Clearing 2019

What is it?

Put simply, Clearing refers to how universities fill any spaces they have left in their courses – or spaces that open up later on. You can apply for Clearing in the following situations:

·      You don’t meet the conditions of your offers, after getting your exam results.

·      You haven’t accepted any offers (or not received any).

·      You’re applying after 30th June.

·      You want to change your mind (new for 2019!)

 

For a ‘regular’ UCAS application, you’re free to apply to any course, anywhere. For Clearing, you can only apply to courses where the university has indicated they have spaces. You also need to contact the university directly.

Before Results Day:

If you have already accepted an offer, then hopefully you are enjoying your summer. You deserve it! However, make sure that you are available on the morning of results day, just in case. Consider going into school or college if you’re able: that way, you’re in easy reach of people who can give you advice.

If you have no offers – because you haven’t accepted or received any – then Clearing is open from the start of July.  Remember, your first port of call is now search.ucas.com. This is where all the vacancies are listed, as well as details of how to contact the admissions team.

If you still haven’t applied – what are you waiting for? Make sure you have an excellent undergraduate personal statement to convince the university. All applications after the start of July are handled through Clearing, although you will still need to register on UCAS.

If you want to change your mind, you are now able to decline any offers you might have, even if you’ve already accepted them. There are many reasons why you might do this, especially if you accepted your place six months ago and are having second thoughts. Since 2019, UCAS now offers online self-release. You can decline your place at any time, without having to get permission from the university first. (https://www.ucas.com/advisers/guides-and-resources/adviser-news/news/new-2019-online-self-release-clearing)

On Results Day:

Most people will only use Clearing after they know their exam results. Unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan on results day. Most offers of a university place are conditional offers – they rely on you getting the grades the university requires. Sometimes they can be flexible. If you narrowly miss out on the grades you need in August, your university might still let you in, so it’s important to give them a call first. However, here’s what to do if it’s bad news:

1.     Get advice.

Try to speak to your UCAS co-ordinator, careers adviser, or exams officer as soon as possible. They can talk you through your options and give you realistic advice on where to go next.

 

2.     Check the UCAS search tool.

This will tell you what courses are still available at which universities, and is easy to use. You don’t even need to be logged on: just go to search.ucas.com. The more flexible you are, the more options you will have. You might even find a suitable (but slightly different) course at your original first choice university. For example, you could choose a related subject, or combined/joint honours. If you were hoping for your degree to lead you into a particular job, remember that you can always study a postgraduate qualification – formerly known as a conversion course – after your first degree.  This is particularly common for Law and teaching, but there are also options for Medicine, Nursing, and Psychology. (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/conversion-courses)

 

3.     Keep checking.

One big myth about Clearing is that all the places are released on the morning of results day – and when they’re gone, they’re gone. In fact, offers are made throughout August and even into September. Even people who have met all their offer conditions might suddenly decide to drop out, which means that their university place is now open to offered to someone else. This is likely to be even more common this year thanks to online self-release.

4.     Pick up the phone!

Even though everything else is done online, this stage still works the old-fashioned way. Once you’ve found a course you’re interested in, make a note of your Clearing ID and your UCAS Personal ID. Any university will need this so that they can look at your details. Take a little time to think about what you’re going to say. Your personal statement and exam results will be important, but so will the impression you give over the phone. Try to sound positive about the university and course. If there are personal circumstances that led to you not meeting your results, you might be asked about this these (so it’s probably a good idea to make the call somewhere private). Finally, don’t worry if you had already applied to this university as part of your original UCAS application – it’s still worth giving them a call.

Hopefully, you will be given an informal offer over the phone. You don’t have to accept this straight away. It’s best to call a range of universities and spend a little time making sure you make the right decision for you. The important thing is not to rush. You don’t need to apply for the first course you see with a space, or accept the first offer you’re given. Remember, once you accept an offer you are committing yourself to spending three (or more) years studying this course at this university.

And finally…

Don’t panic. 60,000 students every year achieve their university place through Clearing. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and universities will not turn you away because of bad luck in exams, applying late, or deciding on a different course. Once they start their course, however, their experience is the same as everyone else’s – and most students enjoy their university years enormously.

We are here to help call us anytime for personal statement help during clearing on 020 364 07691.