What is UCAS Extra? Everything You Need to Know

Applied to university with all five of your choices, but haven’t received any offers or have declined all your options?

Don’t panic – UCAS Extra offers another opportunity to secure a university place before Clearing opens. It’s free, easy to use, and, good news, it’s open from now until 1 July 2026, so you’ve got plenty of time to learn all about it.

So, what is UCAS Extra?

In short, UCAS Extra gives students who have used all five of their original choices and are not currently holding any offers another chance at finding the right course. It opened on 26 February and runs until 1 July 2026, just before Clearing opens.

Students in Bishop Palace Gardens

Who can use UCAS Extra?

You can use UCAS Extra if all of the following apply:

You have used all five of your UCAS choices
You’ve received decisions from all of those choices
You are not holding any offers (either because you were unsuccessful or declined any offers you received)

How does it work?

Applying through UCAS Extra is simple; all you need to do is:

Find a course with vacancies – use UCAS’s course search tool to find courses still accepting applications.
Add your Extra choice in your UCAS Hub – if you’re eligible, the “Add Extra Choice” option will appear in your application.
Wait for a decision.
If you receive an offer, reply to it using Track.
If you accept the offer, it’s yours, subject to any required conditions.
If you receive an offer but don’t want to accept it, you can decline it in Track, then use UCAS Extra again.
If you’re not offered a place, you can try again until 1 July.

You can repeat the process as many times as you like during the UCAS Extra window, but only one choice can be active at a time.

What if I miss the UCAS Extra deadline?

UCAS Extra will only be available until 1 July. If you still want to apply to a university after that date, you will automatically be entered into Clearing.

Students outside Chichester cathedral

Key things to remember:

You can only use UCAS Extra if you do not currently hold any offers. This applies whether you were unsuccessful or declined all your offers.
You can only apply to one course at a time. You can submit multiple Extra choices over time, but only one active application is allowed at any point.
Only courses with available spaces will appear in UCAS Extra. Not all universities or courses participate (Spoiler alert… we do!), so availability can vary.
You can’t update your personal statement within UCAS during Extra. If you’re applying for a different subject, you’ll need to send any revised statement directly to the university.
If a university hasn’t responded within 21 days, you can choose to keep waiting or replace your Extra choice with a new one.
Accepting an offer through UCAS Extra makes it your firm choice. This means you won’t be able to enter Clearing unless you later fail to meet the conditions of the offer.

Thinking about UCAS Extra? Consider Chichester

If you’re exploring UCAS Extra, now is the perfect time to discover Chichester. We’re proud to offer a range of courses with spaces available throughout the period – whether you’re reconsidering your original choices or looking for a fresh opportunity.

Our Admissions Team is ready and waiting to answer your questions and help you take the next step with confidence.