Be University Wise guides › Clearing
UCAS Clearing 2027: the complete guide
Clearing is how UCAS matches students who do not hold a university place with courses that still have vacancies. For 2027 entry it opens on 2 July 2027 and you can add a Clearing choice until 18 October 2027. It is busiest on A level results day, 12 August 2027. In 2025, about one in seven students who got a place got it through Clearing.
Checked against official sources on 25 September 2026.
Free Clearing tools: Am I in Clearing? · Call planner · Call tracker · Countdown to results day
Clearing 2027 countdown
Clearing opens Friday 2 July 2027. Scottish results day: Tuesday 10 August 2027. A level results day: Thursday 12 August 2027. Last date to add a Clearing choice: Monday 18 October 2027.
What is Clearing?
Clearing is the part of the UCAS system that runs every summer to fill places still available on undergraduate courses. It gives a second route into university to anyone who does not hold a place: students who missed their offer grades, students who had no offers, students who apply late, and students who decide they want something different.
It has three jobs:
- A safety net. If results do not go to plan, you can still start a degree in the autumn instead of waiting a year.
- A late door. If you did not apply earlier in the year, you can apply straight into Clearing.
- A second look. If your results beat your offer, or your plans have changed, you can release yourself into Clearing and look for a different course.
Universities use Clearing to fill courses that have places left. The courses are the same courses, with the same degree at the end, as for students who applied in January.
Who can use Clearing?
You can use Clearing if any of these apply to you (UCAS):
- you are applying after 30 June 2027;
- you did not receive any offers, or none you wanted to accept;
- you did not meet the conditions of your offers, and neither your firm nor your insurance choice has accepted you;
- you have declined your firm place using the “Decline my place” button.
Clearing is not just for UK students. UCAS says international students, including EU students, “can use Clearing in the same way UK students can”. The catch is time: they need a CAS and a Student visa before the course starts. See Clearing for international students.
Scottish students can use Clearing too, but places at Scottish universities for students paying the Scottish fee rate are limited by government funding. See Clearing in Scotland. More detail: who can use Clearing.
Clearing 2027 key dates
| Date (2027 unless shown) | What happens |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 June, 18:00 | Last time to apply with up to five choices. Applications received after this go straight into Clearing. |
| Thursday 1 July | Last day to add a UCAS Extra choice. |
| Friday 2 July | Clearing opens. Vacancies appear in the UCAS search tool, and students holding an unconditional firm place can release themselves into Clearing. |
| Early July | International Baccalaureate results (6 July in 2026). |
| Thursday 22 July | Last date for any reply swap (changing your firm and insurance replies). After the first 14 days, a swap needs both universities to agree. |
| About a week before each results day | Results embargo: universities do not make Clearing decisions, and the “Decline my place” and “Add Clearing choice” buttons are switched off. |
| Tuesday 10 August | Scottish results day (Qualifications Scotland, formerly SQA). |
| Thursday 12 August | A level results day, also the Extended Project and many Level 3 vocational results such as BTEC Nationals. Clearing is at its busiest. |
| Thursday 19 August | GCSE results day. |
| Early September | Universities usually need final results by now. In 2026, UCAS’s advisory deadline for universities to hold places open was 3 September (Ofqual). The 2027 date is not published yet. |
| Thursday 23 September, 18:00 | Final date for 2027 entry applications. |
| Monday 18 October | Last date to add a Clearing choice for 2027 entry. |
Sources: UCAS 2027 dates; JCQ and Qualifications Scotland 2027 results days. Timings on results day are published by UCAS each spring. All dates and times.
How to apply through Clearing: the short version
- Check your status. On results day your UCAS Hub updates from 08:00 (A level day) or 09:00 (Scottish day), based on 2026 timings. If it says “You are in Clearing” or “Clearing has started”, you can use Clearing. Use our Am I in Clearing? checker.
- Find your Clearing number and Personal ID. Your Clearing number shows in your Hub under “Application status”.
- Find courses with places. Use the UCAS search tool (vacancies show from 2 July), university Clearing pages and your Clearing matches (Clearing Plus) in your Hub.
- Call the universities yourself. Have your grades, your Clearing number and your reasons ready. Our call planner builds your script.
- Get an informal offer. If a university says yes, ask for it in writing and how long you have.
- Add it as your Clearing choice in your Hub. Only do this once you have the university’s permission: adding it counts as accepting the offer. In 2026 you could add a choice from 13:00 on A level results day and from 10:00 on Scottish results day.
- Wait for confirmation. The university confirms your place in your Hub. You can add only one Clearing choice at a time; if it is not confirmed, you can add another.
Clearing Plus: your Clearing matches
If you are unplaced, or you have applied for the first time, a “matches” button appears in your Hub. It shows up to 50 courses picked for you from your original choices, your grades and what similar students studied in past years. Press “I’m interested” on up to five at a time and universities with space may call you. You can still contact any university yourself. How Clearing Plus works.
