Medicine Clearing Guide 2026

What is UCAS medicine clearing & how does UCAS clearing work?

UCAS Clearing is a system which helps students apply for places at university that have not been filled. Anyone can apply through clearing - whether you have received no offers from universities, or if you want to change your course or university.

Medical school UCAS clearing begins on A-Levels results day (Thursday 13th August 2026) when candidates receive their exam results in the UK.

If, after results are announced, some universities find that they have extra places available on their courses, they can offer these up in clearing.

You can use Clearing if:

• You’re applying after 30 June (difficult if you haven't done the UCAT last year)
• You didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept)
• You didn’t meet the conditions of your offers
• You’ve declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in your application

Note that UCAS Adjustment, the old service that let students who exceeded their offer swap to a higher course while keeping their original place, was scrapped after summer 2021 and no longer exists. If you do better than expected and want to look elsewhere, you now use the ‘Decline my place’ self-release button, which puts you into Clearing (supported by Clearing Plus matches). Read our full walkthrough of releasing and accepting offers in our guide to accepting a medical school offer on UCAS.

When does clearing 2026 open?

General UCAS Clearing for 2026 entry runs from 2 July to 19 October 2026. Clearing opens to anyone without a confirmed place once they have their results.

However, for medicine applicants, it opens on Thursday 13th August 2026.

The Ultimate Guide To Planning For UCAS Clearing in 2026

Results Day and Clearing: What to Know and What to Do On The Day [UPDATED]

On results day, you will usually receive an email from UCAS or the university confirming whether you have secured a place. This typically comes in the morning. What happens next will depend on your situation.

A) If your place is confirmed
Congratulations! No further action is needed unless you are considering alternatives or deferring. It can still be useful to understand the clearing process in case anything changes.

B) If you have missed your offer:

• If you had an insurance choice, and you met the offer, this may now become your firm place.
• If you narrowly missed your grades, you can request a priority remark through your school if they agree this is appropriate in your circumstance
• Let the university know you have submitted a remark and wish to be considered if spaces open up. Some students are still accepted at this stage, but it is worth continuing with the steps below just in case.

👉🏻 Read more: A Level Resits Guide For UK Medical Schools

C) If you do not have any offers/missed your offer with lower grades
Clearing becomes your route forward. Here are some practical steps to take:

1) BEFORE: Make a list of universities the day/week before results day:
Go through universities in advance and make a list of those you are interested in. Start with:

• Newer universities
• Universities that have entered clearing in previous years (see below for information on this)

Key Tip: Check their websites carefully (before results day). Some will already state they are not entering clearing this year. If so, you can cross them off your list. Some will have forms that you can fill in to register for interest - it is definitely worth doing this! Have the relevant phone numbers and UCAS codes ready to go.

2) ON THE DAY: Start early
Universities can receive hundreds of calls on results day, so aim to get going first thing in the morning, check UCAS Hub for any medicine courses that pop up that may have places, and keep refreshing to see if more come up during the morning.

3) On the day, call universities directly & quickly

You can call:

• The clearing hotline
• The general admissions office
• The medicine or dentistry admissions team

Ask if they are accepting applicants through clearing and whether you meet their entry requirements.

4. Have your details ready

• You will usually be asked for:
• Your UCAS ID
• A level and GCSE results
• Your UCAT score
• Your Personal Statement (sometimes)

5. Other Tips

1. Be ready for an interview
   If you have not previously interviewed at a university, they may arrange one within the next week. These are usually quite short notice, so keep your availability flexible.
2. Keep checking UCAS Extra
   New courses can appear throughout the day and less commonly through the following week. Refresh the page regularly.

If you do not secure a place through clearing
It is not the end of the road. There are still other options available. You may want to consider:

• Taking a gap year and reapplying (book your UCAT exam, you will need to retake it).
• Sitting your A-Levels exam (and applying to medical schools that accept resits)
• Exploring alternative entry routes

We have written a detailed article to help you understand your options and build a strong plan:

If you finish results day without a place, our most popular companion guide, No Medical School Offers? What To Do Next, walks through reapplying, graduate entry and studying abroad. You can also look at UK foundation and gateway medicine courses, which sometimes appear in Clearing and have contextual entry routes.

