How Clearing actually works
Clearing is a phone process with an online confirmation step at the end — not an online application. Understanding that order is most of the battle.
Most guides describe Clearing as though it were a form you fill in. It is not. Universities decide over the phone, and the UCAS Hub only records the decision afterwards. Six steps, in this order:
- 01
Check your status in the UCAS Hub
On results day your Hub updates before you have spoken to anyone. It will either confirm a place, or tell you that you are in Clearing and show your Clearing number. Read it carefully — sometimes a university accepts you despite a dropped grade, or offers you a different course at the same institution.
- 02
Build a shortlist before you dial
Write down five to ten courses you would genuinely accept, with the university's Clearing phone number next to each. Order them by preference. This is the single biggest difference between a calm results day and a panicked one — the students who struggle are the ones searching and calling at the same time.
- 03
Phone the universities yourself
Call in your order of preference. Have your UCAS ID, Clearing number and full results in front of you, including GCSEs. Universities generally need to speak to the applicant rather than a parent. Expect a short interview about why you want the course — treat it as one.
- 04
Collect verbal offers
A university that wants you will make a verbal offer on the phone. Nothing is binding at this point, and you are allowed to hold several verbal offers at once while you decide. Ask each one how long they will hold it for.
- 05
Add one Clearing choice in the Hub
Once you have decided, enter that university as your Clearing choice. You can only hold one at a time. The university then confirms — or, occasionally, declines, in which case you can add another. On A-level results day the Hub does not accept Clearing choices until 1pm, even though grades appear at 8am.
- 06
Sort accommodation immediately
Once your place is confirmed, contact the accommodation office the same day. Clearing students are usually still eligible for university halls, but rooms go quickly and this is the part people forget in the relief of having a place.
What universities ask on the call
The call is short — often under ten minutes — and usually covers your grades subject by subject, why you want that course, and whether you have any relevant experience. They are checking that you understand what you are applying for. A one-line answer to “why this course?” is the thing most likely to lose you an offer.
Where people go wrong
- Letting a parent make the call. Most admissions teams will ask to speak to the applicant and you lose your place in the queue.
- Ruling themselves out. Clearing entry requirements are frequently below the published standard offer. Ask, rather than assuming.
- Accepting the first offer out of relief, before calling the two universities they actually wanted.
- Forgetting accommodation until the following week.
Common questions
What is a Clearing number?
A Clearing number is the reference the UCAS Hub gives you once you are eligible for Clearing. Universities ask for it, along with your UCAS Personal ID, when you call. It appears in your Hub automatically — you do not have to request it.
Can I hold more than one Clearing offer?
You can hold as many verbal offers as you can collect over the phone, but you can only enter one Clearing choice in the UCAS Hub at a time. If that university declines you, you are free to add another.
How long does a university hold a Clearing offer?
It varies and it is not formally guaranteed — usually anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. Ask directly on the call, and do not assume an offer will still be there tomorrow during the results-day rush.
Clearing 2026 — live
Find the universities worth calling
Search all 140 UK universities by subject, region and entry requirements — or ask our adviser what your grades could get you.