Results better than expected? Decline my place
If you hold an unconditional firm place, you can release yourself into Clearing with the “Decline my place” button from 2 July 2027. It cancels your firm place and your insurance place, and it cannot be undone, so speak to the university you want to move to first. In 2026, 47,370 students had used it by 10 September. Decline my place: the full guide and checklist.
Missed your grades?
Do not assume you have lost your place. Your firm or insurance choice may still accept you, or offer you a changed course. Check your Hub, phone your firm choice, and look at Clearing in parallel. If you think a mark is wrong, ask your school or college about a priority review. What to do if you miss your offer · reviews and appeals.
Ten tips for using Clearing well
- Make a back-up list before results day. Five to ten courses you would genuinely take, with phone numbers and course codes.
- Know your UCAS points. Many Clearing lists quote points. Use our UCAS points calculator.
- Make the call yourself. UCAS says universities need to speak to you, not a parent.
- Have a 30-second answer to “Why this course?”. UCAS warns that if you cannot show why you want it, you may not be offered a place.
- Ask for offers in writing, with the course code and how long you have.
- Do not accept on the spot if you are unsure. Ask how long the offer stays open.
- Check the course, not just the name. Compare student satisfaction, continuation and earnings in our subject tables.
- Ask about accommodation before you commit, and check rents in that city.
- Add one Clearing choice at a time, and only with the university’s permission.
- Update your student finance with your new university and course straight away.
30 Clearing tips · Clearing myths
Free Clearing tools
Am I in Clearing?
Answer up to four questions to see where you stand and what to do next. Open the checker.
- Clearing call planner: turns your grades and reasons into a printable phone script with the questions to ask.
- Clearing call tracker: keeps track of every university you call, its offer and deadline, on your device.
- Results day checklist: what to do the week before, the night before and on the day.
For schools, colleges and careers advisers
A free one-page printable guide to Clearing 2027 (PDF) covers the key dates, who can use Clearing, how to apply and the rules that catch students out. More for schools and advisers.
Before you accept a Clearing place
- Is it a course you would have been happy to apply for in January?
- Does it lead where you want to go? If your career needs a professionally accredited degree, check the course has it.
- Can you afford to live there? Check accommodation and local rents.
- Do past students stay on the course and rate it? See the university’s profile.
- If you have a disability or health condition, have you spoken to the disability service about support?
After Clearing
Once your place is confirmed: apply for accommodation, update your student finance application with the new university and course (it is not linked to UCAS), and read everything the university sends you. After Clearing: money, housing and support.
Be University Wise is not part of UCAS and cannot see your application. Timings in this guide marked “in 2026” are last year’s; UCAS usually confirms results-day timings in the spring. Always check your UCAS Hub and the university.
Compare Clearing options on official data
When a university offers you a place, check it in minutes: student satisfaction, how many students continue, graduate jobs and earnings, all from official data.
Open the Clearing tools in the appSources
- UCAS: dates and deadlines for 2027 entry
- UCAS: What is Clearing?
- UCAS: get results day ready
- UCAS: applying directly to Clearing
- UCAS: declining your firm place
- UCAS: your Clearing matches
- UCAS: top tips for contacting universities in Clearing
- UCAS: Clearing guide for international students
- JCQ: key dates, June 2027 exams
- Qualifications Scotland: exam timetable and results day 2027
- UCAS: end of cycle data resources 2025
- UCAS: results day 2026 news release
- UCAS: daily Clearing analysis 2026
Quick answers
What is UCAS Clearing?
Clearing is how UCAS matches students who do not hold a university place with courses that still have vacancies. It runs each summer and is used by students who missed their offer grades, had no offers, applied late, or released themselves from a place.
When does Clearing open for 2027 entry?
Friday 2 July 2027. It is busiest on A level results day, Thursday 12 August 2027.
When does Clearing close in 2027?
The final date for 2027 entry applications is 23 September 2027 at 18:00, and the last date to add a Clearing choice is 18 October 2027. Many courses fill long before then.
Can international students use Clearing?
Yes. UCAS says international students, including EU students, can use Clearing in the same way UK students can. They also need time to get a CAS and a Student visa, so universities may set earlier deadlines for them.
How many Clearing choices can I add?
One at a time. If the university does not confirm your place, you can add another.
Does Clearing cost anything?
No extra fee. The normal UCAS application fee applies: £34.50 for 2027 entry, with fee waivers for students who had free school meals and for care leavers.
Is Clearing only for students who missed their grades?
No. It is also for late applicants, students without offers, and students who release themselves from a place, for example because their results were better than expected.
How many students get a place through Clearing?
In 2025, 77,110 students were placed through Clearing, 15% of the 512,525 acceptances made through UCAS’s main routes, according to UCAS end of cycle data.