Choosing the right university course is a big decision. Ucas and universities understand this, and they can be flexible if you change your mind at some point.
But it's important to act quickly – and you'll need to be clear with what you want to do instead.
Can I change my Ucas choices?
Once you've made your five university choices, you'll receive confirmation from Ucas. If any of the details are incorrect, you'll need to contact Ucas straight away.
To change courses within a university, you can speak to the university directly. There are no guarantees, but if they agree they'll let Ucas know – and then your Ucas Hub will be updated.
To change a university, you must act within 14 days of getting your Ucas confirmation email. After this, you can only change your choices under exceptional circumstances – like a family issue.
If you're making multiple changes, spend time thinking about your options. You could consider a gap year to give yourself more time to think things through.
Can I swap over my firm and insurance choices?
It's possible to swap your firm and insurance choices after responding to your offers - but this does depend on the timing.
If you accepted your offers within the last 14 days, you can contact an adviser at Ucas to make this change.
After those two weeks, it becomes a bit more complicated. It might be possible, but there are no guarantees. You'll need to contact both of the universities about swapping your offers and then call Ucas afterwards to confirm.
And there's a deadline for swapping your replies, after which you can't make changes. This is in late July: check the Ucas website to find the exact date for this year.
Can I decline my firm choice?
This one depends on whether your firm choice is a conditional offer or unconditional.
If you have a firm conditional place, you can call Ucas to see if it's possible to change your choice.
If you have a firm unconditional place, you can release yourself into Clearing from 5 July. You'll need to use the ‘decline your place’ button in your Ucas application. Remember, if you choose this option you will lose the place you currently have at that university - so make sure it's what you definitely want to do.
Can I cancel my Ucas application?
You can completely withdraw your uni application. If you've not yet accepted any offers, this is straightforward. You just need to sign in to your Ucas Hub account and withdraw your application online. If you cancel within 14 days of submitting your application, you can get a refund on your Ucas fee. You can use the application cancellation request form on the Ucas website.
If you've accepted offers from your university application process, there's a little bit more to do. You'll just need to phone up either Ucas or the universities that have offered you a place, and ask for your application to be withdrawn.
Can I change courses once at university?
It's not always that easy to change courses once you've started university – this really depends on the course you've chosen and the university you're attending.
But just because it may not be straightforward doesn't mean it can't be done. This article takes a look at how easy it is to switch courses once you're at university.
