UCAS Clearing in 2024 Entry

Students go through UCAS Track Clearing for multiple reasons. Some may have missed their offers after receiving lower exam results than expected, and some may have just reconsidered what they want to study and where. If you’re considering UCAS Clearing, don’t stress! Around 1 in 5 students go through the process to get to university, so you’re not alone. Thousands upon thousands of courses offer vacant places so there are plenty of opportunities for you to find a course which you want to study. Whilst this is exciting, the process can be rather overwhelming. To help you on your way, we have created the ultimate guide to UCAS Clearing.

So what is it?

UCAS Clearing is the system universities or colleges use to fill any vacant places they still have on their courses. Depending on your exam results and when you got them, you can apply through it from July to October. If you failed to meet the required grades of your conditional offer or even got better ones than expected, it offers the perfect opportunity to explore different options.

“To apply, you need to make sure you register on the UCAS Track Clearing page using your UCAS Clearing Number.”

UCAS Clearing

One of the main reasons students go through Clearing is because they didn’t get the grades required for their conditional offer. This can therefore be extremely stressful, especially with the high emotions and nerves on results day. Whilst you may feel like you desperately need to accept the first vacancy that you find, take a moment to pause and clear your head. It is important that you don’t rush things – it’s okay to take time to think about what you want your next step to be. Don’t panic.

Although missing an offer is disappointing, consider the fact that this is an exciting opportunity to open a new door and potentially explore a route you hadn’t thought about before! With thousands of courses available every year, there is bound to be a course waiting for you.

The whole university application process is daunting, long, and can be an emotional rollercoaster. from the submission of your personal statement to waiting months to receiving offers, then taking exams and waiting for your results. It is therefore a good idea to find someone who can emotionally support you whilst you go through Clearing. A parent or friend is often the best option.

As soon as you realise you will need to rethink your options after receiving your exam results, talk to a supervisor or trusted mentor at your school or college, someone who knows you well and can help you think of other courses to investigate. You can use the UCAS search tool to see if there are any places available on courses you’d like to study.

UCAS Clearing Number

In the chaos and rush of the day, it can be easy to forget simple things like where your UCAS Clearing Number is, which you will need to make any further applications. You can find this on Track. In the top left corner, under the ‘my status’ section, your number will be displayed.

UCAS Track Clearing

This is where you will apply for any choices. Remember – you can only add a place if you have received a formal or informal offer from that university.

On Track, you will have the option to ‘Add Clearing Choice’ where you will fill in all the details you have been given about the course. The best way to receive an informal offer and get these details is to ring up the university once you have found a course.

Once you have added a choice, this means you have accepted an offer. As a result, you can only submit one choice at a time.

UCAS Clearing Places

If you have missed out on your top choice, don’t worry, there are plenty of places still available across universities in the UK. There are in fact thousands of courses available. To find one which best programme best suits you, make sure to use the UCAS search tool. UCAS is the only place you can find the official vacancy list and it is guaranteed to be as up-to-date as possible. You can find all the available vacancies on UCAS’ search tool once Clearing opens in July.

Sometimes there may not be a university or course which exactly fits your preferences. If this is the case, you may need to rethink what subject you want to study. Perhaps there is another subject you’d like to pursue? Joint honours courses are a good option – you can study a mix of subjects such as History and Spanish. These don’t tend to get applied to directly so often have spaces.

Once you’ve found a course that looks promising, make sure to thoroughly check all the details. Do the modules look exciting?

Make sure to call up the universities who have courses you are interested in. This is your chance to ask questions about the uni, such as accommodation options – if a university no longer has any accommodation available, you may want to reconsider your options. If you’re someone who finds speaking to strangers challenging, it’s a good idea to prepare your questions in advance. On the phone, ask if they would accept you onto the course. You may even be able to ask them to reconsider you if you have already applied but missed your offer. Give the university your clearing number and personal id number so that the can have a look at your application.

Once you’ve got an informal offer over the phone, if you’d like to officially accept it, you can then submit your choice on UCAS Track Clearing.

If you can, it’s a good idea to have a look around the university or college campus to get a real sense of the place. Many now offer virtual open days or virtual tours which you can do using the internet from the comfort of your own home!

UCAS Clearing Dates

Clearing opens on UCAS in July and remains so till October as long as there are still places available.

