Self-release into Clearing through the 'decline my place' button on Track

For the first time, UCAS is allowing applicants to self-release themselves into Clearing through a 'decline my place' button.

In previous years, applicants who no longer wished to take up their unconditional offer and wanted to apply elsewhere would need to contact the university they had been placed with and ask to be placed into clearing. The problem with this was that universities tend to be pretty busy on Results Day, and weren’t prioritising these students - naturally, they gave more time and attention to the ones who actually wanted to go there. This resulted in huge amounts of stress for students, as their new university would often only agree to hold their place for a limited amount of time.

To tackle this, UCAS is now allowing applicants to release themselves in to Clearing using a 'decline my place' button on their Track. We’ve compiled a few FAQs to help you understand what self-release is, how to do it and what happens if things go wrong.

You can also take a look at our full Clearing and Adjustment FAQs for 2019 here:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6018120


Declining your unconditional firm place - what is it and how does it work?
Essentially, this button allows an applicant who holds an unconditional offer to place themselves into Clearing. This declines their place and allows them to apply to other universities which have vacancies. This can be done via UCAS Track and doesn’t require the applicant to contact the university they want to be released from.


Who can decline their place? Is it open to everyone?
"Decline my place" is open to any applicant who has been placed with a university and has an unconditional offer. You might have an unconditional offer early, if you already had your results, or, more commonly, your offer will turn unconditional on Results Day, once you meet the conditions set out in your offer.

If you are eligible, you will see a button on your UCAS Track stating ‘Decline my place’ from 5th July.


When should I release myself into Clearing?
You can press the button from any time when you have an unconditional offer, however you should only actually press the "decline my place" button once you have a verbal offer from a university. Of course, you should only release once you are satisfied you are completely sure you do not wish to attend the university you have been placed with.


What are the benefits of releasing yourself into Clearing?
Firstly, it’s a lot quicker than the old method. It can be done in a matter of minutes. You’re also totally in control - you aren’t relying on administrative staff from a university. It’s also hoped that this method will reduce a lot of stress associated with Clearing.


What are the risks?
Once you are placed in Clearing, your place at your original university becomes available to others. There is no easy way to reverse this and it may mean you lose your place.

Additionally, if you place yourself in Clearing and subsequently fail to secure a place at a new university (for example, if you don’t find anything you like the look of or if universities aren’t willing to offer you a place) then you may find yourself without any offers and facing the possibility of needing to reapply.

This therefore isn’t a decision you should take lightly.


Can I press the "decline my place" button by accident?
Potentially, but UCAS makes it very hard to do so. In addition to clicking the ‘decline my place’ button, you would also need to complete a drop-down questionnaire. You shouldn’t proceed with the self-release unless you are 100% sure you do not want to attend the university you have been placed with.


I pressed the "decline my place" button and now I wish I hadn’t. What do I do?
You will need to phone up your original university which you were placed with as soon as possible. Once you have been placed in clearing, your spot at that university becomes up for grabs. You need to contact the university to explain you made a mistake and that you still want the place. They will then instruct you about next steps.

It is possible that the university will already have filled your place, particularly if there is a time gap between your self-release and you contacting the university. If this is the case, you may need to look for another place elsewhere.



Have any questions about this functionality that aren’t answered here? Need more information before making a decision? Post below and one of our UCAS trained Applications and Clearing Advisers will do their best to help!

We’d also recommend that you take a look at our Clearing and Adjustment FAQs which you can find here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6018120

So I cant use this option if im holding a conditional offer?

im in a situation where my firm is AAB, Insurance BBB and I found out about a course that is for ABB..i called them up because last year they were in clearing and they said that they dont know for sure if they will be in clearing this year..so the only way to guarantee a place in that course would be to reject my current offers and then apply there via clearing as it is currently available but even then it would be a risk as although im fine academic wise ..they also have interviews so if i mess it up then i would be left with no uni place...

If you didn’t get a clearing offer from the new university would you be happy with your current firm? If so ring up your firm and explain the situation. They might be willing to reassure you that they’ll honour your offer/place if you are unsuccessful elsewhere (or they might make it clear that if you put yourself in clearing then there’s no way they’ll take you back) either way you’ll be able to make a more informed decision based on what level of risk you’re comfortable with.

Hi thanks for the reply, I called up my firm and they said that since my course is in clearing i could try applying to the other course and reapply to my firm again if i was unsuccessful..but they asked me how I would apply through clearing as I would have needed to have received my results...if that is the case, why is clearing already open then? I thought you could apply via clearing before results day..obvs you would only go to the uni if you got the grades but cant you apply with predicted grades?

Hi thanks for the reply, I called up my firm and they said that since my course is in clearing i could try applying to the other course and reapply to my firm again if i was unsuccessful..but they asked me how I would apply through clearing as I would have needed to have received my results...if that is the case, why is clearing already open then? I thought you could apply via clearing before results day..obvs you would only go to the uni if you got the grades but cant you apply with predicted grades?

in general they will want you to be holding your results already- but there's no harm in ringing up the uni you're interested in and asking how they'd view your application to at least get the ball rolling.

You MUST have your results to enter Clearing - there is no 'in general' about this.
No University will be the remotest bit interested in 'viewing an application' ahead of this.
Balls are not going anywhere until you have your results. Universities do not have time at this time of year to play games.

You say to make sure you have a verbal offer from your preferred uni before releasing yourself - can you get a verbal offer without a clearing number?