👉 No Offers for Medicine? What to Do Next

If you would like tailored help with your next steps, our team offers free consultations and expert support. You are not alone in this there is always a way forward. We support many gap year students through their reapplications via our Ultimate Packages.

UCAS Logistics of Navigation

Once you’re set up and ready for clearing, the process itself is fairly simple. You can find UCAS’ description of the clearing process here.

You should wake up with plenty of time before results are announced, with the UCAS website open and ready to search. Once it updates, use the search function to look for any medical course vacancies.

You should search for "medicine" or “A100”, which is the medicine course code. If you search for “medicine”, you will also see results for associated subjects such as biomedicine which will only slow you down.

If you spot a vacancy, then call the university to ask if they would accept you. Be ready to give your personal ID and Clearing number, and answer some basic questions. If they say that they would make you an offer, then congratulations! Go back to UCAS Track and select the option to ‘Add a Clearing Choice’.

Be aware that you can only add one clearing choice at a time, so make sure that you are adding the university that you want to go to. If you call and they don’t make you an offer, don’t be disheartened - keep calling other universities as you may find another one that does.

What universities are most likely to make me an offer through clearing for medicine?

What universities go into clearing for medicine?

It is almost impossible to predict which universities will be in clearing, unless they give any indication on their website about this. Do keep looking to ensure that you are up to date.

Have a look at what's happened in the past:

For 2025 (2025 Entry), the following medical schools CONFIRMED that they entered clearing (not exhaustive):

1. Newcastle - A100 confirmed (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/a100/#clearing-how-to-apply) must apply at 08:00 on Thursday 14th August - interview will be a panel interview on MS Teams on the same day - anyone with a UCAT score from 2023 onwards can apply, home students only
2. UCL - A100 confirmed [?international only]
3. Sunderland - A100
4. Buckingham [Jan 2026 start] - https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/medicine-bm-bs.aspx - do note the higher fees. Both home and international students can apply

Other courses that may have been in clearing be in clearing in 2025:

1. Lincoln [Medicine with a Gateway year] - https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/mdcmgyub/ must qualify - must qualify for Lincoln's contextual requirements and meet other requirements.
2. UCLAN [Medicine with a foundation year] - https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/585c6784-2129-4219-89c2-6800f9f198cb?academicYearId=2025 - note requirements
3. Bangor - says it was closed for clearing, but can register for the waitlist
4. Chester - for graduate entry medicine
5. QM Malta - note fees and in Malta

In 2024 (2024 entry), the following medical schools are rumoured to have gone into UCAS clearing, this might be a good place to start:

1. Aberdeen
2. Bangor
3. Brunel
4. Edge Hill
5. Kent & Medway
6. Leeds
7. Newcastle

What happened in medicine clearing in 2023 (2023 entry)?

In 2023, at least five medical schools went into clearing:

1. The University of Buckingham Medicine Clearing (this university has been the leader in offers through clearing for two years in a row, so is a great place to start, but note the fees)
2. St George’s University of London Medical School Clearing (2023: 1374 Applicants, 37 Invited To Interview, 13 offers, 2022: did not enter clearing, 2021: 1524 Applicants, 140 Invited To Interview, 55 Offers)
3. King's College Medical School via Clearing (2023: 223 Applications, 37 Interviews, 23 Offers) - some of whom used our 1-1 Interview Tutoring packages, was first come first served via telephone call. Did not enter clearing in 2021 & 2022.
4. Hull York University Medical School via Clearing
5. Queen Mary's Malta (again, note the fees)

Other medical schools that offered places around A-Level results day (not necessarily via clearing)

