Clearing 2026

Clearing is a period where universities fill the remaining places on their courses. It is an opportunity for people to apply late into the summer months to start university in September.

Applying through Clearing is ideal for those who have not been offered a place at their chosen universities, or are simply considering options outside of their original university selection.

Clearing is a popular option for prospective students who have reconsidered course and career paths since their initial university applications.

Clearing is a UCAS process that matches students without university offers to available course vacancies. It's typically used by those who didn't receive any offers, didn't meet the conditions of their offers, applied later, or wish to change their course or university choice. 

You can apply through Clearing if:

- you’re applying on and after 2 July
- you've previously applied but didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept) on UCAS
- you've previously applied but didn’t meet the conditions of your offers
- you’ve declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in UCAS Hub

Some of our courses, such as part-time routes and postgraduate courses, do not require you to apply through UCAS and adhere to the guidelines set by UCAS. However, we continue to recruit to these and you can either apply directly through our website or contact us through our Clearing channels.

Our Clearing support centre is open in early Clearing: 2nd July – 12th August 2026:
- Monday to Friday – 9am-5pm
- Saturdays - 10am-2pm

Our Clearing support centre will be open in Main Clearing:
- Thursday 13th August – 7am-11:59pm
- Friday 14th August – 12am – 11:59pm
- Saturday 15th August – 12am – 8am  then 9am-10pm
- Sunday 16th August – 10am-8pm
- Monday 17th – Friday 21st August – 9am – 8pm
- Saturday 22nd August – 10am-8pm
- Sunday 23rd August – 10am-8pm
- Monday 24th – Friday 28th August – 9am – 8pm

Our Clearing support centre is open in Late Clearing: 1st September - 19th October 2026:
- Monday to Friday – 9am-5pm

Clearing opens on 2 July and ends in early October. You can contact us here at the University of Wolverhampton by requesting a call to discuss applying through Clearing.

If you are currently studying for a Level 3 qualification, such as A-levels, you will likely receive your results on results day, which will be 13th August 2026. Once you have your results, you can call our university Clearing hotline. We offer extended phone line hours on results day, where you can contact us if your results are not as expected.

If you already have the results of your qualifications, you can contact us from 2 July.

If you have an offer at another university (conditional or unconditional) but you have changed your mind and would like to apply to us through Clearing, you can decline your place under UCAS Hub. We advise that you contact us regarding an informal offer before you do this.

Clearing is available to anyone who has applied to universities through UCAS Undergraduate but has not received any offers or any that they wish to accept. It is also available to anyone who has not yet applied.  

If you apply to us after 2 July (the last standard UCAS application deadline date) for an undergraduate course, you will apply through Clearing. If you have applied to us before 2 July but have not received any offers, then your UCAS Hub account will tell you if you are eligible for Clearing. 

Our list of available courses in Clearing will be published on our website and via the UCAS Clearing+ tool from 2 July. The University of Wolverhampton Clearing hotline will open on 2 July, where you’ll be able to find out the full details about available courses.

All other courses such as part-time or postgraduate courses will be listed and available via our course pages across our website. You can use our handy course finder to look for these.

You can still apply through Clearing if you haven’t applied through UCAS. Many of our courses can be applied for using our direct applications, including part-time routes and postgraduate courses. A direct application does not require that you to apply through UCAS, and you can either apply directly through our website or contact us through our Clearing channels. There are some courses, such as Nursing, for which you must apply through UCAS, so please see our course pages or contact us directly for more information.

If you don’t get the results you expected, then Clearing could be a perfect option for you! Don’t worry – there are many other people who are in the same situation.

When calling or chatting with our Clearing hotline, you’ll speak to a trained operator who will let you know if the course you are interested in applying for still has places available.

If it does, the operator will help you apply or put you in touch with someone from the right department who can give you more information.

If the course isn’t available, or if you don’t meet the entry criteria, the operator may recommend an alternative course, or the course you originally wanted plus a foundation year.

Being positive and deciding which courses you are interested in is a great start. If you make a list of universities, courses, and contact details, you’ll be ready to start calling as soon as the time comes.

Not at all. The Clearing period is a very busy time for universities across the country, and if you don’t get through to an advisor immediately, you’ll need to be patient while you wait. Don’t worry – it will be well worth your time, once you’ve signed up to your life-changing course!

