A-level results day 2025: what to expect

1. Preparing for A-level results day

Doing research before results day should help you be ready for any outcome, especially if you will be searching for an alternative place at university.

You can find a course through Clearing whether your grades are higher or lower than you thought they would be – or even if your grades are what you were expecting but you want change your current options.

You will need your grades, subjects and Clearing number which you will be given if you are rejected by your firm and insurance.

Many universities won’t release details until results day. Swanseajack1 | 2024 (from The Student Room)

To apply for a university place via Clearing, you'll need:

your Ucas ID number and log-in details.
your Ucas Clearing number – this will only be available on Ucas Hub if you're eligible for Clearing (like if you’ve been rejected by both your first and insurance choices)
Phone numbers for universities you’ve applied to or have your eye on – you can find university contact details for Clearing on The Student Room.
your personal statement – universities in Clearing could ask you about what you've written, so it's a good idea to refer back to it.

It's also worth revisiting other course options and practising mini-interview situations to prepare for a potential Clearing phone call.

You should check a university’s Clearing page for their opening hours.

You need to know your results and have access to your Ucas Hub showing you're in Clearing (and ideally have good signal, lots of charge on your phone and not too much noise in the background!).

Some universities are no longer accepting clearing enquiries over the phone and only accepting enquiries by web form. Pq | 2024 (from The Student Room)

Read more: the reality of Clearing, as told by students

2. What happens on A-level results day?

You can collect your results from your college, or you can arrange to receive them via email or post. Your school's opening and closing times will vary, so make sure you check in advance.

Ucas receives your results directly and will update your Ucas Hub around 8.15am. The system will be busy, so you might need to be patient to find out whether you’ve been successful.

While you can check Ucas Hub to find out whether you’ve secured your university place, you’ll still need your results to see exactly what grades you got – especially if you want to enter Clearing.

Ucas will open at 8am – in previous years it’s been a bit before this.

It won’t tell you your results (that comes from your school) but you will know if you have been accepted or not. Mcginger | 2024 (from The Student Room)

If Ucas Hub doesn't update

If your Hub hasn't updated by mid-morning on results day, you should phone the university as they might still be making a decision on your application.

If the university has a hotline number, it'll be listed on their website. If not, try calling their general help number and tell them you're an existing offer holder, rather than a Clearing applicant.

3. You’ve met your firm offer

Congratulations! Once your Ucas Hub status updates (this could take a few hours) you’ll be sent a confirmation from your firm choice.

Now you can start preparing for university.

4. You’ve just missed your predicted grades

You might be disappointed, but there's a chance you could still get an offer from your firm choice.

Check your Hub and see if your status has changed to ‘unconditional’ or if you’ve been offered a place on a different course at the same university. This is known as a ‘changed course offer’, which you’ll need to accept or decline.

You can decline your offer if you want to go into Clearing.

If you just missed out on your grades by a few marks or intend to appeal any grades, you may be able to ask your firm choice to reconsider if they haven’t accepted you.

If you miss your firm offer, and the university will not accept you

It's worth talking through your options with your school or college, but here are a few things you could do:

accept your insurance place
apply to different universities through Clearing
retake your A-levels
reapply next year

5. You’ve met your insurance offer

Well done! Wait for your confirmation email to arrive and think about sorting out accommodation at your new university.

At some point before you go, you’ll also need to change your student loan details – you might be entitled to slightly more in financial support depending on where you're now going to study.

6. Your grades are much lower than predicted

Before you panic, check Hub – you may still have an offer. If the university hasn't made a decision yet, phone them up.

Realising that neither your firm or insurance university will accept you can be hard, but you still have options.

If neither your firm nor insurance choice has offered you a place, you could decide to apply for a new course through Ucas Clearing – read our full guide to the process.
Or you could:

Retake your A-levels next summer and reapply for next year's entry to uni
Forget about uni for the moment and look for a traineeship, an apprenticeship or a job

"Remember, you can look through Clearing vacancies before results day," says Joe Woodcock, head of community at The Student Room. "Clearing opens in early July and a lot of the courses will be listed from then.

"When you're looking through Clearing, it can make sense to start with courses available at other universities you've already researched. That might be some of your other Ucas choices, or perhaps other unis you've visited on open days."

7. There’s always another option: don't go

If you don't want to rush into making a decision, you could take some time to reconsider your options.

Maybe you want to get some more work experience, retake your exams or defer your place for a year? A gap year could offer you some valuable time out to get yourself into a stronger position to apply next year.

"Once you know your grades, you know the exact courses where you meet the entry requirements," says Joe. "This can make applying to university a whole lot easier - and you could learn a lot during your year off too."

Results day, done. What happens now?

You've got your results and a university place sorted – nice one! Here's what else you need to tick off the checklist to make sure you're prepared for starting uni:

Sort out your accommodation Don't wait around as the best options usually get snatched up quickly. Here's our guide to finding accommodation in Clearing.
Get your finances in order It's a good idea to think about the expenses you need to factor into your budget and how to cut your costs at uni.
Research the area If you've gone through Clearing and you're heading to a different part of the country, take some time checking out your new home.

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A-level results day 2025: what to expect

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