Confirmation and Clearing: The essentials

Students' options throughout Confirmation and Clearing

Below is a quick summary of the different options available to students throughout Confirmation and Clearing. 

New to Confirmation and Clearing?

We've worked with three advisers to give you an overview of the Confirmation and Clearing period, with top tips and advice on what to expect and how you can best help your students. 

Confirmation

• Confirmation of university and college places mostly happens following the release of summer results.
• Applicants will receive details of what they need to do, and when, through their application, or directly from their university or college.
• Confirmation decisions and the CU12 Confirmation letter for UCAS Conservatoires applicants are shown in their application.

While universities and colleges receive grades and make their decisions, we enter into an embargo period.

What is the embargo?

Each year, UCAS and universities and colleges are given early access to results under strict embargo arrangements with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

An embargo period covers the defined period of time where early access to embargoed results is given. This allows universities and colleges to prepare and make decisions by the official publication dates of results. 

Centres may also receive results from awarding organisations prior to the publication dates. In many cases these will be issued under a separate embargo between the awarding organisation and the centre which must also be upheld. 

The SQA and Level 3 (JCQ) results embargo periods for 2025 are:

• 28 July 18:00 – 5 August 09:00
• 8 August 08:00 – 14 August 08:00

Times TBC.

During the results embargo periods:

• Applications will not be updated.
• Universities and colleges cannot discuss an applicant’s individual status with them, or with an adviser.

Understanding the embargo

JCQ sets strict controls when giving UCAS privileged early access to results. These extend to universities and colleges who receive results before 14 August and also to all adviser portal users who will have early sight of applicant statuses. If you access the adviser portal before 08:00 (UK time) on 14 August you must keep to this embargo arrangement. 

In the staff management section of the adviser portal, please review who has permission to view offers and decisions at your school or centre. It is important that anyone who can access this embargoed information is aware of the serious implications of breaching the embargo. 

• If you go straight to the Tracking offers and decisions section for 2025 you'll see the different confirmation decisions for your students.
• This status list will help you know the next steps for your students.
• Students will be able to access their applications from 08:00 (UK time) on Level 3 (JCQ) results day.
• Students will be able to add a Clearing choice from 13:00 (UK time).

Supporting your students on results day

SQA results day – 5 August

On 5 August SQA results day, the adviser portal will open and your students will be able to access their application. Adviser portal opening times will be confirmed in May.

• If you go straight to the Tracking offers and decisions section for 2025 you'll see the different Confirmation decisions.
• This status list will help you know the next steps for your students.
• Students will be able to add a Clearing choice from 10:00 (UK time).

Level 3 (JCQ) results day – 14 August

The adviser portal will open on 14 August to allow you to check the status of your applicants and identify those who may need your support. Adviser portal opening times will be confirmed in May.

You must not, under any circumstances, disclose the details relating to exam results, application status or mention anything which could be used to infer that information to applicants, parents, guardians, universities and colleges, or with any of your colleagues, who don’t have access to this information through the adviser portal, until the embargo has lifted at 08:00 (UK time) on Level 3 (JCQ) results day. 

Videos for your students

We've created some engaging animated videos that you can share with your students to help them understand the results day and Clearing processes. 

Different Confirmation decisions

There are many decisions universities and colleges can make:

Conditions of offer have been met

Applicants who have met the conditions of their firm choice will be placed there (UF). Their application will display confirmation and advise the applicant if they need to take any further action.

Applicants who are placed at their insurance choice (UI) or firm choice (UF) are shown in the adviser portal under the ‘Final Place Accepted’ status. Use the filters ‘placed – Firm’ and ‘placed - Insurance’ or use the ‘Search for Applicant’ feature and choose this status to show you a list of those applicants.

Conditions of offer have been met and exceeded

If the applicant’s exam results turn out better than expected and they not only meet but exceed the conditions of their conditional firm offer, they can decline their place and apply through Clearing. If they use Clearing Plus, they will be signposted to relevant universities with spaces whose entry requirements match their results

Conditions of offer have not been met

Applicants who have not met the conditions of their offer:

• may still be accepted by the university or college and may need to wait a few days for them to make a final decision. The university or college may be waiting for some information (confirmation of exam results, non-academic information, etc.) to make a final decision
• may be given a change of course, date of entry, or point of entry offer, which will be shown in their application. Applicants are not obliged to accept this, but must accept or decline the change within five calendar days

Unsuccessful applicants

Applicants who have been unsuccessful will be in Clearing.

