A Guide To UCAS Extra

What Is UCAS Extra?

UCAS Extra provides another opportunity for you to get a university place if you don’t hold any offers from your five UCAS choices. This could be because you didn’t receive offers or because you declined them.

In 2024, UCAS Extra is open between 28 February and 4 July 2024. UCAS Clearing then opens on 5th July.

Who Is UCAS Extra For?

If you included five choices in your UCAS application and don’t hold any offers, you have the option to use UCAS Extra – and it’s a free service.

You don’t need to use UCAS Extra if you included four Med Schools in your UCAS application and left your fifth choice blank. You can still sign in to UCAS and submit a fifth non-Medicine choice, as long as it’s before 30th June.

Can I Find A Medicine Place Through UCAS Extra?

There are rarely unfilled university places for Medicine because it’s so competitive, so it’s very unlikely that you will find a Medicine place through UCAS Extra. There are now over 6,000 more applicants for Medicine than there were five years ago – an increase of around 29% – and double the amount of reapplicants.

Instead of looking for Medicine courses in UCAS Extra, you’re better off looking for related courses, such as Biomedical Science or Biochemistry. If you choose to study a related course after not getting into Medicine, you still leave the door open to applying for Graduate Entry Medicine later.

How Do I Apply Through UCAS Extra?

To apply for a course via UCAS Extra, you need to follow these steps. You can also find more information on the UCAS website.

1. Use the UCAS search tool to ‘show courses with vacancies’. Make sure you check the grade requirements for any course that you’re interested in.
2. When you find a new course you want to do, contact the university directly and ask them if they will consider your application. It might also be a good idea to ask if you should send them a new personal statement, if your current personal statement is geared towards a different subject.
3. If the university says they will consider you, apply for the course by signing in to UCAS Track and adding your additional choice.
4. You can only apply for one Extra course at a time. Once the university has made a decision, you’ll get an email telling you to check your UCAS Track page. If you don’t receive a reply from the university within 21 days, you can continue waiting or you’ll have the option to replace it with another choice. It’s also possible to reject an offer and replace it with another choice.
5. If you receive an offer and want to accept it, make sure you respond by the deadline shown on your UCAS homepage.

What Are The Options Instead Of UCAS Extra?

If you’ve missed out on a place to study Medicine, you might want to consider alternative pathways, such as:

• Taking a gap year and reapplying next year
• Resitting your A-Levels and reapplying next year
• Doing a related course and applying for Graduate Entry Medicine later
• Studying Medicine abroad
• Exploring an alternative career in Allied Health