Finding a university place through Clearing

By Samantha Wathen

If your A-level grades have landed you in Clearing, rather than at your chosen university or college, do not despair. You are certainly not alone: many students are in a similar position. The good news is that there are thousands of university and college courses up and down the country still available through Clearing.

In theory, any course could find itself recruiting through Clearing – it only takes a few applicants to drop a grade and a few more to decide against going to university or college altogether, and suddenly there are insufficient numbers of students for the places available

Clearing is always a competitive business but it provides the opportunity to find a course that suits you. And contrary to popular belief, not all courses are snapped up within the first two days of A-level results coming out. So don’t panic and accept the first offer of a place that comes your way. Instead, take a deep breath and follow these simple steps to give yourself the best possible chance of being offered a place on a course that interests you.

1 Establish whether or not you are eligible for Clearing

If you have failed to cement any conditional offers made to you before you took your A-levels, you’re eligible to go through the Clearing process and apply for other courses that are still available.

But if you’ve only narrowly missed the required grades, it is still possible that you will be offered a place by your chosen university or college. Ucas works closely with institutions to try to confirm offers with applicants as quickly as possible but until a decision has been made you cannot enter Clearing.

If you still haven’t heard whether or not you have a place, speak to the relevant admissions tutor to establish what your chances are.

2 Seek professional advice

Before you start browsing the list of courses available via Clearing, consult your school or an education adviser. They’ll suggest the type of courses you should look out for and the most suitable institutions.

You can also speak to education advisers by calling the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000.

3 Make a shortlist

Last year more than 33,000 university and college courses came up in Clearing. Institutions will try to update the list as soon as courses become full or new ones become available. You can browse the full list in the Telegraph, online at www.ucas.com or on your mobile at m.clearing.telegraph.co.uk. Android and iPhone users can download the free Daily Telegraph Clearing 2011 app from iTunes. The app, which is updated every hour, breaks down available places by course, institution and location and also offers advice on how to approach Clearing. Up-to-date information on Clearing is also available on Ucas’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

If a particular course appeals, find out as much as you can about it. Consider the career prospects it holds and what it would be like to live and study in the particular town or city where the course is available for the next three or more years.

You do not necessarily have to stick to your original subject choice, and should consider what other subjects might suit you. You can only apply to one institution at a time via Clearing, so you do have to be sure that this is the place and the course to suit your personal and career requirements.

4 Get on the phone

With your exam results, Ucas Personal ID and Clearing number at the ready (displayed automatically in Ucas Track, your personal Ucas account), contact the institutions you have singled out on the vacancy list. If there is space on your chosen course, you will be able to speak to an admissions tutor and ask questions about the course, as well as explain a little about yourself.

By the end of these “informal discussions”, you will know whether or not you will receive a place on the course – if the answer is a yes, it’s worth asking for an hour or two to make a final decision. If you accept an offer verbally, the university or college may give you a deadline by which you must apply online (see below).

Don’t give up if you can’t get through to the admissions office immediately – and whatever you do, don’t persuade anyone else to make the call for you. It’s time to take charge of your destiny.

5 Time to reflect

When an institution has given you provisional confirmation of a place over the phone, you are in a position to make an official application online. Wait, though.

Tempting as it is to send your application as soon as you’ve put the phone down, it’s crucial to consider if the course is really right for you. If you’re feeling uncertain, talk it through with your school or education adviser.

6 Apply for your Clearing place

Once you’ve made your mind up, move fast, as vacancies don’t hang around. To apply officially for a course, log on to Ucas Track (www.ucas.com), click the “Add Clearing Choice” button and enter the course details. If you do verbally agree to add a university or college as a Clearing choice and then change your mind, do let the relevant admissions department know as a matter of courtesy.

7 And you’re off…

Universities and colleges will have access to the information you add on Track and will attend promptly to your Clearing application.

If the institution then formally accepts you, confirmation will be displayed in the “choices” section of Track and Ucas will follow this up with a confirmation letter.

If you are not formally accepted, the “Add Clearing choice” link in Track will be reactivated so that you can apply for another course through Clearing. Good luck.

Samantha Wathen is a Clearing advisor for Ucas.
UCAS helpline: 0871 468 0 468

Frequently asked questions

Do universities drop their grade requirements in Clearing?

Sometimes. It all comes down to how many other applicants holding offers for a place on that course met the terms of their offer, and whether or not they can choose to be flexible.

Is it too late to apply to start university in September?

So long as you are prepared to go through Clearing, you can register with Ucas and enter the process. Given that you can only apply to one institution at a time via this route, you should contact universities directly to find out what courses they are prepared to offer you.

I don’t want to do my insurance-offer course – can I go through Clearing?

Since you have accepted an offer, I’m afraid it would limit your chances of applying for a new course at a different university, especially at this point in the Ucas application cycle.

If you do decide that you would prefer to use Clearing, speak to your insurance-choice university directly. With their agreement, they could let your application go into Clearing. However, this would be at their discretion and they are under no obligation to do this.

I’m already at university but I hate my course. Can I apply for a different university through Clearing?

You will have to complete a new application. We would recommend you contact universities directly to see whether they could offer you a place. At this time of the year, you will probably be asked to apply through Clearing.

I’ve exceeded my predicted grades. Is it possible to apply to a better university than the one I have an offer from?

A system called Adjustment allows applicants who have achieved their place yet have done better than expected to put themselves forward for higher-grade courses as an Adjustment applicant without having to lose the place they have already secured.

For more information, see www.ucas.com/students/nextsteps/adjustment. You must have exceeded the terms of your offer(s) to be eligible for this.

Telegraph