Applicants can use Clearing Plus to view a list of courses they've personally been matched to in their application by clicking the 'My matches' button – alongside our search tool, with official Clearing vacancy listings.

Commitments during Confirmation

Applicants are expected to honour their Confirmation commitments.

However, should an applicant find they no longer wish to take up their confirmed place, they need to contact the university or college to either withdraw from the UCAS application system completely, or release themselves into Clearing using the ‘Decline my place’ button in their application. When they do this, they’ll be asked why they’ve changed their mind.

Clearing

If your student doesn’t get the grades they hoped for and their places are not confirmed, they can try to find another course through Clearing.

The Clearing process runs from 5 July, and helps students without a confirmed place, and those who apply late, to find courses where there are still places available.

Applicants become eligible for Clearing at different times, and it is available for those who:

• apply after 30 June 2025
• haven’t received any offers
• declined any offers they received

How do applicants use Clearing?

From 5 July, if an applicant is eligible, they can add a Clearing choice in their application.

• Applicants do not need to contact us to request entry into Clearing.
• Applicants should wait until they have any pending exam results before contacting universities and colleges about possible vacancies.
• Applicants should regularly check the status of their application to find out if they are eligible for Clearing.

Eligible applicants will be able to add choices from:

• 10:00 on SQA results day (UK time)
• 13:00 on Level 3 (JCQ) results day (UK time)

Applicants who have conditional firm (CF) and conditional insurance (CI) choices aren’t eligible for Clearing until both the CF and CI universities/colleges have confirmed they will not offer places. Applicants sometimes know informally that they have been unsuccessful before we receive the official decision. In these circumstances, they should allow a little time for the decision to be processed. If there’s a significant delay, they should contact the universities or colleges directly to discuss this.

Searching for courses

Official Clearing course vacancy information is only published by UCAS in our search tool from 5 July. 

When an applicant finds a course they’re interested in, they should talk to the uni or college – if they share their Clearing number the provider can look up their application. If they then secure a verbal offer, the applicant can then add the choice in their application.

More information is available on our Clearing page.

There are two ways for students to find places.

Clearing Plus

With Clearing Plus, finding the right match has never been easier:

• Applicants in Clearing can view a list of courses they've personally been matched to in their application – all they need to do is click the 'View matches' button.
• Applicants can browse from a list of courses they’ve been matched to based on their application and the students universities and colleges have told us they're looking for.
• Applicants can find a course they want to be considered for, they should click the 'I'm interested' button and their details will be passed to the university or college.
• Applicants can make up to five expressions of interest at any one time. If the university or college still has places, they may reach out to discuss things further and make an offer.
• If applicants receive an offer, all that's left to do is to add it as a Clearing choice in their application so their place can be confirmed.

Decline my place

Last year over 37,000 applicants used the functionality to withdraw from their confirmed place and use the ‘decline my place’ button to release themselves into Clearing – saving time and giving them direct control over their application.

This is available for all placed applicants – and we'll again be capturing the reasons to provide greater insight.

In case you need it, here’s a recap on how it works:

• Applicants click the ‘Decline my place’ button in their application.
• They’re taken to a page which explains what they’re about to do, and a drop-down question which they must complete – this is where we’ll capture their reason for releasing – before confirming.
• The applicant will then receive a notification to confirm they’re in Clearing, and advising them to phone the university or college they declined if they’ve made a mistake.

As in previous years, if applicants want to stay at the same university or college but swap the course they’re studying, they should contact the university of college as they may be able to arrange the swap without declining their place.

The options presented to an applicant after clicking ‘decline my place’ are:

The ‘decline my place’ reasons are:  

• I have changed my mind, and no longer want to attend my current course and university.
• I have received an alternative offer elsewhere, and I prefer the content of the other course. 
• I have received an alternative offer elsewhere, and I prefer the alternative university or college. 
• I have received an alternative offer elsewhere and have been offered a scholarship. 
• I am unable to secure accommodation. 
• I am unable/I do not want to relocate.
• I am unable to pay the fees required to study here.