Clearing the way
Friday 21 August 2009
Didn’t get the results you expected? Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Every year 30,000 students get accepted to uni or college through a process called Clearing.
What is Clearing?
Clearing lets you apply for a place at university or college even if you didn’t get the results you expected.
You can also use Clearing if:-
- you don’t hold any offers
- you decided to reject all your current offers
- you didn’t reply to any of your offers by the due date
- you sent your UCAS application after 30th June
Another way to find out whether you are eligible is by logging in to the 'Track' service on the UCAS website. If you are eligible then an ‘Add Clearing Choice’ button will appear on your ‘Choices’ screen. If you don't know your username or password then you can get help here.
Be quick...
The service is open until mid-September. This might seem like a long time but Clearing can be a long and stressful process, so make sure you start it as soon as possible.
You’ll also need to be available to speak to universities and colleges over the phone or face-to-face so try not to book any holidays until you’ve got it sorted.
Check out course vacancies here.
Step-by-step guide on clearing
Get some career advice
Contact Connexions if you need more advice on your options.
Take a look at the vacancies
All course vacancies are published on the UCAS website and national press from 20th August (5th August for Scottish vacancies). The page is updated constantly so you’ll always be kept up to date.
Remember, there’s nothing stopping you from applying to a course that is completely different from your original choices. Now that you’ve got your grades back you may have a better understanding of what subjects you’re good at.
If you turned down an offer earlier in the year then you can contact the uni or college again to see if they will accept you through Clearing, either for the same course or any other.
Contact a university or college
When you’ve found a vacancy you’re interested in contact the admissions department at the institution. They’ll ask you for your Clearing Number which you can find on ‘Track’. This number lets them view your application so that they can confirm whether they’ll be able to consider you for Clearing or not.
Accepting a vacancy
When a college or uni offers you a provisional place, they’ll give you a date that you’ll have to accept by. You can do this by clicking ‘Add Clearing Choice’ and entering the details of the uni or college and the course details. You can only do this if you’ve been offered a place though.
Confirmed!
You can find out whether you’ve been officially confirmed for a place on ‘Track’. UCAS will also send you an information pack. However, if you haven’t been accepted then the ‘Add Clearing Choice’ will become available again.
