Social work among most popular UCAS Extra routes to university

Students looking to start university or college this autumn can now use UCAS Extra to try and secure an offer if they’ve been unsuccessful so far.

The UCAS Extra service, which opens at this stage each year, allows prospective students to apply for any course with vacancies and gain an offer before the summer.

To be eligible, students need to have used all their original five choices and not be holding an offer – either because they weren’t accepted or they decided to decline any offers they received.

The UCAS search tool lists courses that have vacancies. Students need to research courses that interest them and then choose one to add to their online application.

Only one choice at a time can be made through Extra, but if students do not secure an offer on the first try, they can add further choices. The process is open until 2 July.

Helen Thorne, Director of Policy and Research said: “UCAS Extra means there’s a route to getting an offer of a university or college place for anyone who thought the journey was over. Thousands of courses will have vacancies and students can choose a new subject, if they’ve decided to go down a different path.”

Around 8,000 students secure their place at university each year using Extra, with nursing, social work and psychology being among the most popular courses. UCAS Extra is available free to anyone who has already paid the full application fee of £23.