1. UCL (via waitlist)
2. Sheffield Medical School - did not enter clearing, but offered interviews to some that called that met the required grades
3. Leicester Medical School (didn't necessarily enter clearing, but invited students that hadn't previously received an interview for an interview after results day) - 2023: 298 Applications, 61 Interviews, 35 Offers (of which 22 were for 2024 entry, ie deferred), average UCAT score 2719 - was first come first served.
4. Birmingham Medical School - 9 A100 interviews, 8 Offers Given, Average UCAT Scores Of Those Given An Offer Via Clearing = 2770
5. Nottingham Medical School - 2023: 34 Applications, 27 Interviews, 27 Offers, UCAT >54 (see their scoring), GCSE Average 8.41, 2022: 39 Applications, 37 Interviews, 37 Offers, UCAT >56 (see their scoring), GCSE Average 8.34

Other medical schools that have entered clearing in the past:

• University of Sunderland - in 2024 they stated that they will NOT enter clearing in 2024 as they are using a reserve list (read more about waitlists and reserve lists here)
• University of Central Lancaster (UCLAN)

It is also worth contacting all of the universities that you applied to again, to see if they have any spaces available - this ought to be high on your priority list.

Which universities had spaces for medicine in clearing in 2022?

The following universities were reported to have spaces in clearing in 2022.

• Edge Hill A110 Medicine with a Foundation Year
• Exeter A100 - reported to have been in clearing - but unconfirmed.
• UCLan for international students only:
• Glasgow A900 Glasgow Access Programme
• Sunderland A100 - needed to be called - places filled by 08:19am

👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Medical School Entry Requirements

👉🏼 Read more: Compared: UK Medical School Fees For International Students (2025 Updates)

Thinking of reapplying to medicine?

If you are thinking of reapplying to medicine - it is paramount that you try and optimise your application. This involves ensuring that your UCAT, Medicine Work Experience, Medicine Personal Statement, Wider Reading & Medicine Interview abilities are all as great as possible.

Check out some of our medicine tutoring packages here to support you next year.

Feel free to book a free strategy call to discuss these packages, tutoring & mentoring throughout this year.

Is it possible to study medicine at university via clearing in 2026?

In 2022 it was reported that there were no spaces available to study medicine via clearing. Though for A100 courses there were unconfirmed reports of places at Sunderland.

In 2023, this changed and 4 medical schools offered places via clearing - King's, St George's, Buckingham and Hull. This highlights how unpredictable it is each year, and while you should not rely on clearing - it is always better to be prepared.

In 2024 there were reported to be even more medical schools that had places to study medicine via clearing - Bangor, Brunel, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Kent, Edge Hill & Leeds.

Over the years, receiving a place to study medicine via clearing is becoming less and less common, as there is increasing competition for places, leaving no unfilled seats.

However, getting into medical school through clearing is generally extremely difficult as there are generally very few spaces available for medicine through clearing.

It is paramount that should you be in a position where you would like to apply for medicine via clearing and have the necessary pre-requisites (e.g. UCAT/Personal Statement etc), then you must follow the steps outlined below to maximise your chances of succeeding.

👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Medical School Entry Requirements

What Is UCAS Extra Medicine 2026?

Can I use UCAS Extra for my medical application? Students applying for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science have four choices, not the usual five choices, because of this, they cannot use the UCAS Extra service.

If you didn't get any offers from the first five UCAS choices, UCAS Extra provides an extra opportunity for you to get a university place.

If you applied to four medical schools, and also another non-medicine 5th choice, but didn't get any offers, then UCAS Extra might be for you!

If you happened to leave the 5th choice blank, then you can sign in and add your 5th choice before UCAS Extra closes on 1 July 2026.

For 2026 entry, UCAS Extra opens on 26 February 2026 and closes on 1 July 2026. Clearing then opens on 2 July 2026 (and on 13 August 2026 for most medicine vacancies, which appear on results day).

Q1: What is UCAS Extra? UCAS Extra is a free service for students who have used up all their original five choices and received no offers or are not waiting for a decision. This service allows students to keep applying for higher education courses.

Q2: When can I apply through UCAS Extra? For 2026 entry you can apply through UCAS Extra from 26 February until 1 July 2026. After this period, you can still apply for a place at university through Clearing, which opens on 2 July 2026.

