Exam results and Clearing

Before exam results day

Before you receive your exam results, there are a few steps you can take to make sure you are prepared. 💻📖🖊️

• have your UCAS log in details ready.
• if you have an offer accepted, have another look at the details of the course to make sure it is the right course for you.
• If you haven’t got a firm offer or want to explore other options, you can search for courses which are available through Clearing or you can use the Clearing Plus tool to be matched to courses through UCAS.

How do I get my results?

You can collect your results when your school or college opens on the day. Contact your school or college to find out their opening times.

Make sure you are available on exam results day so you can get any support you may need from your teachers and school staff.

What will the UCAS hub show on results day?

Your exam results are sent directly to UCAS from the awarding organisations and UCAS send your exam results on to your choices.

On UCAS Track, you will be able to see if you have been accepted onto your chosen course or not. You will not be able to see what grades you have achieved.

If your Hub has not updated by mid-morning, you will need to contact the university or college so you can speak to them about your offer and your exam results.

See further information about the UCAS results sharing process.

You may have lots of questions once you have received your results. Read on for information about what to do next.

I received the grades I needed for my chosen course

UCAS will let you know when your place is confirmed and your chosen university or college will send the details of what you need to do next.

I received better grades than I expected

If you already had an offer which you accepted and you still want to begin the course, you can check your Hub to see when your offer is confirmed. Your chosen university or college will then send the details of what you need to do next. 

If you had another course, university or college in mind which required higher grades, you could check Clearing to see if the course is available. 

If you are unsure about what you want to do, you can phone the exam results phone line to chat to an adviser to discuss the different options available to make sure you make the right decision for you.

See our ‘Clearing’ section below for further information. 

What if I didn’t get the grades I needed?

If you didn't get the grades you needed, there are a few situations which might happen:

• the university or college might accept you anyway.
• you might get a place on either your firm or insurance choice.
• you might be offered an alternative by the university or college which is called a 'changed course offer' which you will need to accept or decline.
• you might not get a place, but you can search through Clearing to see what courses still have vacancies.

If you didn’t get the grades you needed for your chosen course, try not to panic.

• speak to teachers and staff within your school.
• phone an exam results helpline (see 'Exam results support' for contact details). If you call the exam results helpline, make sure you have a laptop or tablet, or a pen and paper available to research and make notes.
• talk to your parents or carers.
• contact the university of your firm and insurance choice to see if they will accept your grades.
• look for options available in Clearing.
• talk to any universities or colleges you are interested in to ask if they would accept your grades.

Can I appeal?

See ‘Appealing exam results’ for further information.

Can I defer?

If you are not sure whether you still want to go to university, or are considering re-taking exams, you could consider deferring to next year or reapplying.

See ‘Deferring a place’ for further guidance.

What if I want to change courses?

If you had another course, university or college in mind, you could check Clearing to see if the course is available.

If you are unsure about what you want to do, you can phone UCAS or the exam results phone lines to chat to an adviser, they will discuss the different options available to help you to make the right decision for you.

See our ‘Clearing’ section for further support.

What if I decide I don’t want to go to university or college anymore?

If you are not sure if you still want to go to university or college, you may want to consider other options such as taking a gap year, getting a job, going travelling or looking at other routes such as an apprenticeship.

You could consider deferring your place, or if you decide that you no longer want to go to university or college, you can ‘decline your place’ through the UCAS hub. See UCAS for further guidance.

If you want to explore apprenticeships, you can find out more on the UCAS apprenticeship hub to look for vacancies. You can also research the other options available on our Higher Education page.

See the below contact details for support across the UK: 📱 💻

England

National Careers Service

You can speak to a professional career’s adviser for free and impartial information and advice via the webchat, or by calling the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900, open weekdays 8am-8pm Saturday 10am-5pm. Calls are free from landlines and most mobiles.

Wales

Careers Wales

For careers advice and guidance in Wales, you can contact Careers Wales on 0800 028 4844 or use the webchat for support in Wales.

