UCAS Clearing 2025: All you need to know

If you are looking to study in the UK, you might have heard about clearing. Clearing is a service provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) in the UK to fill the available course seats.

What is UCAS?

UCAS is an independent organisation that helps students with their university admissions in the UK and provides information and advice related to higher education. Most, if not all, admissions to UK universities are made through UCAS, including those through Clearing. The Board of Trustees of UCAS comprises leaders from higher education institutions. If you are interested in some statistics on international students going to the UK, UCAS is the best place for it.

What is clearing?

Clearing is the process by which institutions in the UK fill the remaining seats for their courses after the regular admission cycles are over. Hence, it is your chance to secure a spot at a UK university if you missed the popular intakes. Universities will be focused on filling their seats through Clearing, and hence, there is a fair chance of successfully enrolling in one of those universities.

Some noteworthy stats about Clearing:

• Over 68,000 students enrolled in UK universities through Clearing in 2024.
• Of these, over 50,000 are international students from outside the UK. Source: UCAS Clearing Analysis 2024
• 4770 Indian students were accepted to UK universities through clearing in 2024. (Data from UCAS)
• Over 23,000 courses are available through Clearing.

Here’s a Clearing success story published by The Guardian.

How is clearing relevant to international students from India?

If you are an undergraduate student and dream of studying in the UK, but missed securing a spot, clearing might be your ticket to the UK. If you have applied through UCAS but have not received an offer or have declined all the offers you received, or if you failed to meet the admission requirements or delayed your application (precisely after June 30), chances are that clearing could help. It is not that you must accept the first offer that comes your way. You will still have the liberty to choose from the universities that are willing to make you an offer.

Clearing is also your opportunity to change the course that you initially applied for.

Key dates for Clearing 2025

• Clearing opened on 5 July 2025
• All applications sent after 30 June 2025 will be considered under Clearing
• Clearing is open till 20 October 2025.

Video on Clearing:

Clearing takes place from July to September, making it an ideal option for Indian students, as their 12th-grade results would be out by May. This gives students enough time to figure out whether they meet the conditions of the offers they have received.

You should consistently check the UCAS website, as the list of vacancies is continuously updated. It tends to fill fast, especially after the A-Level results are released in the UK. Research your universities and courses in advance, so that you can make swift decisions when the opportunity arises. Clearing operates on a first-come, first-served basis.

What is the fee for applying for clearing?

There is no separate fee for Clearing. If you made a UCAS application, you would have paid GBP 28.50 for 2025 entry, which covers the Clearing fee as well. For 2026 entry, the fee is GBP 28.95.

However, if you paid the reduced fee of GBP 22.50 to apply for 1 course only, you will have to pay an additional GBP 4.5 to apply through Clearing.

What are the steps to apply through Clearing?

1. The first step is to research universities and course options in the UK.
2. Once you find courses you like, explore the course curriculum to ensure that it meets your expectations and goals.
3. As an international student, get the documents in order so that you can submit your application through Clearing, without any delay.
4. Once the Clearing window opens, contact universities to ask about seat availability and your chances of receiving an offer.
5. Universities will make offers to you based on your profile. In most cases, there are unconditional offers.
6. Once you decide on the course and university that you would like to attend, provide the UCAS ID and Clearing number to the university.
7. Add your course and its details in the ‘Add Clearing Choice’ option in your UCAS login.
8. The university will accept your choice.
9. If you want to add a different choice, you will need to wait till the university accepts or declines your choice.
10. Once your choice is accepted, you are officially given a seat for pursuing the course at the chosen university.

To summarise: You should have a UCAS application to be able to apply for clearing. If you are eligible for clearing, your status in the Track section in UCAS will say 'You are in clearing' or something similar. You will also find a clearing number which you will have to quote while contacting the universities. The crucial parts of the process happen over the phone. The vacancies will be listed on the UCAS website. You can call up the universities for enquiries and check whether they are interested in giving you an offer.

UCAS Clearing Tips

• It is advisable that you have all the certificates and mark lists with you for ease of access when the university requests details over the phone.
• Some of these phone calls can even be considered a mini-interview. So be prepared for it. Sometimes, it can be very informal and as simple as confirming your grades and letting you know whether they are ready to give you an offer or not. Other times, the university will be keen on confirming that you are suitable for the course. They might also be interested in knowing why you selected that particular university.
• Talk in an enthusiastic and motivated tone. Do your research about the course, the university and the curriculum before the call. You should be able to convince the university that you are indeed interested in the course.
• A statement of purpose can come in handy.
• You might be given a deadline by a university to make a selection on UCAS if you are interested. Therefore, it is ideal that you contact several universities in one go.

What is new in UCAS Clearing 2025?

UCAS has a new clearing system called Clearing Matches. It is intended to simplify the whole process of clearing. In Clearing matches, instead of students going through the multiple courses and university lists to make a choice, the system will automatically match the student's profile to courses available through Clearing.

Students will not have to make calls to multiple universities to express their interest. It is available for students who have been unsuccessful with their application, or if you are applying for the first time for a place in clearing. This helps students who might be overwhelmed by the long list of available courses and universities.

FAQs

Can Indian international students apply through Clearing?

Yes, international students can apply through Clearing, just like domestic UK students.

How long are clearing applications accepted?

Clearing lasts for three to four months. This year, clearing applications were open from 5 July and are available until 20^th October 2025. Universities will continue to add course vacancies between 5 July and 14 August (A-level results day in the UK). Universities have time till 20^th October to process the applications and fill in the vacancies.

You can find more information on the UCAS webpage dedicated to clearing. There is also an FAQ page for you to find answers to questions that are not addressed in this article. Tens of thousands of students within the UK and abroad make use of clearing to secure their place at UK universities. All the best for your study abroad journey!