Clearing for 2026 A Level Results Day opened on 2 July and will run until 19 October, giving applicants a route to change course or place of study before results day on Thursday 13 August. Students can use it if they missed offer conditions, received no offers they wanted, or want to move to a different university.
Clearing is the process universities and colleges use to fill places they still have on their courses. It also gives students another way to secure a place after results day, including those who have declined a firm place through the decline my place button in their application.
Clementine Wade on alternatives
Clementine Wade, an education consultant and content creator, suggested that students write down every possible outcome and then find alternatives for each one. She gave the example, “If I get AAA, then I could do physics at Sussex”, and another, “CCD could be physics at Nottingham Trent”.
That approach gives applicants a simple way to prepare before Thursday 13 August. It turns results day into a decision point rather than a scramble, especially for students weighing a firm choice against an insurance choice or looking for a different course altogether.
Sussex and CCD
The examples Wade used show how grades and course choices can be matched in advance. AAA points to Sussex in one scenario, while CCD points to Nottingham Trent in another, which is the kind of planning students can do before clearing opens fully around results day.
Students may still want their insurance choice, but clearing can come into play if they want to check whether that option will accept them. It can also matter for students who are not already holding any offer from a university or college and for those who have done better than expected and want to look elsewhere.
October for applicants
The window stays open until 19 October, so applicants do not have to settle everything on one day. The practical step now is to list possible outcomes, check which course route fits each one, and be ready to decide whether to accept, decline, or change a choice after results day.
