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Follow our step-by-step guide to Clearing
You can apply through Clearing if:
- you haven’t met the conditions of your offers
- you haven’t made a UCAS application this year
- you haven’t received any offers (or none that you want to accept).
I'd already gone through the whole application process on UCAS, but once I had figured out that I definitely wanted to study at Plymouth, it was so late that I then had to apply at the last minute. Applying through Clearing at the University was easy. I phoned the hotline and asked if they still had space on the course and they said yes! Then it took me maybe a week in total to go through Clearing, then apply and deny my other offers.
BA (Hons) Anthropology student
Once you go through clearing, there are so many options and places at universities that you can go to, ones that you may not have even explored before.
BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health) student
Take another look at courses
Consider studying a foundation year
One parent’s 10 tips for other parents during Clearing
Our son did look at league tables for his subject and locations he was interested in, but I tried to remind him other things were important to him initially and that the league tables fluctuate so much, they aren’t everything. From our own experience with Clearing, here are some suggestions...
- Do some further research on the universities and courses you have as offers
- Make a list of others that you might also consider in Clearing
- Look for student reviews and even live chats (not directly on their website)
- Just before Clearing, have links or open web pages for all the university course pages – get phone numbers and pre-register
- Make sure phones and laptops, etc. are all fully charged
- Check on anything important like clubs and societies, guaranteed accommodation, or halls policies and costs, and make a shortlist
- Speak to friends who are considering university to see what they’re researching
- See whether your child can talk to one of the lecturers or a student who is studying the subject they are interested in
- Double-check any reviews before accepting
- Ensure that your child has made a note of names and contact details and is clear on what they need to do next
I basically hung around my son’s room and joined him (when I was allowed!). The key was to let him know I was showing an active interest in his research, and ultimately encouraging him to come to his own decision.