A-level results day 2025 is on Thursday 14 August. Get ready for every possible scenario
By Nik Taylor (Editor, The Uni Guide) | 27 June 2025 | 7 minutes read
When is A-level results day 2025?
A-level results day is on Thursday 14 August 2025 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
In Scotland, SQA results are due to be released to students on Tuesday 5 August 2025.
You can pick your results up anytime from 8am, or whenever your school or college opens on the day.
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)
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)
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)
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.
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4. You’ve just missed the grades you needed for your university offer
Not getting the grades you wanted is always going to be disappointing, but it might not mean you miss out on your uni place.
If you've only narrowly missed the offer conditions for your firm choice, you might find they still confirm your place anyway. Check your Hub: if your status has changed to ‘unconditional’ then you're in!
Alternatively, you might get 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 missed the grades you needed by only a few marks you might decide to get a review of marking. If you do this, be sure to let your firm (and insurance) choices know, so you can find out where you stand if your grades improve.
Plus, of course, even if you have missed your firm offer, you might still make your insurance (more on this below).
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:
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 what you needed for your uni offers
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:
