We know how stressful it can be to miss the A-Level grades you need to land your first-choice university. Our guide to UCAS clearing explains how clearing works and how we can help and support students through the UCAS clearing process. Our aim is to help them find a university and course that fulfils their academic ambitions.
Experts in education consulting, we remove the stress by working with you to navigate Clearing to find a university course to suit you.
So, If results day doesn’t go as you’d hoped or you’ve changed your mind about what or where you want to study then we can help you fulfill your educational aspirations.
If you engage Wendover Education and are unsure where or what to apply for, we will discuss different course options with you and their availability in Clearing. Once we have all your details including your results and UCAS ID we can act as your agent and contact the universities directly on your behalf. We will set up a WhatsApp group with you to ensure that communication is quick so that there are no delays in responding to any requests from universities or offers.
Please read below for a general guide to UCAS Clearing and how it works.
What is UCAS Clearing?
Universities use Clearing to fill any spaces remaining on their courses and students without offers are given a second chance to find a course and university to fulfill their educational aspirations. In 2023 a total of 38,140 students managed to secure their university places through UCAS Clearing. There are thousands of courses available each year to apply for in Clearing.
When does Clearing open?
Clearing is open from July to October each year, meaning that for 2024/25, if you already have your grades but aren’t holding an offer from a university, you can use the Clearing service straight away from Friday 5 July 2024.
The majority of courses are available on A Level results day on 15th August 2024, so if you had conditional offers but your grades didn’t go to plan you can enter Clearing from 15 August onwards. All students (including mature students and international students) who have applied to universities and colleges via UCAS will receive a notification on results day, stating whether they have met the conditions of their offer. Those who haven’t met these conditions will be eligible for UCAS Clearing.
Who can use Clearing?
Clearing can help if you fall into any of these categories:
- You didn’t get the grades you needed for your firm or insurance choices.
- You got better grades than expected and you want to apply to a different university.
- You applied to University through UCAS but are not holding any offers.
- You didn’t apply before the 30 June deadline, but you want to go to university this year.
- You’ve changed your mind about your choice of course or university.
How does Clearing work?
Courses for popular subjects can fill up quickly but many courses won’t be filled by the time universities stop accepting applications. Clearing is an opportunity for universities to fill those courses and open up more opportunities to students who are looking. Most universities will set up Clearing hotlines for students to call once they have received their grades. Once all the places are filled on a course, it will be closed so its good to act quickly once you have received your results.
When you sign into UCAS on August 15th, it will state whether you have met the conditions of your offer. If you haven’t, your Track status will say ‘You are in Clearing’ or ‘Clearing has started’. Courses will be available to search in the UCAS search facility. Once you have identified a course you then need to contact the University directly with the course details you are interested in.
If the University is happy to accept the application with your grades, you’ll be given an informal offer. You can get as many informal offers as you like, but you can only add one course at a time to your UCAS Hub, so make sure you’re certain before you add the course as a Clearing choice on UCAS. You then wait for the institution to confirm your place which will show as an acceptance on your choices page in UCAS track.
How can I prepare for Clearing?
You may not need to use Clearing but it’s good to be prepared for any outcomes on results day. It’s a first come first served system and places are only available until the course is filled so the sooner you contact the university the better.
Start researching into alternative courses and universities before results day and make a note of the course number, title, grade boundaries and admission number. Make yourself aware of clearing hotline numbers and contacts for universities you might want to apply to.
Good luck to all students on results day!
If you need help with clearing please contact us via [email protected]
