With UCAS deadlines come and gone, it’s time to focus on exams. However, receiving an offer from your first choice or fulfilling set conditions is not always a given and you may panic if this is you. This is why it’s important you know about Clearing. Clearing is a process that allows you to see which courses still have open places and then apply for them! To increase your chances of finding the right course for you it is crucial that you understand the process and are well prepared, so read on to find out more.
As clarified on the UCAS website, you can use Clearing if you:
* Apply after 30th June
* Didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept)
* Didn’t meet your offers’ conditions
How does clearing work?
Missing UCAS deadlines or your grades mustn’t be the end of the world. Clearing is an ideal way for you to still find a course and fills ca. 10% of university places. Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and LSE usually don’t enter clearing because of high competition beforehand. With other universities, however, Clearing is available after you’ve received your results. Once you receive them, Clearing allows you to identify interesting courses that still have open places and contact the universities directly.
The most reliable place to find course vacancies is on the university websites themselves. You can also find vacancy lists on the UCAS and Daily Telegraph websites. When considering which courses to choose, remember that you can try again with one of the courses you didn’t get into as they may reconsider you. To enter Clearing, you complete the application as normal except that you don’t add course choices. After submitting your application you receive a Clearing Number, which allows you to access the UCAS Track service. Once you receive a verbal offer form the universities you contacted directly, you can add the course in Track. Make sure to never enter a course before getting confirmation from the university since this will slow down the process and you may miss your spot!
How do I contact universities?
Calling universities directly may seem incredibly daunting but it really mustn’t be. You’ll most likely be speaking with someone on the Clearing helpline and the admissions tutor who will ask you questions about your grades and interest in the course. Remember that this is the time to sell yourself, so make sure you do some research beforehand. The university will then either offer you a place straight away – usually for 12-48 hours – put you on a reserve list or turn you down. You may need to scan certain documents, so make sure you make provisions for that.
While you call around, ensure you keep track of whom you’ve been speaking to, their job title and a short summary of that they said to you. This will help you outsmart confusion as you speak to many universities in a short period of time. However, remember that you can only make one Clearing choice at a time via UCAS Track, so only enter choices, which you are 100% sure you want to accept.
Contact us for help with Clearing
If you wish to enter Clearing once you receive your exam results, Über Tutors can help you prepare and make the right university choices. Find out more about our bespoke education consultancy service by contacting us today. Call 02030867311 or email info@ubertutors.co.uk to speak to one of our experts.