You can still apply for University-run accommodation at the University of Wolverhampton if you've applied through Clearing.

Be proactive, and do some research as soon as you receive your offer – or even before.

Visit our University Accommodation page to learn more.

If you are applying for student finance for the first time, and you live in England, you will need to apply through the Student Loans Company via Student Finance England as soon as possible for a student loan to help cover tuition fees and living expenses. The initial deadline will have passed but your application will still be processed.

If you already applied for student finance, but have changed your course and/or university through Clearing, you will need to advise the Student Loans Company as soon as you have confirmed your choice.  It is important that the correct university and course are showing on your account. Details on how to make any changes can be found at Student Finance: how to apply: Change an application - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If you live in Wales then applications for funding are made through Student Finance Wales at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk, for Northern Ireland go to Student Finance NI at www.studentfinanceni.co.uk and for Scotland the Student Awards Agency 

If you have previously applied for a course to start this September and you were unsuccessful with your application you will be unable to reapply for the same course through Clearing. However, you will be able to apply for a different course that is available in clearing. 

You will not necessarily need to make a new clearing application. We have all your information and can transfer your application for you, so please contact our Clearing support team to discuss your options. 

You can apply for Clearing if you are not a UK resident. To learn more, you can contact the University of Wolverhampton’s Global Opportunities Office.

Yes, mature students (age 21 and above) can apply to university through Clearing. 

Yes, it is possible to apply to university without formal qualifications, especially if you are a mature student. We will look at your relevant experience and skills which you may have gained through work. We also offer a range of foundation programmes that do not require formal qualification, but you will need to pass a Prepare for Foundation assessment day. 

Clearing is a period where universities fill the remaining places on their courses. It is an opportunity for people to apply late into the summer months to start their university course in September. 

The first level of study in higher education. If you graduate from an undergraduate degree, you can move on to postgraduate study.

The second level of study in higher education. If you have already studied an undergraduate degree, postgraduate study is the next level of education you may take.

A foundation year at university is an additional year of study added to the beginning of your undergraduate degree, to help provide the academic skills a student will need to succeed in the course. It is especially useful for students who haven’t met the entry requirements for a course, who have not studied for a while, or want to change subject.

If you have applied to study a degree course with a foundation year at the University of Wolverhampton, then in many cases you will be invited to attend a Prepare for Foundation Assessment Day. This assessment day will help us assess if you are ready to start your programme and provide useful insights to make sure you are prepared to succeed on your course. 

A contextual offer is a degree offer that considers an applicant’s circumstances beyond their academic achievements, including their socio-economic and educational background. This kind of offer aims to promote fairer access to higher education. If you meet any of the contextual conditions, you may be approached by our Conversion and Admissions departments and offered the opportunity of a contextual interview. The aim of this interview is to assess whether an applicant can be given a conditional offer that requires fewer UCAS points, or potentially progress an application directly to an unconditional offer.

Clearing Plus is a tool where UCAS will suggest courses in Clearing you might be interested in, which you can select from the list of suggestions on your UCAS Hub. The university may then contact you if we still have vacancies and you meet the entry criteria.

To defer an offer is to request that the offer is changed to the next available intake. For example, this could mean that an offer for September would be changed to September the year after. However, for most undergraduate courses applied through UCAS, you must have met all conditions before a deferral request can be granted and processed.

Confirmation is where we as a university will be able to make a final decision on your application. For example, this can mean if you have a conditional offer based on grades, and when these are met we can give you an unconditional offer.

When you contact us, following discussion around your qualification we may offer you a place verbally/through social media, but until you add us as your Clearing choice on UCAS Hub, this offer is not confirmed. This gives you the opportunity to research the course further first.

If you have an offer but then change your mind, you can self-release yourself into Clearing. We recommend that you contact us to ensure we are happy to offer you an informal offer first, before you risk losing your firm offer.

UCAS is an abbreviation for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. They offer different services to allow you to apply for undergraduate degrees, amongst other services.

UCAS Hub is an online tracking system which allows you to see how your application is progressing. This is the online platform where you can reply to offers and make amendments. 

UCAS Tariff points are a way to convert your post-16 qualifications (like A-Levels, BTECs, etc) into a single numerical value score. Universities use UCAS Tariff points to assess and compare applications, helping them to determine which applicants to offer a place on their courses.