If you already know your exam results, you can apply from July if you have yet to receive any viable offers. If you did receive conditional offers, i.e. dependent on your exam results, but didn’t get the grades required, you can access it from 15:00 (GMT) on A-Level results day.

Haven’t heard back?

Sometimes it may take some time for university’s decisions to be updated on Track. Don’t worry if this is the case. It may be that they are dealing with a lot of applications and have a backlog to get through. Rest assured that Track will be updated as soon as the admissions team has seen all of your application and your exam results and made a decision.

New Clearing Plus

Implemented for the first time in 2020, you can also use UCAS’ brand new service, Clearing Plus. Aware of the stress, time, and effort it takes to trawl through thousands of possible course options, UCAS have created a service which is designed to match you to specific courses. Using all the information from your application and comparing it with what certain universities are looking for, they will match you with a suggested course.

Student checking UCAS clearing dates for 2021

How can you find Clearing Plus?

If you are faced with no offers or have reapplied, on Track you will now find a button called ‘my matches’. From here you will be taken to a list of 50 courses UCAS believes will be a good match. Whilst this may seem a lot, it is nothing compared to the lists you would otherwise go through just on Clearing Search. Have a good look at the courses suggested and research them thoroughly to see if anything sounds particularly appealing. If some stand out, you can click four options – this will let the universities know that you are interested in their programme. If there are still places on that course and you fit any entry requirements, the admissions team may then get in touch with you. You may be offered an informal offer over the phone after they have effectively conducted a brief interview with you. If you accept, you can then add the course as a Clearing choice.

None of the suggested matches quite right? If you do not wish to pursue any of the courses suggested by UCAS Clearing Plus, you can still use the UCAS search tool to find the right course for you.

What to do if your results are better than expected

Whilst students tend to go through Clearing if they have missed their grades, you can also use it if you have exceeded your predicted grades. If you received lower predicted grades than your exam results, you have the option of applying to universities and colleges which were previously unattainable due to higher entry requirements. This is an exciting opportunity to reassess your options and potentially apply to a better university. Congratulations!

This process is called Adjustment.

You are only eligible for Adjustment if you have met and exceeded the conditions for your firmed choice. For example, if your conditional offer required you to gain BBB, but you in fact achieved grades of AAB, you will be eligible to use Adjustment and apply to a course with higher entry requirements. You can investigate options without losing your initial firmed offer until you decided whether to accept an alternative offer.

This is optional – you do not have to use Adjustment if you got better grades than expected. If you do decide to seek if you can get onto a better course, make sure to bear in mind several factors. Rearranging student finance and finding suitable accommodation options may be difficult, so make sure you do your research before you accept an Adjustment offer. Talk to the admissions tutors you call about any questions you may have, and seek the advice of teachers of supervisors. There is time pressure, so it is important to get support from teachers quickly.

Adjustment is open from results day till the end of August. Once you have registered, you only have 5 days to research and apply for a different course. Unlike normal Clearing, there are no vacancy lists, so you will have to contact universities directly and phone them to see if they can offer you a place. When you do so, make sure to tell them that you are applying through Adjustment. They will then check to see whether you are eligible for the course you are investigating.

If you accept a place through Adjustment, you will lose your firmed choice. This will be changed on Track and the relevant universities will be notified.

How to cope with disappointing exam results

After one or even two years of studying and preparation, receiving disappointing exam results can be extremely stressful. It may feel like you have wasted all the time you spent submitting your initial application, waiting for offers, revising and taking your exams. Don’t panic if your exam results mean you miss out on your offers. There are still plenty of options you can investigate through Clearing.

As soon as you receive your results, if they are not what you had hoped for, get in touch with your teacher or supervisor who can offer some advice and help you work out what to do next, and help you go through Clearing.

It is important you look after your mental health and wellbeing. Finding a vacant place can be overwhelming on the back of bad news, so take time out to calm your brain and put things into perspective. Think about the opportunity you now have to reconsider your options – you have the chance to open a new door!

There are several resources available to help you chat through any worries you may have. These included calling UCAS themselves, or places like the Exam Results Helpline.

Remember, receiving disappointing exam results is not the end of the world. It may feel like it for a time, but it isn’t. There are thousands of courses available so there are plenty of options waiting for you to discover!