What is Clearing and how does it work?
Clearing is a system that matches university (and college) applicants who haven’t had an offer with institutions that still have unfilled places.
The thought of going through it can be scary, as it means you didn’t get into the unis you applied for. But Clearing can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, matching you with universities you may not have considered and leading you to an equally exciting path.
The Clearing process is an important part of university admissions and gives you a second shot at finding a uni that's a great fit for you. Scroll down to learn more about how Clearing works from our Mind Set coaches.
Personal experiences with Clearing
In this short film, our coaches talk about how Clearing works and what it was like for them.
"Clearing is a set date where all universities in the country post the remaining places for their undergraduate degrees online."
"For me, Clearing was a gift and really, I couldn't have chosen a better university to go to."
"The best advice I can give for anyone who is worried about Clearing, it might not happen. Don't get into the mindset that, 'I'm going to have to go through Clearing,' because the chances are you won't."
"It doesn't happen to everyone. But a couple of weeks before, just be prepared. Maybe have a look online or look at different universities you've not thought about going to that might have lower grade boundaries. Just because the grade boundaries are lower,it doesn't mean the university is any worse."
"Because I was resitting so many exams, I didn't have any grades so I had to just be honest and explain the situation, and explain how driven I was to achieve my goal, and I think that's what got me my offers."
"I just got my first-year university results last week and I exceeded what I thought I was going to get. That was a real moment where I felt like, even though I'm very early in my university career, that I'd come full circle, I've learnt from my mistakes."
"If you have to go through Clearing and you decide maybe uni isn't for me, it's not the end of the world. You can do resits and apply a year later, you can defer, you can do a gap year. There are so many options out of college, it doesn't have to be straight into university. There will always be different routes and if you need to take a little bit of time out, do it."
"I didn't go straight to uni, I did a foundation course first, which was the best thing I could have done because it gave me a little bit more time at home. I wouldn't have been ready to go to uni straight away. I think I definitely would have dropped out because I just wouldn't have been able to do it."
"Sometimes looking for a foundation year and helping topping up that knowledge is good and puts you back on track."
Key dates and eligibility for Clearing
- Clearing often starts in July and carries on through October. The 2026 dates are: 2 July – 19 October 2026.
- You can use Clearing if:
- you’re applying to university after 30 June
- you didn’t receive any offers or don’t want to accept the offers you’ve received
- you had a conditional offer and didn’t get the grades you needed
- you’ve declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in your UCAS application.
Steps to apply through Clearing
- If you are in Clearing, your UCAS Hub status will be automatically updated to say: “You are in Clearing” or “Clearing has started”
- You can search available course places on the UCAS website
- Once you found one you’re interested in, give the university a call and see if they can give you an offer
- If you get an offer you'd like to accept, you can add your choice to UCAS Hub. Bear in mind doing that means you have officially accepted that offer, so if you decide you want to go somewhere else you will have to ask that university to cancel your offer, and apply to another uni via Clearing
- There are lots of different reasons why a university might have places available via Clearing, so don’t assume they’re courses or unis nobody wants to attend!
Top tips for Clearing
- Make sure you have your Clearing number to hand. You'll need this if you contact universities who have places you're interested in
- If you're eligible for Clearing, you'll be able to find your Clearing number under "Application status" in your UCAS application
- Check out the UCAS website for further useful information about Clearing.
Discover more about your options after A-levels or Highers
UCAS: How to use Clearing. External Link
What to do and how to apply.
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