University Clearing: Dos and Don'ts for University Admissions

Worried about making a mistake during Clearing? Don't stress. In this guide, we break down exactly how to prepare, what traps to avoid, and our top tips for confidently locking in your next steps toward university.

What is University Clearing?

Clearing is a process that allows students to apply for different

courses than their initial choices.

Traditionally, Clearing was reserved for students who achieved lower grades than expected and were forced to find different courses. This is no longer the case. Now Clearing is the ubiquitous term for any student looking to find a course different from the one they initially chose as their firm or insurance choice.

Clearing also has a new weapon in its arsenal in the form of Clearing Plus. This brand new service launched by UCAS focuses on matching students with courses related to previous choices and can be found in your UCAS Hub.

You may not be able to start applying through Clearing, but you can start doing some homework.

When is Clearing in 2026?

UCAS Clearing runs from 2nd of July to 19th of October 2026. The opening of Clearing coincides with Results Day (August 13th). The opening of Clearing coincides with the release of the results for the International Baccalaureate with is July 6th.

DOs

Prepare for Clearing

Preparing for Clearing is so important. You need to have everything you need to hand in, including your GCSE results and your A-Levels, T Levels or BTEC results.

You should have the following:

• A charged mobile phone.
• Any previous offer letters.
• Clearing number from UCAS Hub.
• Computer or laptop.
• Paper/pad and a pen.
• Printer.
• UCAS application number.
• UCAS contact number (just in case).
• Your personal statement.
• Your results.

Preparation is the name of the game, and you must ensure you have everything you need. Make sure you have some Clearing questions written down that you also want to ask.

Writing down points or questions beforehand can also help you ensure you cover everything you want to talk about! Treat it like a script, and it’s a great idea to run a few rehearsals beforehand, either with your friends, family or teachers.

Clearing is a process that allows students to apply for different courses than their initial choices.

Get advice

You don’t have to do it all alone. Family can be a great source of advice when looking at where to study, but so too can your friends and, most importantly of all, your teachers.

Teachers are set up to advise you on what to do next. They may be still in contact with students who are attending a university that you are thinking of joining, and they may be able to put you in touch or share second-hand experiences.

You can also speak to a career counsellor or advisor at your school or college ahead of time about your options, if you have one. They’re usually around on Results Day as well if you have any questions you’d like to go through.There is no such thing as a stupid question! Whatever is on your mind, talk about it!

Visit universities, either virtually or in person

You don’t need to make your decisions right now. Visiting a university is the most important thing you can do, so take the time to look around and get a feel for the place. This could mean booking a university open day or having to book a virtual one. Attend an open day and have your open day questions prepared. If your chosen university doesn’t have any Clearing open days, give them a call, some offer a personal tour to allow you to get a feel of the place!

Get started on sorting out accommodation and student finance

The sooner, the better. The sooner you get this done, the sooner it's out of the way and not a thing to worry about any more.

Get your student finance done first. This is because your student finance will largely dictate where you can go for student accommodation after Clearing. Once this is sorted, you're more or less done, apart from buying everything on your university checklist.

You don’t have to do it all alone. Family can be a great source of advice when looking at where to study, but so too can your friends and, most importantly of all, your teachers.

Enjoy your summer

Don’t take things too seriously. Once you’ve sorted where you’re going, there’s nothing more to really do. You will need to buy your equipment and everything but try and enjoy the summer. You’ve spent ages revising for endless exams, and you’re probably a bit drained after stressing about Results Day, take the time out to enjoy your remaining time off.

DON’Ts

Panic

It's easy to panic when it comes to Clearing. Clearing is, by definition, the act of you finding a university or course that wasn’t a part of the initial plan. As a result, this causes students to majorly panic and start worrying about what the future holds for them.

Rest assured that everything is in hand. UCAS created the Clearing process to make things easier for students, and introduced lots of helpful guides and tips and helpful tools like Clearing Plus to make things as easy as possible.

So don’t panic too much. Focus on speaking to universities and creating an action plan after each call.

Wait until your results are out to do anything

You may not be able to start applying through Clearing, but you can start doing some homework. Start looking at universities that interest you if you don’t get the required grades for your firm choice.

Accept the first offer

If you know this offer is right for you, do not accept. Consider the option and weigh it up against other offers that may come your way. Accept an offer only if you know it's the offer you want. As you have until October 19th, you don’t need to rush the decision. You may find you want to visit the university to get a feel of the place before accepting.

You don’t need to make your decisions right now.

Let someone else call for you

Unless it says on your UCAS form that someone can speak on your behalf, don’t ask. Universities want to talk to you, and, more importantly, they will not speak to someone that is not down on the form.

It’s understandable why some people do this. Some students struggle with speaking to people on the phone and may become nervous. Remember that the people on the other end are human beings, and they want to help you to get the best possible decision for you. Who knows? Maybe the person on the other end of the line went through Clearing too?

If you’re nervous about calling up, you can run practice rehearsals with friends, family or teachers beforehand. Have a light script prepared with questions you want to ask beforehand - it can take the pressure off!

Go on holiday

You’d be surprised just how many people go on holiday during Clearing. Don’t do that. Going on holiday jeopardises your chances of speaking to people when you need to speak to them. There will be thousands of students in the same boat as you, trying to find a course. There are only so many available spaces and you don’t want to miss out. Make sure you book your holiday for a few days after Clearing opens or, if you aren’t going to book in advance, book after you’ve sorted everything.

You need to have everything to hand, and you won’t be able to do that on holiday. You may also need to speak to more than one or two universities.