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CONTENTS

1. Not holding any university offers

2. What is UCAS Extra?

3. Find a course through Clearing

4. Take a gap year?

5. Alternative routes to a degree

Not holding any university offers

There are several reasons why you might find yourself without any university offers. Perhaps you weren’t accepted by the five universities you applied to, or you might have missed a deadline or declined the offers you received. If this is the case and you’d still like to go to university this year, UCAS Extra or Clearing might be worth exploring. 

What is UCAS Extra?

UCAS Extra is another opportunity to get a place at university. If you’ve used all five of your choices in your original application and have no offers, you can add another choice. This service is available between 26 February and 4 July 2025.

How does UCAS Extra work?

If you are eligible to use UCAS Extra, the first step is to find a course you want to apply for. Our course search tool can help here. You’ll also need to contact the institution directly to check they’ll consider you. Once you’ve established this you can add the details of the new course to your application. You will then need to wait to see if you receive an offer. It’s worth noting that if you use UCAS Extra, it isn’t possible to have an insurance choice in this scenario. 

What if I did not use all my choices in my first application?

If you didn’t use up all five of your choices originally, you don’t need to use UCAS Extra. Instead, sign into your UCAS account and add another choice in the usual way providing you haven’t accepted or declined any offers already. But you can only do this until 30 June. 

Do you have to pay for UCAS Extra?

UCAS Extra is a free additional service included in your normal UCAS application fee. 

How many times can you use UCAS Extra?

You can use UCAS Extra multiple times, but you can only select one new choice at a time. If you receive an offer from your new institution, you must either accept it as your firm offer or decline it. If you decide to decline, you can then add another option providing it’s not after 4 July. 

Find a course through Clearing 2025

From 5 July, you’ll be able to add additional choices using Clearing instead of UCAS Extra. 

Clearing is a second chance for students to get a place at university, by matching those that want a university place to universities with unfilled places.

Discover more about the Clearing process in our handy step by step guide.

See the 2025 Clearing dates for every step in your journey finding a course through Clearing.

Take a gap year?

A gap year might be worth considering especially if you didn’t get the offers you wanted or you’re not sure university is for you. There are pros and cons to this idea. Taking time out can help you reflect and refocus on what you want without feeling rushed and you can use the time to develop important life skills and work experience. However, it can be expensive, and you’ll be responsible for creating your own timetable so it’s important to plan. 

Our gap year vs Clearing article is worth a read.

Alternative routes to a degree

It’s important to remember that there are alternative routes into many careers. If you prefer learning in a more practical way, an apprenticeship might be worth exploring. If you are having second thoughts on your course choices, perhaps some work experience in different environments would help? 

Our how to become series of articles cover alternative routes into a wide range of professions from acting to nursing to business to name but a few.