Scotland

Skills Development Scotland are available with support. The SDS helpline number is 0800 917 8000 and available Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Northern Ireland

For students in Northern Ireland, NI Direct have an online advice chat function and guidance around Clearing.

Additional support

UCAS

You can contact UCAS for exam results and Clearing support.

Call UCAS on 0371 468 0 468. UCAS are normally open Monday to Friday from 08.30 to 18.00 and calls will be charged at your standard network rate. You will need to have your Personal ID number ready so UCAS can find your records quickly.

You can also find support on UCAS’ social media channels including their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Student Room

You can find support on the Student Room website.

You can apply for a course using Clearing if:

- you missed the UCAS application deadline for courses

- you didn’t receive any offers from your firm or insurance choice (or none you accepted)

- you didn’t meet the conditions of your offers

- you’ve paid the multiple choice application fee of £27.50

- you changed your mind and declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button and want to apply to a different course or university.

You can use the Clearing search tool to find courses which are available, or you can use Your Clearing Matches to help you to find courses.

Clearing will open on 5 July 2025 for the 2025/26 academic year.

If you are considering exploring other options:

• you can chat to a career’s adviser for support (see ‘Exam results support’ for contact details)
• go on a virtual tour and chat to university students to help you to research the course and the university or college.
• Read the Discover Uni Guide to help you to research a course.
• Have a look at the course on Discover Uni to see students’ experiences and what they have gone on to do and earn after graduating.

Entering Clearing after receiving exam results:

If you are entering Clearing after receiving your exam results, Clearing will be busy and you should have your information ready. If you decide to go through Clearing, you will need your:

- UCAS Id number and log in details

- UCAS clearing number from the UCAS hub

- Your GCSE results

- Your personal statement

- Fully charged mobile phone

If you are in Clearing after deciding not to accept your firm place, you will need to self-release using the ‘decline your place’ button on Track, don’t do this until you have been offered an alternative place through Clearing. You will not need to self-release if you are switching courses at the same university.

You will need to confirm your place on UCAS Track once you have been made an offer you are happy with. You can only add one Clearing choice on Track, don't add a Clearing choice on Track before a university makes you an offer by phone or email.

If you decide to apply for a course through Clearing, or change courses through Clearing, don’t forget to update your student finance application.

If you think something has gone wrong in the process of working out your grades, the first step is to speak to your school. It is important to consider that your marks and grades could be lowered, stay the same or increase, so you need to make sure you take appropriate advice before asking for an appeal.

The appeals process and deadlines for appeals are different depending on where you live in the UK. Check with the exam board to see what the deadline is to submit an appeal and see the appeals process guidance in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland for further information.

Other qualifications

You can ask your school, college or training provider to review the results of any other qualification, for example a BTEC or an NVQ.

If you’re not satisfied with the outcome, you can appeal directly to the awarding organisation . They will send you a final report after they’ve reviewed the result.

Further information and advice on appealing grades is available from UCAS .

If you have applied or been offered a place for 2024 but would now like to defer, it will be up to the university or college to approve deferral request. You need to contact them to check and explain your reasons.

• They may only accept deferrals for some courses.
• If you have been offered a place this is considered a late deferral and you may be asked to reapply.
• While many universities will agree to deferrals, if they don't, you could choose to withdraw your application for this year and then reapply when the application process opens for next year.
• If you are holding a deferred place and want to apply for a place this year through Clearing, you will need to ‘Decline’ your place (in UCAS Track or by contacting the university or college to let them know) and complete a new application in Clearing.
• Make sure you’re confident of your choice, and check with the university or college as if you defer it may be a final decision.

You have right up until your course start date to decide whether to defer or not, but accepting your request is at the discretion of your university or college. The earlier you speak to them, the better.

If you are applying through Clearing, you can only apply for the current year – you cannot apply for a deferred place to start next year through Clearing.

You can find more information about the deferral process on the UCAS website.

Getting your exam results can be a stressful time so it is important to look after your mental health and wellbeing. You can find support during exam results through the following organisations:

- Student Minds

- Student Space

- Young Minds

- NHS mental health support