UCAS Extra
If you applied for 5 courses on your UCAS application and didn’t manage to secure any offers, or turned down all the ones you received, you have a second chance to apply for a place, using UCAS Extra. This service begins at the end of February and runs until the end of June.
With UCAS Extra, you can only apply for one course at a time, using the UCAS Track tool.
If you have declined all of your offers, and add a choice through UCAS Extra, you will not be able to accept any of your original choices later.
The UCAS Track tool allows you keep up to date with the progress of your application online. If you become eligible for UCAS Extra, a button will appear on your Track screen, which you can then use to apply for a course.
Finding a course
You can search for courses using the Course Search tool on the UCAS website. This will tell you which courses still have vacancies – an 'x' will be displayed next to any course with places still available.
It’s worth contacting the university or college before making your application, to make sure you have the right entry requirements and therefore will actually be considered for a place.
You should also check whether there is an Entry Profile for the course, as this might provide some information on what the institution looks for in its students. This will give an idea of whether you are likely to be offered a place or not.
Once you have decided on the course you would like to apply for, enter the details into the Track system, and UCAS will send your application to the institution.
It’s important you research courses thoroughly before applying through Extra – if you did not receive any offers from your original 5 applications, you may want to consider applying for a related subject, or something different altogether.
After you’ve applied through UCAS Extra
If you are offered a place and accept it, this means you are committed to that institution and you cannot apply anywhere else. Track will give you a date by which you need to reply to the offer.
If you decide to turn the offer down, or the university/college turns you down, you can apply for a different course through UCAS Extra, providing there is still enough time.
You can also apply for another choice if you haven't received a decision from your Extra choice within 3 weeks of applying to them.
If you don’t get any offers through UCAS Extra, don’t panic! There is always the Clearing process, which gives you another opportunity to apply for courses after you’ve received your examination results.
