A record number of students accepted university places on the first day of clearing after a smaller proportion of 18-year-olds secured their first-choice offer on A-level results day.

According to data released by admissions service Ucas, 17,640 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have now been placed through clearing, a 5 per cent increase on the 16,820 recorded on the first day in 2025.

It follows a rise in the share of UK 18-year-olds accepting insurance offers to study, with some experts questioning whether higher-tariff institutions could be reaching their limit despite once again taking the lion’s share of domestic students.

Universities with the toughest entry requirements have still been active in clearing, however, with 4,450 more students placed in these institutions. This is slightly up on this point last year, when the more elite institutions recruited 4,380 students on the first day of clearing.

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Medium-tariff institutions have also performed well, taking in 5,810 extra students so far. In contrast, lower-tariff institutions have increased numbers by just 2,990.

The number of students who have not yet accepted their offer is also up on this last year, with 77,180 yet to make up their minds. In 2025, this figure was 69,770.

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This year the number of people achieving top A-level grades has grown, with the proportion of papers marked A* or A rising across the board this year – representing 28 per cent of all grades awarded in England.

Coventry University provost Ian Dunn said the university’s clearing hotline had been busy.

“Interestingly, WhatsApp and web forms are proving increasingly popular as routes in, rather than the traditional telephone calls. The picture is a bit early to say, but not dissimilar to last year, where we had a record number of calls. At the same moment, we’re on the same number of offers as previously. Most of our courses are in clearing, as is normally the case.”

Anthony Woodman, vice-chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, agreed: “It is busy. From a point of view of core volume, it’s pretty similar to last year in terms of the number of calls that we’re getting.

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“The thing that we’ve noticed in the first couple of hours is the level of awareness amongst callers about the key issues of the day: what is the real value proposition of coming to university and how will that help them get a job. A lot of them will talk along those lines.”

Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of the MillionPlus university association, said clearing was proving ever more important. “It’s a whole process in its own right now, and I think that’s good in terms of student choice and students being able to think carefully about what they want to do once they’ve got their grades.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com