Q3: How does UCAS Extra work? If you're eligible for UCAS Extra, the "Add Extra Choice" button will automatically appear in the Choices section of your UCAS tracking page. There's no limit to the number of courses you can apply to, but you can only apply for one course at a time.

Q4: Can I apply for multiple courses at the same time through UCAS Extra? No, you can only apply for one course at a time. You won't be able to select a first choice and an insurance offer as in the first round of applications.

Q5: Can I withdraw an Extra application? Yes, you can withdraw an Extra application at any time. However, it is recommended to check with the university or college first to ensure an offer isn't on its way.

Q6: Can I use UCAS Extra if I have applied to university through UCAS and used up all my choices but received no offers? Yes, you can use UCAS Extra under these conditions. It doesn't matter whether you didn't receive any offers or didn't accept any - if you haven't secured a place and you're not waiting to hear back, you can apply through UCAS Extra.

Q7: How do I apply in UCAS Extra? You add an Extra choice in UCAS on the website. If you're eligible, you’ll see the ‘Add an Extra choice’ option in the ‘Your choices’ section. Click on this link and enter the details of the university and course.

Q8: How do I add more choices in UCAS Extra? You can add another choice using the UCAS search tool. After checking with the university or college, you add the details in UCAS. If you're applying for a different subject, consider sending a new personal statement to strengthen your application.

Q9: Can I change the course I’ve chosen through UCAS Extra? Yes, you can change your course, but you can only apply for one course at a time through Extra. It's important to research and consider your choice before applying.

Q10: Can I go through Clearing if I have an offer through UCAS Extra? Yes, but only if you don’t meet the conditions of the offer you accepted through Extra. If you wish to apply through Clearing while holding an offer, you would have to negotiate a release from your firm choice which can take up to 10 days and there is no reversal. After 4th July, Clearing opens and there may still be university places available.

Q11: Who is UCAS Extra available for? UCAS Extra is available for all students who originally applied through UCAS, used up all their choices, and have no offers.

Q12: What happens after I’ve added choices through Extra? The university or college you’ve applied to will consider your application. After 21 days, you can either continue to wait for a decision or replace it with a different Extra choice. If you receive an offer and accept it, the place

👉🏻 Read more: UCAT Medical School Entry Requirements

Can you go through clearing even if you have an offer?

Yes, you can go through UCAS Clearing even if you have an offer, but you must first release yourself from any offers you have accepted.

To enter Clearing, you would need to:

1. Decline your firm offer through your UCAS Track account, which would then put you into Clearing.
2. If you have a conditional offer and your results meet the requirements, you would need to ask the university to release you.
3. If you have a conditional offer and do not meet the requirements, you may automatically be entered into Clearing.

Remember, once you release yourself from your offers, you cannot revert this decision through UCAS. It's essential to be certain before proceeding.

How to prepare for medicine clearing in 2026

Before results day comes, if you are looking for a spot to study Medicine through clearing then you should take the following steps:

• Environment: Set up a workspace and charge your phone the night before - you’ll want to be ready to call the universities as soon as they open. You should have a pen & paper ready to take notes whilst you’re on the phone.
• Set an alarm: These spaces are highly competitive and universities are met with lots of demand very early. You want to be able to call them as soon as possible to get in ahead of the rush.
• Enlist help: You are only one person who can make one call at a time. However, if you enlist family members and friends then you can cover numerous universities at a time to maximise your chances.
• Know your stuff: Research which universities you want to call so that you have a plan of action. You should also find out some information about them - they may ask why you want to attend that specific university on the phone, so be ready for this.
• Be ready: Prepare the relevant documentation which you will need to refer to. It may be helpful to print these out. This includes your:
• UCAS personal ID
• Clearing number
• Predicted grades
• Personal statement
• Previous exam results

Top tips for your medicine clearing phone calls in 2026

Making phone calls for Clearing can be daunting - here are our top tips for success.

