Extra Explained

Applying to UCAS can be daunting. It is a system that continues to evolve and improve to suit the needs of students and colleges; meaning that there are a wealth of terms and methods you need to familiarise yourself with. One of the most important of these is UCAS Extra; awareness of this system can greatly increase your chances of attending the college of your choice...

Students who have applied through UCAS but have not received any offers; or those who don’t wish to accept any of the offers they do get may find solace through the use of Extra. This allows you to apply again, for one course at a time, between the end of February and the end of June on Track.

Eligible students need to satisfy the following criteria; you must have initially made five course choices, and you must have received decisions from all of these and have either declined or not have been offered a place. If you are a potential candidate for Extra a button will appear on your Track screen that will allow you to apply for Extra.

If you do turn down any offers and choose to elect an Extra option it is important to note that you will not then be able to accept any of your original offers at a later date.

If you wish to avail of this service you should do a course search to check which courses have vacancies; contacting the specific university to see if they can consider you would also be a good option to bear in mind. Look at the course search to see if there’s an entry profile for the course as this can provide good advice about what the university looks for in students. Case studies of students who have successfully completed the course are also posted; a great reference point to consider.

An offer may then be made to you on behalf of the college; you can choose whether or not to accept it but it must be remembered that if you take choose to opt for it, you are then committed and cannot apply elsewhere. Take note of the deadline for acceptance on Track and make sure to reply in due time.

In the event of not receiving an offer or if you wish to decline you may apply to a different course on Extra; the Extra button will be reactivated on your application when you are allowed to do this; this is dependant on the time that has passes.

Don’t panic if your attempts with Extra doesn’t bear the result you had hoped; it is not the last available step and does not spell the end to your third level career. There are further options available; see our section on Clearing or go to the UCAS website for more details; good luck!