Beaten your offer and wondering if you can move to a course or university you now prefer? You can try - but the way you do it has changed, and it carries real risk.
Potentially, yes - but the old UCAS Adjustment service no longer exists. To move to a course or university you now prefer you self-release into Clearing: you decline your confirmed firm place using the ‘Decline my place’ button, then apply through Clearing. This is irreversible - you lose your firm and insurance places - so line up a new place first and speak to the universities before you click. For 2026 the ‘Decline my place’ button is available until 2 September.
tutor2u isn’t a university or a UCAS service, and we can’t place you on a course. This is a plain-English guide to the official process - always use UCAS and speak to the universities and your school or college for anything specific to you.
Important: declining your place is final. UCAS is explicit that once you decline, “your place will be declined and your contract with the university or college will be cancelled and you will lose your place” - and you lose your insurance choice too. If you change your mind you must contact the university at once, but the place may already have gone to someone else.
Source: UCAS: declining your firm place · UCAS: 2026 key dates.
UCAS Adjustment is gone (it was last offered in 2021), so there’s no longer a way to trade up while keeping your original place as a safety net. Self-release is all-or-nothing: never decline your place speculatively, and always secure the new offer first. Your reason might be course content, location, cost or a change of mind - not only university status.
No. Adjustment was withdrawn (last offered in 2021). To move to a different course or university now, you self-release into Clearing using the ‘Decline my place’ button. Source: UCAS ↗
It cancels your confirmed place and your contract with the university, and releases you into Clearing. You also lose your insurance choice. It cannot be undone. Source: UCAS ↗
For 2026, the ‘Decline my place’ button is available until 2 September. Clearing itself runs until 19 October. Source: UCAS ↗
No - once declined, the place is gone and may be offered to another applicant. That’s why you should only decline after a new university has confirmed it will take you. Source: UCAS ↗
Possibly - speak to your university first. They may be able to move you to a different course without you needing to decline your place and go through Clearing at all. Source: UCAS ↗
Check your subjects’ grade boundaries and results, and the key results-day dates, before you decide anything.
Results day & key dates →University Clearing explained →Last checked August 2026. This is a plain-English summary of the UCAS admissions and Clearing process; always check your UCAS application and contact the relevant university or college for the details that apply to you, which can change.
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