the old one.
- What do I say when I phone a university in Clearing?
- Have your UCAS ID, your grades and the course code ready. Say you're calling about a Clearing place on that course, give your results, and ask whether they can offer you a place. They may ask why you want the course and what you know about it, so have two sentences ready. Ask how long the verbal offer is held and what to do next.
- Is a Clearing course worse than a main-cycle one?
- No. Courses go into Clearing because offer holders missed grades or chose elsewhere, not because the course is weak. Many well-regarded universities list places every year. The risk is choosing in a hurry, not choosing in Clearing. Use the same checks you'd use in October: outcomes, content, accommodation and whether you'd be happy there.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- What is Clearing? · UCAS
- UCAS Tariff points · UCAS
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.