Ucas Extra explained

What is Ucas Extra?

Ucas Extra is the official process for those who've not received any university offers, or for those who've declined the offers they have received. Consider it a second chance at getting a university offer.

When is Ucas Extra?

Ucas Extra runs from 23 February to 4 July for applicants who made five initial choices, so you've got plenty of time to get involved. If you don't have any offers after 4 July you can go through Clearing – find out more about Clearing here. 

Who's eligible for Ucas Extra?

You'll be eligible for Extra if:

• You've used all five of your choices but hold no offers.
• You've changed your mind about your choices, and have declined any offers you received. 

If you didn't use all five of your choices when you first sent off your application, you don't have to go through Extra as long as you have not accepted any offers or been declined by your choices. Just add another choice in Ucas Hub before 30 June and make sure you don't accept or decline any offers before you do so. 

Remember that if you decline your offers and add an Extra choice, you won't be able to accept any of your original choices later.

How many choices can I make for Extra?

You can only make one choice at a time. If you don't get an offer, or if you don't want to take up that offer, you can apply to a further choice as long as you do so by 4 July.

You can make multiple choices before the deadline, but you can only choose one at a time and once you've declined an offer, you can't retrieve it. Once you add a choice, this can't be changed until 21 days have passed.

Remember, if you apply through Extra, you will only have a firm choice and no insurance. So make sure you're certain that any choice you make is achievable, as you won't have an automatic back-up if you miss the grades. 

Ucas Extra checklist

Choose your course carefully

You can only apply for one choice through Extra at a time, so don’t rush into applying for the first course that you’re interested in – take some time to find out more about the course and the university.

Our course pages and university profiles contain lots of information to help you find one that suits you, including full descriptions of the course content and modules, what students think, typical employment outcomes and more.

If you were unsuccessful with your original choices, think about why this might be.

For instance, if you applied to courses with higher entry requirements than you’re predicted, you may want to consider applying for a course with requirements closer to or matching your expected grades. If you've applied to high-demand courses, you could increase your options by widening which universities and locations you'd consider, or look into joint or combined degrees covering two or more subjects.

How to apply through Ucas Extra 

These are the steps you'll need to follow to make an application through Extra: 

• Find a course you're interested in.
• Contact the university or college directly to make sure that it will consider you and to ask any questions you might have. 
• Once you have confirmation from your uni of choice that they will consider you, apply for the new course in Ucas Hub.
• Wait for the uni or college to consider your application. After 21 days, you can choose to continue waiting for a decision or replace your choice with another through Extra.

Be aware that when you apply to a university or college in Extra, they can see your initial five choices.

Also, you can't change your personal statement in your Hub, which they can also see. So if you've decided to apply for a completely different course, it's a good idea to let your preferred university or college know that you've changed your mind about the course you want to do and offer to send them an updated personal statement directly. 

What next?

‘I’ve got an offer’

Great news! You'll need to reply to it by the date shown in Ucas Hub. If you accept it you won’t be able to apply anywhere else, so make sure you’re happy with your decision.
 

‘I’ve been unsuccessful’

If you decline an offer or your application is unsuccessful, you can still apply for another course through Extra (time permitting).
 

‘I haven’t heard anything’

If you haven’t received a decision from the university or college within 21 days of applying through Extra, you can apply for a different course.

If you don't manage to find anything through Extra, don't panic – there are still university places available during the Clearing process, which opens 5 July. 

• Read more: can I change my choices when applying to university?