Clearing Plus and Decline My Place: How They Work

Clearing Plus is UCAS's matching tool for students in Clearing. Once you're eligible, a button in your application shows your top 50 course matches, based on your application and grades. Clicking "I'm interested" passes your details to that university, which may then contact you. It isn't an offer, and a call isn't guaranteed.

If you're reading this in August with results in your hand, take a breath. Clearing Plus is there to make the search shorter, and you don't have to work it all out at once. This guide covers how the matches work, what to do with them, and the one button you should think very hard about before pressing: "Decline my place".

What is Clearing Plus?

Clearing Plus is the part of Clearing where UCAS does some of the searching for you. Rather than scrolling through every vacancy, you see a list of courses UCAS thinks suit you, and you can flag the ones you like.

You'll see two names for it, and they mean the same thing:

UCAS's "What is Clearing?" page says that if you're matched, you'll get a button in your application that "will take you to your top 50 course matches".

Who gets Clearing matches?

You get matches once you're in Clearing. UCAS lists four ways to end up there:

• you're applying after 30 June
• you didn't receive any offers, or none you wanted to accept
• you didn't meet the conditions of your offers
• you've declined your firm place using the "Decline my place" button

For 2027 entry, UCAS's dates page says Clearing opens on 2 July 2027, and the last date to add a Clearing choice is 18 October 2027.

If you're applying for the first time in Clearing, you're still included. UCAS says: "If you're a new applicant and haven't submitted any choices, you'll still be matched in Clearing Plus."

How does UCAS choose your Clearing matches?

UCAS explains its matching in four steps:

1. It looks at the courses you originally applied for, along with your qualifications and grades.
2. Universities tell UCAS which courses they want to make available in matching, and the entry requirements for each. UCAS says "only relevant courses are included in your matches".
3. It looks at what students in Clearing went on to study in previous years.
4. It matches your profile to each course.

So your matches are a starting point shaped by what you first applied for. If your plans have changed, say you applied for history but now fancy politics, you can still search the full list of Clearing vacancies yourself. Matches don't stop you looking elsewhere.

Before you start, it helps to know what your grades are worth. Our UCAS points calculator gives you your total in a minute, and our guide to UCAS points for Clearing explains how universities use points at this stage.

How do you use Clearing Plus, step by step?

1. Open your matches. Sign in to your UCAS application and select the matches button.
2. Read the course details properly. Check the location, course content and entry requirements, just as you would have in the autumn.
3. Click "I'm interested" on the ones you'd genuinely consider. UCAS's 2026 adviser guidance says your details are then passed to the university or college.
4. Keep your phone close and check your email. If the university still has places, it may get in touch.
5. Call universities yourself too. Matching works alongside the normal Clearing route, not instead of it.
6. Add your Clearing choice only once a university says yes. More on this below.

What happens after you click "I'm interested"?

Clicking "I'm interested" is like putting your hand up. It tells the university you'd like to be considered, and nothing more. UCAS's matches page is honest about this: "If there are still places available, the uni may contact you," and "you may not always receive a call".

If a university does contact you and wants to offer you a place, the next steps are the same as anywhere in Clearing. UCAS's "What is Clearing?" page says you need to:

1. give the university your Clearing number and Personal ID so it can look you up
2. get its permission before you add the course
3. click "Add Clearing choice" and fill in the course details by the date the university gives you

You can only add one Clearing choice at a time. Adding it counts as accepting the offer, so be sure before you do. If the university doesn't confirm your place, UCAS says "you'll be able to add another".

Waiting to hear back is the hardest part. While you wait, keep phoning other universities on your list. Making calls yourself keeps things moving while you wait for theirs.

What is "Decline my place", and when should you use it?

"Decline my place" is a button in your UCAS application that releases you from the place you're holding and puts you into Clearing. UCAS's page on declining your firm place says: "From 2 July, if you are holding an unconditional firm place, you can release yourself into Clearing, by using the 'Decline my place' button in your application."

UCAS's adviser guidance describes it as being for applicants "who have changed their mind", and says students whose results exceed a conditional firm offer can decline their place and apply through Clearing.

Three things to know before you go near it:

• You only use it if you truly don't want your firm place. UCAS's words: "You should only use this button if you no longer wish to take up your place at your firm choice."
• Line up the new place first. Talk to the university you want to move to and get a clear yes, then decline. Never decline on the strength of a "probably".
• If you press it by mistake, UCAS says to phone the university "as soon as possible", but "your place may have been offered to another applicant".

Holding a conditional firm place that hasn't been confirmed yet? The button is for unconditional firm places. For 2026 entry, UCAS said applicants whose conditional firm hadn't been confirmed could contact it between 08:00 on Thursday 13 August and 2 September to ask to be released into Clearing. The 2027 dates haven't been published yet, so check UCAS's page nearer the time.

When you release yourself, UCAS asks you to pick a reason from a drop-down list. Once you're in Clearing, your matches work just as described above.

Is Clearing Plus the same as UCAS Adjustment?

No. Adjustment was a separate UCAS service that let students who beat their offer look around while keeping their place safe. UCAS removed it for 2022 entry, and it hasn't come back. Our guide to UCAS Adjustment and what replaced it covers the full story.

The practical difference is the safety net. With Adjustment, your original place stayed yours if nothing better came up. With "Decline my place" and Clearing Plus, you give up your firm and insurance places first. That's why the order matters so much: new place agreed, then decline, then add your Clearing choice.

What should you do next?

If you're holding a place you're happy with, you don't need Clearing Plus at all. Enjoy it. If you're in Clearing, open your matches, flag the courses you'd genuinely take, and pick up the phone as well.

These guides help with the next step:

• How UCAS Clearing works, from results day to your new place
• Firm vs insurance choices, if you're weighing up what you hold now
• What to do if you missed your grades, for a calm plan on results day

Check your UCAS points before you call