A Level Results Day is one of the most exciting days of your academic life so far. Emotions are high, and so much excitement with a life of independence is just around the corner! No matter what you results are, there are so many options available to you, to make sure you are set on the right path to starting your career.

To help you through, we put together a guide on what to expect on A Level Results Day 2023, and what to do with your University and course offers.

A Level Results Day in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland tends to land on the 17th August 2023. In Scotland, SQA Results Day is not on the same day, and will be on Tuesday 8th August 2023. This is the day when students across the UK will receive their A Level grades and results. You’ll usually be able to collect these from your school or college.

Generally your school or college will let you collect your

A Level Results from 8am

. This is the opening time when your results will be usually released, but these times do vary from place to place. Double check with your school or college for the exact times. You will also get confirmation in your

of whether you have been accepted into your University’s of choice.

Those of you in Scotland who have registered for

you will be emailed or text your results from 8am on the day they are published.

You can get your results from your school or college. Check with them what time they open so you know when to collect your results, but usually schools and colleges will open up at 8am to hand results out.

You will need to collect your results in person to find out exactly what your grades are. Especially important if you enter into Clearing. If you can, open your results at the time, in school or college, or back in the car if you want some privacy. Your teachers will be able to help you out if things don’t go ahead as you planned.

No, you cannot get your A Level results online. You can only get them from your school or college.

UCAS Track is an online service, which will only tell you whether your specific university applications have been successful. So you can get an indication of whether you passed and got your grades or not, but to receive your grades, you would need to visit your place of study.

You should make sure you are available and contactable when your A Level results are released, so try to avoid being in work or booking holidays on results day.

This is really important if you’ve received any conditional offers, and Clearing might be a possibility for you. If you do end up going away, make sure your UCAS Hub account contains all the correct personal details before you head away.

If you can’t be there in person, but can get access to your UCAS Hub online, you can still log in to your UCAS account and find out what your chosen universities have decided following your results.

You can nominate a parent or guardian to collect results from your school or college, providing you have let them know who, and that they arrive with a completed permission slip. They will also need to have access to your UCAS Hub account, and be able to make changes on your behalf. Results day is a very time sensitive day, so your nominee may need to discuss your application with UCAS or different universities within a small time frame.

If you didn’t nominate a person when completing your application, speak to UCAS directly at a later date and ensure they have access to your UCAS Hub.

On A Level Results Day, make sure you have all your important information and details ready for when you need them.

We’re hopeful you won’t need to, but you should prepare for the slim chance of a worst case scenario. If your grades are lower than you had hoped, you will need to apply for a new place at university via Clearing.

Make sure you have your

UCAS ID Number

and

UCAS Hub Log In Details

when you head in to your school, sixth form or college to collect your A Level Results.

In the situation when you might need to apply for clearing, make sure you have access to your

UCAS Hub

to get your

UCAS Clearing Number

. This will only be available if you become eligible for Clearing, and have been rejected from your first and insurance choices. You also need to have the Clearing phone numbers at hand for the specific Universities you have got your eye on.

Keep your

personal statement

to hand. Universities you get in touch with during Clearing will want to be able to see this, and might ask you questions. They might also ask for your

GCSE results

, so keep these at hand too.

A Level Results Day is a hugely exciting time of your life, and the last step you need to conquer before leaving home and heading to Uni for the start of a life of independence! You’ve got your A Level grades, but what next?

Firstly, congratulations! You’re in! On Results Day, your UCAS Hub will update, and you’ll be sent a confirmation of your firm choice.

If you’re holding at least one ‘conditional’ offer from a university, and you’ve met the grade requirements, your offer will change over to an ‘unconditional offer’ status. This might take a few hours on the morning when your grades are released, as it’s a super busy time for the UCAS system, but be patient, and everything will update soon. Once everything has updated in the UCAS Hub, you’ll then receive details on your next steps.

It can be really disappointing to find out on Results Day that you didn’t get the grades you were hoping for. But don’t worry, while it may feel terrible, all is not over for you. You may still get an offer from your firm choice!

Check your UCAS Hub and see if the status of your offer has changed, a ‘changed course offer’. Your university might still accept you onto the course you applied for, or offer you a place on a slightly different course. You will have to accept or decline this changed course offer. If the new offer is not right for you, you can consider going into Clearing.

If you missed out on your grades by a little bit, or are considering appealing any grades, you have an opportunity to contact your firm choice and ask if they might reconsider their decision. Speak to your school or college before you do so.

