What happens after submitting your UCAS application?

CONTENTS

1. Acknowledgment emails
2. Prepare for interviews or assessments
3. Track your application
4. Apply for student finance
5. Explore UCAS Extra
6. Respond to offers
7. Look for accommodation
8. Results day and Clearing
9. Prepare for university life

The journey from application to university involves several key steps, and staying on top of deadlines is important. We’ve outlined the next steps in order of when you can expect them to happen to help you stay on top of things. 

Acknowledgment emails  

After submitting your application, universities will send acknowledgment emails to confirm they’ve received it. These emails often include login details for their applicant portals, where you can track the progress of your application. 

Keep an eye on your inbox, and your junk/spam folders, for updates from unis and UCAS Hub and ensure you have them marked as a trusted sender, so you don’t miss anything. 

Get to know the portals, as you’ll find interview invitations or requests for further information on there and even view the decision on your application.  

Prepare for interviews or assessments 

Certain courses, like medicine, law, or art, may require additional steps, such as interviews, admissions tests, or portfolios. 

Medicine or dentistry interviews usually take place between December and March. Review your personal statement, practice common questions, and keep up-to-date with relevant developments in your field. 

For creative courses, universities may request portfolios or auditions. Pay close attention to deadlines and submission guidelines. 

Track your application  

Universities usually start making decisions between January and March, though some responses may come earlier or later. Log in to the UCAS Hub regularly to: 

• Check the status of your applications. 
• Respond to any requests from universities promptly. 
• Offers may be conditional (requiring you to meet specific grades), unconditional, or rejections. 

Find out more in our guide to UCAS Hub.

Apply for student finance

For UK students planning to use student loans for tuition fees or maintenance, the student finance application process opens in early spring. Apply as soon as possible to avoid delays. You don’t need a confirmed university place to apply – use your first-choice university and update it later if necessary.  

Explore UCAS Extra  

If you’ve used all five choices and don’t hold any offers, UCAS Extra is your chance to apply to additional courses one at a time. It opens in February and runs until early July. This is a great opportunity to revisit your options. 

Respond to offers  

From as early as March you could start receiving offers, but they typically start around May. When you receive all your offers, you’ll need to decide on your firm choice (first-choice university), your insurance choice (this is your backup plan and will often have lower grade requirements) and which offers, if any, you’ll be declining. 

The deadline to reply depends on when you receive all your offer. For offers received by March 2024, you’ll need to reply in early May. For offers received later, deadlines are usually in June. But please make sure you read the entire offer letter to be sure of the deadline for each offer you receive.  

Look for accommodation 

Once you’ve accepted a firm offer, you can apply for university accommodation. Applications often open in the spring or early summer and you should apply early, as the most popular halls can fill up quickly. 

You should research your options. Weigh up the benefits of things like catered vs. self-catered accommodation or en-suite vs. shared bathrooms. 

We have plenty of advice on student accommodation as does our sister site Whatuni. 

Results day and Clearing  

Results day in mid-August is a big step in your university journey. 

If you meet the conditions of your firm or insurance offer your place is confirmed, and universities will contact you with the next steps. 

If you don’t meet the conditions all is not lost! Many universities still accept students with slightly lower grades, or you can use Clearing to find a new course. 

Clearing opens in July, but most activity happens after results day, so be ready to act quickly. You can research potential Clearing options beforehand on our Clearing portal which opens at the beginning of July. You can use Uniselect to help you research universities in Clearing too. On the results day make sure to have the list of Clearing hotline numbers to call and have your UCAS login details and personal statement handy. 

Prepare for university life  

With your place confirmed, your finance in place and your accommodation book the final step is to get ready for the big move to university in September.  

Keep an eye on your inbox for invites from your uni for pre-arrival sessions or webinars offered by your university or information about events and activities throughout freshers week.  

You’ll need to organise your travel and packing and start working out a budget for student essentials, from study supplies to kitchen basics and travel. 

We have plenty of advice for before and after you start to get you going. 

Submitting your UCAS application is just the beginning of an exciting journey. By staying organized and proactive, you’ll be ready to handle whatever comes your way – from interviews to results day. Good luck, and here’s to starting your next adventure in September! 

For more advice on applying to university, check out our application timeline.