• Think before: Have an idea of what you’re going to say beforehand to introduce yourself - it can be helpful to write out a short introduction in advance.
• Prepare information: Make sure that all of your relevant details, including your clearing number, are available to you.
• Know your stuff: Have an idea of what makes that medical school unique, in case you have to answer some questions on the phone.
• Be open: If you didn’t get the results that you wanted, then be prepared to talk about any extenuating circumstances and provide evidence of these. Universities want the best candidates, so will be understanding if there was something that prevented you from performing at your usual level.

What are my options if I don’t receive an offer through clearing in 2026?

If you reach the end of Clearing and still don’t have an offer to study medicine, then this isn’t the end of the road for your chances. You still have the following options:

• Reapply next year: You can take a gap year to undertake some activities which may bolster your application, resit the UCAT and prepare to go through the UCAS process once more. If this is your plan, we would recommend contacting one of our medical experts today [For Free!]
• Apply in the future: Study a related course (such as the 5th choice that you may have made) and apply for medicine as a graduate once you have completed an undergraduate degree
• Study abroad: The UK isn’t the only place where you can study medicine. Check out our guide on how to apply to study medicine abroad! This includes studying medicine in Europe or even beyond.
• Study in Ireland: Irish medical schools recruit through a separate system and are a strong option for UK and international students. See our study medicine in Ireland guide and the Irish medical schools hub, or read about applying to study medicine in Europe.
• Other options: Explore other career options in allied healthcare professions. Many of these share similar features to medicine, and you may find them to be similarly appealing.

Even in the worst-case scenario, remember that this isn’t the end of the world. You’ve likely put a lot of time and effort into your application, and it can be extremely disheartening if it doesn’t work out.

However, even if none of the options above appeal to you, there are plenty of other careers which you can pursue to fulfil a passion for science or a desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

At TheUKCATPeople, our expert mentors specialise in helping you throughout every stage of your application process. We take on many students each year who are looking to reapply after clearing hasn’t gone their way - why not get in touch with us and see if this option might be right for you?

Related Links

⭐️ Free Guides:

• Ultimate Medicine UCAS Application Timeline 2026 ⭐️ Popular
• Studying Medicine In Europe
• Studying Medicine From Hong Kong in 2026
• Studying Medicine From UAE in 2026
• Apply To The UK From Canada in 2026
• Studying Medicine From Singapore in 2026
• Studying Medicine From India in 2026
• Studying Medicine From Australia in 2026
• Studying Medicine Abroad
• Medicine Clearing Guide 2026
• International Medical Students In UK Guide 2026
• UK Medicine Entry Requirements
• UK Foundation Medicine Courses
• Ultimate NHS Guide 2026
• Ultimate Medicine Work Experience Guide
• UK Medical Schools Ranking 2026
• UCAT Universities Cut-Off Scores & Requirements 2026
• EPQ Medicine Ideas in 2026
• Studying Medicine In Ireland in 2026
• IELTS English Language Requirements Medicine UK 2026
• Minimum Age To Study Medicine Per Medical School
• IB Requirements Medicine UK 2026

⭐️ Tutoring & Packages & Services

• Medicine Re-Application Service
• Ultimate Packages for Medicine
• Ultimate Packages for Medicine - Internationals

Related guides and tools

If medicine Clearing does not work out, these guides will help you build a stronger application or find an alternative route to becoming a doctor.

• No offers and not sure what to do next? Read No Medical School Offers? What To Do Next.
• Planning a gap year and reapplication? Start with the UCAS medicine application timeline and our UCAT preparation guide, then practise on the UCAT online question bank.
• Worried your score is low? See where to apply with a low UCAT score and the UCAT cut-off scores by university.
• Consider a different route in: UK foundation and gateway medicine courses or graduate entry medicine.
• Looking abroad? Compare studying medicine in Ireland, studying medicine in Europe or studying medicine abroad.
• Choosing where to apply next cycle? Use the UK medical schools ranking hub and check the medical school entry requirements.
• Want expert help reapplying? Explore our medicine application tutoring and medicine interview coaching.