Don’t panic if you’ve applied to university through UCAS, but haven’t received any offers.

UCAS Extra, open from the end of February to the beginning of July, is a service that gives you another opportunity to bag your place at university this autumn.

Can I use UCAS Extra?

If you’ve already applied to five universities, but have been turned down by all of them, or decided not to accept any of their offers, you are eligible for UCAS Extra.

However, think carefully before turning down your current offers - once you’ve declined them and added a choice through Extra, you won’t be able to go back and accept your original offer.

I’m eligible to use UCAS Extra. What happens next?

You should see an option appear on your screen when you log into Track. You can find out which courses still have vacancies using the Course search box - these will be displayed with an X next to them.

It’s a good idea to call up the university first to check their entry requirements, and whether they would definitely accept you or not.

When you’ve decided which course you’d like to apply for, put all the details into Track and it will be sent to the university.

You can only send off one application at a time, so make sure they have a place for you before sending if off. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to change it for 21 days.

Get your UCAS Extra choices right

Spend plenty of time researching courses, and ask for advice from parents, teachers and friends.

You need to know whether a particular course would really be suitable for you - there’s no point spending the next 3 years struggling through your degree and being unhappy.

Consider your original five choices, and why you might have been turned down by them.

Were they all highly competitive courses? Perhaps you could try looking at similar alternatives? There are lots of joint or combined honours degrees that cover the same topics. You’ll also find it’s generally easier to get a place on this type of course, although think about whether you honestly achieve the grades required.

Bear in mind that any university you apply to through Extra can see the original five choices you put on your UCAS form.

After you’ve applied through Extra...

If you’re offered a place, you can still choose to either accept or decline it. You’ll only have a certain amount of time to reply, so check the date on Track as soon as you get an offer through.

Once you’ve accepted an offer through Extra, you won’t be able to apply to any other institutions.

If you’re not offered a place, or choose to decline it, you can still apply somewhere else if you have enough time.

Don’t worry if you can’t land an offer through Extra - there will be places available through Clearing, which starts in July.

Further information

For more tips and advice on securing a place at university, take a look at these resources at Studential.com and the Student Underground blog:

Our eBook, Choosing A Degree & University, will also help you decide where to apply to if you are using the UCAS Extra service, available to download on Amazon Kindle for just £4.99.

Got any questions about UCAS Extra, or comments about my post? Please pop them below!