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UCAS Clearing 2026 statistics: 1 in 12 without a place
UCAS's day-28 figures show more 18-year-olds without a place than last year. Here are the numbers, the last dates of the 2026 cycle, the deadlines for 2027, and one route to a degree that sits outside UCAS.
The UCAS Clearing 2026 statistics show that 28 days after results day, 22,360 offer holders were free to be placed in Clearing: 8.3%, or about 1 in 12.[2] That's out of 268,790 18-year-olds in England, Northern Ireland and Wales who held an offer going into results. In 2025 it was 16,780, or 6.5%.[2]
"Free to be placed in Clearing" is UCAS's phrase for someone with no place and no offer left.[5] The figures came out on 10 September 2026, four weeks after A-level results day on 13 August.[1][7] If this year didn't go to plan for you, here's what they say, what's left of the 2026 cycle, and the dates to know for 2027.
How many students got their firm choice in 2026?
Fewer than last year. By day 28, 68.0% of offer holders had a place at their firm (first) choice, down from 71.3% in 2025.[2] Insurance choices and Clearing both took a slightly bigger share. Here's where all 268,790 offer holders of 2026 (257,700 in 2025) stood on day 28:[2]
| Status 28 days after results | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Placed at firm choice | 182,650 (68.0%) | 183,690 (71.3%) |
| Placed at insurance choice | 28,060 (10.4%) | 24,040 (9.3%) |
| Placed through Clearing | 32,130 (12.0%) | 29,850 (11.6%) |
| Still holding an offer | 2,630 (1.0%) | 2,210 (0.9%) |
| Free to be placed in Clearing | 22,360 (8.3%) | 16,780 (6.5%) |
| Placed (other) | 970 (0.4%) | 1,140 (0.4%) |
Treat it as a snapshot of a single day, covering 18-year-olds in three of the four UK nations. Students from Scotland aren't in these files.[4] And the data doesn't say why more students ended up without a place this year, so we won't guess.
How many students used Decline My Place?
Decline My Place is the button that releases a confirmed place so you can look again in Clearing. This year 32,540 UK 18-year-olds used it, up from 29,230 in 2025.[3][6] By day 28, 19,220 of them (59.1%) had found a new place, against 65.0% a year earlier.[3] The button closed for 2026 on 2 September.[7] One caveat: these counts cover the original button only, not the Conditional Firm Decline My Place option UCAS added in 2025.[6]
Is it too late to find a place for 2026?
Yes, by now. For 2026 entry, the last date to add a Clearing choice was 19 October 2026, and universities and colleges had until 21 October to make their decisions.[7]
What are the UCAS deadlines for 2027 entry?
Applying again? These are the dates for 2027 entry:[8]
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 October 2026 | Equal-consideration date for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses (already passed) |
| 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time | Equal-consideration date for most undergraduate courses |
| 30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time | Last applications sent on to universities and colleges; later ones go straight into Clearing |
| 2 July 2027 | Clearing opens for eligible applicants |
| 23 September 2027, 18:00 UK time | Final date for 2027 entry applications |
The one to plan around is 13 January. Universities have to consider every application to those courses that reaches UCAS by 18:00 that day on equal terms. Miss it, and they don't have to consider yours, though they can if they still have places.[9]
What does this mean for you if your offer didn't work out?
If you were free to be placed in Clearing this summer, you weren't on your own: 22,360 18-year-olds were in the same position.[2] That's a lot of people working out the same next step as you.
For some of them, it's a new UCAS application for 2027. If that's you, put 13 January in your calendar.[9] There's also a route that sits outside UCAS altogether.
At BHMS in Lucerne, Switzerland, we run the Certificate in Hospitality and Business Operations, a six-month semester. It's designed to bridge into Year 1 of our bachelor degrees in Global Business Management, Hotel and Hospitality Management, or Culinary Arts.[11][12] We built it for students who didn't finish A-levels or IB, or whose results fell short.[15] Complete the semester, and Year 1 is the next step.[12][15] If your results already meet the entry requirements for Year 1 of the BHMS bachelor (at least 17, with a high school diploma or equivalent), you may not need the Certificate at all, and our admissions team looks at each applicant's certificates individually.[16][15] The Certificate is the bridge for students whose results fall short of that bar.
To be clear, the Certificate is our pathway into Year 1 at BHMS, and only that.[12] If you want a UK university place in 2027, the UCAS dates above are the ones that count.
There's an entry bar. You need to be at least 17, with five iGCSEs including Maths and English (or equivalent), and English at 5.0 / B2 or equivalent.[11] The semester starts four times a year, in February, May, August and November, so you don't have to wait a whole year to begin.[11] Modules include Exploring Business & Hospitality, Creative Marketing & Brand Promotion and Managing an Event.[11] The Certificate costs CHF 26'525, all-inclusive, with shared accommodation.[13] That's about £24,100 at the European Central Bank's reference rates for 19 October 2026.[10]
The paid internships come with the bachelor. Once you're in Year 1, every year is six months of study and six months of paid internship, and on the business and hospitality tracks you learn both side by side.[14]
Your next step: see how the three steps fit together on the pathway page. Then take the two-minute Fit Check to see whether the Certificate suits your results.