What happens on A Level results day?

A level results day always falls on a Thursday around the middle of August (Thursday 13 August in 2026). Every school and college has its own system for releasing students’ A level results, but you will be able to get information about your results from around 8.15am in person at school/college, by email or student portals, from the UCAS Hub which shows offers and status, and some schools may also distribute printed results

If your results aren’t quite what you expected then it is vital that you have easy access to the internet and a phone.  It is also wise to make sure that you are at home so that your family and school advisers are within easy reach if you need their help.  So, unexciting as it may sound, you need to ensure that you are not on a distant beach on A level results day!

Universities actually receive your A level results via UCAS (and the exam boards) earlier than your schools: this is to give them time to make admissions decisions, particularly in relation to students who have narrowly missed their grades. If you haven’t met your A level requirements, it’s a bit of a numbers game if your university will still accept you – circumstances change from year to year and numerous factors may influence their decision. For example, more students than they expected might have missed their grades, which would make them more flexible if you’re one of those who have just missed out. Other things like changes to student finance, university funding or the total number of applicants in any given year may also tilt the situation.

What is absolutely certain though, is that if you meet the A level grade requirements of your conditional university offer you have secured your place. Congratulations!

UCAS Hub normally opens at around 8.15am and students are then able to log in and check the status of their offers. UCAS Hub should tell you whether you are confirmed at your firm choice, your insurance choice or whether you have been unsuccessful. If decisions are not showing, your universities may be missing some of your results, so it is important to call them and find out what the situation is.

Because UCAS Hub opens quite early in the morning, students sometimes know the outcome of their university applications before they get their A level results. Even if you get fabulous news and are confirmed at your dream university, make sure that you check your A level results too: sometimes students don’t realise they have slipped a grade but been accepted anyway, and can then be a bit disappointed by their actual results!

Read more CIFE advice on the pros and cons of getting a remark on an A level exam.

Congratulations if you got better grades than expected. Of course you have met your university conditional offers, but can you try for somewhere else now? Or if you change your mind about which university of or course, can you swap? The answer to that is ‘yes, but be careful’.

Ideally, you will have considered this possibility in advance and explored the Clearing process that opens in early July (on 2nd July in 2026). If there are universities and courses that you think you’d be interested in, then you should make a preliminary phone call (yes, you, not anyone else on your behalf, and yes, a phone call, not a text or email) to the university in the week or two prior to results is useful. You want to find out more about the course and what the chances are of its availability in Clearing. You also want the university to know you’re interested! Ask the name of the person you talk to, check what the process is for that university, and ask if they are the person you should try and talk to on results day.

Although UCAS is a system, you are at this stage dealing directly with people and if they remember you and your conspicuous interest, then your next phone call after results is easier all round.

From early July (it was 5th July in 2025), students can release themselves into Clearing very simply, using the ‘decline your place’ button. UCAS gives more information here.

This is where you need to “be careful”, because this decision is final, so only use this button when you’re 100% sure. If you are hoping for a different course from the same university, talk to the institution first and don’t press the button!

The ‘be careful’ is a plea for caution. There will be a lot available but you have very little time to sort out options and your decisions are binding. Make doubly sure that you check out the degree and the university just as carefully as when you decided on your conditional offers earlier in the year. The same basic question applies now as then: ‘is this the right course and is this the right place for me to spend three years and a lot of money’. If you check carefully and the answer is ‘yes’ then go for it.

UCAS has a helpful post about Clearing that’s intended for parents, but it is just as useful for students to read it too:

UCAS – The smart parent’s guide to turning Clearing into an opportunity

UCAS – What is clearing?

Let’s imagine it’s just after eight in the morning of A level results day and you haven’t got into either of your firm or insurance choice universities. This is when it’s incredibly important that you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and spring into action! This also might be the time you need to rely on the people around you to give you some emotional support: it is a fast-moving situation and if you have the confidence, you’ll be amazed what can be achieved in the next few hours. That’s especially true if you already had the feeling that you might miss your grades, in which case hopefully you’ll have done some preparation and might even have contacted a few universities ahead of results day to ask about courses they might have in Clearing.

You should be familiar with UCAS Hub and already have been checking the Clearing places becoming available. Log on again and refresh your understanding of what is there in universities and courses that appeal to you.

So now it’s about nine on results morning. You’ve had a cup of tea, an emotional moment or two, and you’re ready to find yourself a place at uni. There are two main ways to find a place. The first is to go to the UCAS Clearing listings which will list available places by degree course. The second is to go directly to the websites of universities you are interested in to see what they have available. Do some thorough research and start to build up a list of options. Be ambitious with a few choices, and don’t be afraid to try universities that normally offer two or three grades higher: the worst that can happen is that they decide not to make you an offer, so it really is worth a try. Once you’ve got your list, you need to start calling the university Clearing hotlines. You’ll also need to brace yourself: you’re likely to be on hold quite a bit this morning. So, while you’re waiting to speak to someone run over any selling points you have which demonstrate your interest in the course or be ready to explain any mitigating circumstances that affected your grades. If you did some pre-results phone calls to any of the universities, this is where that groundwork pays dividends as you’ll be saying “I’m calling back to ask about the course I discussed with you two weeks’ ago….”.

Right, it’s now about lunchtime, and if you’ve kept your energy and enthusiasm up it is likely that you will have been rewarded by several Clearing offers. You are allowed to obtain as many offers as you like in Clearing, but remember that you can only accept one course on the UCAS Hub – you are then committed to that choice.

So, take a big breath, pause, and consider whether any of the course offers you have are really right for you. Where is the university and do you really want to live there? Are you excited by the degree course and options available? Is your Clearing choice going to cost more than you had planned? Can you really see yourself doing this for the next three years?! The reality is you need to enjoy your course and be interested in it if you are going to see it through and be successful. Make sure you speak to school advisers, family and friends before you jump off the deep end.

It’s tea-time and you’ve just added your Clearing choice to UCAS Hub using the details the university have given you over the phone. You click… Congratulations. You are going to university.

If it doesn’t all happen as quickly as this, don’t panic! Clearing runs until mid-October and the important things is that you are contacting universities and lining up offers. Once you’ve got offers that interest you, do take time to get that decision right.

The UCAS website has a very helpful guide to Clearing and results day

As discussed above, if you have found a university place in Clearing, you really do need to be sure it is the right course for you, and that it will get you where you want to be in the future. The other issue is that certain universities, particularly the highest-ranking universities, do not enter Clearing. In addition, some competitive degree courses are rarely or never found in Clearing, the most obvious being Medicine, but also courses like Law and English Literature may be few and far between (and if they are available, they may be joint degrees combined with unusual options that might not be for you).

Another consideration is that you may feel going to a prestigious university will help advance your career prospects. If so, resitting your A levels may well be the best way forward. Many students also use a retake year as an opportunity to add to their work experience or develop their skills. Many of our own students who retake say that in fact the extra year acts as fantastic preparation for university and that they have really gained in confidence. Also, as a rule of thumb, your A level grades are of interest to employers for roughly the first ten years of your working life. After that, prospective employers are more likely to be interested in either your studies at degree level or the work you have done since graduation. Many students therefore decide that A level retakes are of benefit not only in terms of enabling them to get on to a better degree course, but also in terms of enhancing their CV. Indeed, some students even decide to retake to improve an A level grade while doing their degree course so they can polish up their curriculum vitae.

Many options are therefore open to you, and whatever happens on A level results day it is important to be clear-headed, positive, ambitious, and prepared. And if you’re still worried about it all then remember, cife, the sixth-form experts, are here to help.