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Decline my place: releasing yourself into Clearing
If your results are better than expected, or your plans have changed, you can release yourself into Clearing with the “Decline my place” button in your UCAS Hub. It cancels your firm place and your insurance place, and it cannot be undone. Speak to the university you want to move to first.
Checked against official sources on 25 September 2026.
Free Clearing tools: Am I in Clearing? · Call planner · Call tracker · Countdown to results day
Source: UCAS daily Clearing analysis 2026, 28 days after A level results day.
Who can use Decline my place
From 2 July 2027, if you hold an unconditional firm place, you can use the “Decline my place” button in your Hub. This includes a firm place that becomes unconditional on results day.
If your firm place is still conditional and you want to release yourself, UCAS says you must contact UCAS (in 2026, between 08:00 on A level results day and 2 September), and you lose both your firm and insurance choices.
The button is switched off during the results embargo, about a week before each results day.
What happens when you decline
- Your place is declined and your contract with the university is cancelled.
- Your insurance place goes too.
- Any accommodation or scholarship arranged through that university is cancelled.
- You go into Clearing, and your Hub shows your Clearing number.
- You choose a reason from a list. UCAS says you should secure a new place before using it, because “it’s not reversible”.
If you decline by accident, phone the university straight away. Your place may already have gone to someone else.
How to do it safely
- Research the course you want. Check it on our subject tables and the university’s profile.
- Phone the new university with your results and Personal ID. Ask whether it will offer you a place.
- Get the offer in writing, with the course code and how long you have.
- Press “Decline my place” in your Hub and choose your reason.
- Add the new university as your Clearing choice using the details it gave you.
- Wait for confirmation in your Hub, then sort out accommodation and student finance.
Before you press “Decline my place”
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Adjustment no longer exists
UCAS used to run a service called Adjustment for students who beat their offers. It was withdrawn from 2022 entry. Decline my place replaced it, and anyone holding an unconditional firm place can use it, whatever their grades.
Is it worth it?
Only you can decide. Moving can make sense if the new course suits you better. It can also mean losing accommodation you had arranged, and starting somewhere you know less about. In 2026, 55% of students who used Decline my place had been placed through Clearing 28 days after results day; the rest may still have been looking, or may have chosen not to go that year. Make sure you have a firm offer from the new university before you press the button.
Sources
- UCAS: declining your firm place
- UCAS: what your application status means
- UCAS: Adjustment (withdrawn from 2022 entry)
- UCAS: Confirmation and Clearing, the essentials (advisers)
- UCAS: daily Clearing analysis 2026
- UCAS: dates and deadlines for 2027 entry
Quick answers
Can I leave my firm place if I do better than expected?
Yes. From 2 July 2027, if you hold an unconditional firm place, you can use “Decline my place” in your UCAS Hub. Speak to the new university first, because you give up your current place and your insurance place.
Can I undo Decline my place?
No. UCAS says it is not reversible. If you decline by mistake, phone the university at once, but your place may have been given to someone else.
Do I lose my insurance place if I decline my firm place?
Yes. UCAS confirms your insurance place goes too.
Is UCAS Adjustment still available?
No. Adjustment was withdrawn from 2022 entry and replaced by Decline my place.