Making the final choice

Clearing and results day advice for teachers

Find Clearing and results day advice for teachers and careers advisers, including guidance on contacting universities and supporting your students.

CLEARING CLEARING FOR TEACHERS RESULTS DAY TEACHERS

Katie Lazell 16 Jul 2026

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What’s Clearing?
Key dates
When should students start thinking about Clearing?
Talking about Clearing with students
Supporting students on results day
Contacting universities

What’s Clearing?

Clearing is the process of matching students without a university place to universities with unfilled places. It gives students an opportunity to find their ideal course for the upcoming academic year, rather than waiting to apply in the next cycle.

Clearing is a common and useful way to help students get into university or college.

How does Clearing work?

In 2026, Clearing opens on 2 July and runs until 19 October.

From 2 July, Clearing vacancies will be available in our Clearing Hub. Students can search through what’s available, doing their research before results day. Vacancy information can also be found on university websites and UCAS Clearing.

Students can use Clearing course listings to identify suitable courses; they should then contact the relevant university to see if they’ll consider them. They don’t have to stick to the same subject they initially applied for.

In the UCAS Hub, after Clearing opens the student will see the option to add a Clearing choice if they are eligible.

They should only add a Clearing choice once they’ve been in touch with the university in question, and the uni has confirmed the student can add that course.

Once they add a Clearing choice, they can’t change this until they’ve heard back from the university in question. And if they are accepted, they are committed to that course.

Students can go through Clearing if they:

Apply after 6pm on 30 June.
Don’t hold any university offers when Clearing starts – either because they didn’t receive any or because they rejected any offer they got.
They didn’t achieve the grades needed to get into their firm (CF) or insurance (CI) university choice.
They change their mind about where they initially decided to go and decline their place, for example if they get better grades than expected.

This means students could enter Clearing at different points in the cycle.

If they already have their exam results (such as Scottish students with Highers), they can use Clearing from July.
On SQA results day, UCAS Hub will open at 9am, and eligible applicants can add a Clearing choice after 10am.
On A Level results day, UCAS Hub will open at 8am for students to access their decisions. Eligible applicants will be able to add a Clearing choice from 1pm.

If a student didn’t get a university offer after applying, they'll be released into Clearing.

On results day, students with near-miss grades may still be accepted at their firm or insurance choice. But if they aren’t accepted, they will also be released into Clearing.

Students who get the grades but decide they don’t want to keep their original offer can opt to decline their place to release themselves into Clearing. If they do this, they lose the place they have, so should only use the ‘decline my place’ button if they are completely sure. UCAS has made sure there are plenty of warnings to try and avoid accidental use of the ‘decline my place’ button!

READ MORE
What's a teacher's role in preparing students for Clearing?

Key dates

Clearing 2026 key dates and timeline

Key dates:

30 June 2026 (6pm) – applications after this enter Clearing
2 July 2026 – Clearing opens
4 August 2026 – SQA results day
13 August 2026 – A level results day
19 October 2026 – last day to add a Clearing choice

When should students start thinking about Clearing?

You can introduce the possibility of Clearing as soon as students begin looking at applying to university.

Some teachers talk about Clearing when their students are preparing their UCAS applications. Others do so after the application deadline, or when universities give students offers. Some teachers mention it as early as the beginning of Year 12.

It’s up to you to decide the best time to introduce the idea of Clearing. We suggest students get to know the different processes and options early on.

Talking about Clearing with students

Clearing can be a positive pathway rather than a last resort, and many students use it successfully each year.

In many schools and colleges, results day preparation includes sessions or workshops where students can ask questions and understand their options.

Even for students expecting to meet their offers, it helps to have a basic awareness of:

What Clearing is
What happens on results day
How plans might change quickly depending on grades

Looking at potential options in advance can also help. Universities may publish vacancies early, offer pre-registration, or be open to early conversations.

Students receiving results earlier (such as IB or Scottish Highers) may enter Clearing sooner, but with less time to prepare.

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Supporting students on results day

Students can access updated decisions in UCAS Hub from the morning of results day. But encourage them to go into school or college so that you’re there to give them Clearing support if necessary.

Recommend that they look at the Clearing course search if they don’t get the results they need. They can list alternative courses and universities that they’re interested in along with the university Clearing numbers to call.

Questions they should think about when selecting a new course:

What’s more important: the university or the course?
Which universities offer similar courses?
Does the university they want to go to have a different course they’re interested in?
Is university right for them now, or could they consider other options?

Look out for anyone who is finding it difficult. They may need a quiet space (online or in person) to talk about their options away from everyone else’s excitement.

Stay positive but also be realistic. There’s plenty of time to find the right thing for each person, whether that’s an alternative course, resitting exams, or taking a break and reapplying next year. Students must prioritise their wellbeing and not feel like they should accept the first offer they’re given.

We have plenty of Clearing information and advice on our website. Other places to find information include university websites and UCAS.

It’s also handy to look at our university league table and subject tables – our latest league tables are always published just before Clearing so university ranks may have changed.

You can also read Clearing success stories from a range of UK universities. These have real-life examples of students talking about their Clearing experience and how they secured their place at that university.

Contacting universities

Students must contact universities themselves to see if they’ll be offered a place; they can’t ask their parents or teacher to do this for them. Some universities may use online Clearing forms or live chat instead of phone calls.

If students have additional needs, they should mention it in their Clearing conversation so that support can be arranged.

As students may not be confident about making this kind of ‘official’ contact, you can help them prepare ahead of Clearing. For example, encourage them to practice Clearing interviews, and learn about the kind of questions a university might ask.

This will help them gain confidence and be able to show university staff they’re enthusiastic about the course.

You can use our article about preparing for a Clearing call for guidance.

The questions they’ll be asked could be about:

Their grades
Why they want to study the course
Why they want to study at the university
Their personal statement (make sure they re-read this before calling!)
Any career goals

They should also spend time considering what the uni has to offer (such as location or accommodation options) and note down any questions they want to ask about the university. This will help them gather enough information and decide if it’s what they’re after.

Before making the call, students will need their:

UCAS ID
Clearing number
Grades, UCAS points or equivalent
Personal statement
Pen and paper for making notes

University Clearing line numbers are available via our Clearing course search. Students can search by subject or university and click ‘CALL NOW’ to reveal the number.

Remind students that there are plenty of options. Nothing might happen straight away, so encourage them to stay calm while chasing responses and continue searching for opportunities.