UCAS Extra lets you add another course once all five of your original choices are finished and you aren't holding an offer. You apply to one course at a time using the application you've already submitted, so check the course and its requirements before you add it.
Extra opens on 25 February 2027. It appears in your UCAS application once you've used all five original choices, aren't holding an offer and none of those choices is still live. A choice is no longer live after the university decides not to offer you a place, you cancel the choice, or you decline its offer.
Don't cancel an original choice simply to reach Extra if you'd still accept an offer from that university. UCAS lets you cancel an outstanding choice when you're certain you no longer want it, but cancellation is permanent.
If you used fewer than five choices, check What to Do If You Get No University Offers before using Extra. Before 30 June, you can add an unused choice if you haven't replied to any offers; if you've already declined every offer you received, contact UCAS about adding that choice.
Check the course before you add it
Search UCAS for courses that are still accepting applications, then read the current course page on the university's own site. Check what you would study, where the course is taught, the entry requirements and any interview, portfolio, admissions test or other selection stage. A listed vacancy tells you the course is still taking applications. The university decides whether to offer you a place after it sees your application.
Contact the admissions team if the course information doesn't make clear whether your grades or subjects meet the entry requirements. Give them the course name and the qualifications or predicted grades that matter for entry. If the course isn't showing as available in Extra but the university confirms it has a vacancy and is willing to consider you, ask it to make the course available in Extra for you.
The university receives the application you've already submitted, including the same reference and Personal Statement responses. You can't replace either inside UCAS. If you're changing subject, tell the university that the written responses were prepared for your original subject before you add the choice. Offer to send a revised statement directly if the university wants one.
Once you've chosen a course, add it to your UCAS application. Extra doesn't cost another application fee, and you apply to only one course at a time. If the university doesn't offer you a place, or you decline its offer, you can then add another course. UCAS doesn't set a maximum number of Extra choices while the service is running.
After 21 days without a decision, you can replace the Extra choice with another. You can leave it in place instead, and the university can still decide later. Replacing the choice cancels that application. If you'd still take the course, ask the admissions team when it expects to decide before you give it up. If the university expects to decide soon and you'd still accept the course, leave the choice in place unless you decide to apply elsewhere.
Read every condition before replying. If you accept the offer, it becomes your firm choice and you don't get an insurance choice alongside it. Declining it lets you apply to another Extra course while Extra is still open. Your UCAS application shows the deadline for replying; if you miss that date, UCAS declines the offer on your behalf.
The final day to add an Extra choice for 2027 entry is 1 July, and Clearing opens the following day. If you're adding a course near the end of Extra, check with the university that it's still considering applicants. You still can't add a second Extra course while the first is waiting for a decision, so don't use the final days on a course you already know you'd turn down. For applications submitted to UCAS by 30 June, universities have until 14 July to make their decisions, including on Extra choices. UCAS lists 21 July as the reply date for applicants who receive all their decisions by 14 July. Follow the deadline shown in your own application.
If Extra ends without an offer you want to accept, How UCAS Clearing Works explains how to look for another course from 2 July. If the available courses aren't ones you would choose, you can stop and make a fresh application next cycle.
