Clearing - Courses and applying

Be ready for anything

Clearing is a great opportunity for you to re-evaluate your options and choose the best university course for you this September.

We know that times are tough at the moment and more than ever you’ll want to be prepared for anything. You may be considering the type of community you want to be part of, or re-thinking your choices after being inspired in a different direction. Clearing gives you the chance to stop and think. And when you stop and think, great things happen.

Whatever your reasons, Clearing is an opportunity for you - so choose to do it right.

A student in conversation with another in a study room

The information you'll need

What is Clearing?

Clearing is part of the UCAS application process that matches applicants with available spaces. You can use Clearing to find a university place if:

you haven’t got any offers (or none that you wish to accept)
you didn’t meet the conditions of your offer
you’ve got better grades and want to explore your options
you apply after the UCAS deadline of 30 June 2021
you are not awaiting the results of any pending qualifications.

What is Adjustment?

You’re eligible for Adjustment if you’ve met and exceeded the conditions of your firm offer. Adjustment is optional so you can look at alternative courses that interest you. If you go through Adjustment, and don’t find a suitable alternative course, the unconditional firm offer you received on A-level results day will still stand.

There is no course vacancy list for Adjustment so you'll need to contact universities directly and tell them you want to apply via Adjustment. Be sure to only verbally agree an offer if you’re absolutely sure you want it.

Got questions about Clearing?

Our experts are available if you have any questions about Clearing. Call us now on +44(0) 117 32 83333.

Our phone line opening times are:

Monday – Thursday – 09:00–17:00
Friday – 09:00–16:30
Saturday and Sunday – closed.

Register for Clearing updates

Key dates

Wednesday 30 June – after this date, any applications made through UCAS are automatically entered into Clearing.
Sunday 4 July – the last date to apply via UCAS Extra.
Monday 5 July – Clearing opens for those who hold no offers and our Clearing courses are published.
Tuesday 10 August – A-level results day - if you had conditional offers but your exam results didn't go to plan, or you'd like to explore other options, you can use Clearing or Adjustment from results day.
Wednesday 18 August – Adjustment ends.

For further information on Clearing, please visit the UCAS website.

Portrait of Clearing student Emily, laughing at something off-camera

"The Clearing staff at UWE Bristol were helpful and the process was straightforward. Within a few days, I was offered my place at UWE Bristol and I was so excited about learning again."

Emily, BA(Hons) Film Studies

More about Emily's Clearing experience

Emily BA(Hons) Film Studies

In the run up to my exams, I began to have a change of mind towards which subject I would be studying at university. Soon enough results day came but upon looking at my results, I panicked and was filled with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty.

UWE Bristol was where my mum had studied and she always raved about it. It had a good reputation and after looking at their course for History online I found the modules really interesting.

Their online clearing process was easy to navigate and very helpful, in comparison to the other university I was looking at which was unhelpful and kept redirecting me to different phone lines. This made my decision so much easier, and I began to think that although this was different to the experience I was expecting, the course was sounding even better than the one I originally wanted to study.

It then began to set in that I was going to UWE Bristol and I felt proud to do so. Clearing had set my mind at ease.