If you missed out on your grades by a lot, don’t panic, you may still have an offer available. Always check your UCAS Hub for any updates. If the university hasn’t made a decision yet, give their admissions office a call and talk through your situation.

Options if you don’t meet your grades:

Congrats! You need to wait to receive a confirmation email from your insurance university, and it’s as easy as that!

Your school or college will be able to talk through your options. You can consider accepting your insurance place or apply to other universities through Clearing. You can also consider retaking your A Levels for a second chance, or even reapplying to the same uni’s next year.

If you receive your A Level Results, and your grades don’t feel quite right, you can appeal the grades given, and request a review of the marking given by exam boards. If this is something you are considering, speak to your school or college and they will be able to help take you through the process. Schools and colleges have deadlines for receiving appeal applications, so just make sure you start this process asap.

It’s worth seriously considering the pros and cons of appealing your A Level Results. Your grades can go up, stay the same, or they can go down. It’s a risk, so talk to your parents and teachers for some perspective, and you’ll get a feel for what’s the right choice to make.

If you do appeal your grades, don’t forget to keep your university informed of your plans. This way they can reserve a place for you if all goes well with the appeal.

So you’ve got your results and secured your place at your new university! Enjoy a night out with your friends or celebrate with your family, you deserve it!

To make sure you’re fully prepared for university, you just need to do a few more things. Organise your

, and any

you need to set up. Get yourself set up with a

, and think about

to stick by when you move in. Enjoy the process,

, and enjoy

!

If you don’t quite get the grades you need to get into your firm or insurance choices at uni, you have the option to use UCAS Clearing to try and find a place elsewhere.

You’ll find Clearing vacancies available on your UCAS Hub on Results Day. These are usually released at 2pm on the day, giving you a good chance to calmly consider all your options, and save you from making any rushed decisions.

Once you have found a new university and course that is a good fit for you, contact the university and see if they can offer you a place.

You might have to be prepared for a brief interview, so make sure you have your

Personal Statement

to hand to refer to. You’ll also want to log in to your UCAS Hub account to get your

UCAS ID Number

and

UCAS Clearing Number

. You might also want to have your

GCSE Results

to hand. Each uni will have different questions they might ask on the phone, so it’s always better to be prepared than not.

Clearing vacancies will become available in your UCAS Hub from 2pm on A Level Results Day, 17th August 2023.

Clearing options are open for quite a while, but we always recommend acting swiftly, as places on courses will start filling up quite quickly. Never rush into any decisions like this, but it is a pretty time sensitive process.

If you’re considering Clearing, we always recommend that you ask for advice from the careers office in your school, sixth form or college. They’ll help talk you through all your options and alternative courses that might fit your career path.

You can find out about the Clearing vacancies available via your UCAS Hub on Results Day. These are usually released at 2pm on the day, giving you a good chance to calmly consider all your options, and save you from making any rushed decisions.

When you are searching for new course vacancies, check regularly the UCAS Hub as new vacancies are released all the time. If you struggle to find something that fits your interests, it might be your chance to consider a slightly different subject.

Before you make a choice on a Clearing course application, give the University a call and give them your

UCAS ID Number

and

UCAS Clearing Number

and ask if they would accept you. As we mentioned have your

Personal Statement

and your

GCSE Results

to hand, just in case you get asked some specific questions, and aren’t caught out. If you can, before applying try and take a look around the campus. Look up the city and University you’re considering, and make sure it’s the right choice for you.

Once you’ve decided on the right Clearing choice for you, and the University have given you permission to apply, you can then

Add a Clearing Choice

in your UCAS Hub and fill in the details the uni provided you when you called up.

When you Add a Clearing Choice, and a university accepts your choice, this confirms that you have accepted the offer and you are attending the chosen course offer. If the university doesn’t confirm your place, you’ll be able to add another choice. But just remember, you can only make one choice at a time, so take your time and choose carefully.

Deferring your place at university simply means delaying the year when you want to start. You might want to take a gap year for all sorts of reasons, whether that’s to travel, gain valuable experience, or maybe work and save a bit of money for a year.

You might be considering deferring your place at university for a year. If you don’t already hold a deferred offer, you simply need to call up the university to defer your place for a year. You’ll need to be prepared to explain why you would like to defer your place.

Most universities will agree to this decision, but if they aren’t too happy with your choice, you can choose to withdraw your application for that year, and reapply the following year.

So now you know how to navigate A Level Results Day, and what to do, whichever grades you receive. Having worked so long on getting to University the tension will always be high, but you'll get past it and well on your way to your new career and student life. If you’re looking for more advice on student living, check out our 

.