Answers to How Results Day and Clearing Work in Getting into University
Firstly, the key thing to know about results day and clearing is that, although they can be intimidating, there is absolutely no need to panic. If things don’t go the way you expected, there is an amazing support network at UCAS and through universities that are hoping to match up students with courses that work for them. Results day and clearing have some myths around them, so read on to find out exactly how it works.
Talk me through results day and Clearing…
You’ll receive email communication from UCAS and universities in the morning, so you can check your results before going into school if that makes you more comfortable.
When you get into your school, you receive a letter with your results in it. If you’ve met your required grades, you don’t need to accept the offer in Track – you’ve already confirmed your place. The exception is if you have an open offer from Oxford, whereby you will need to accept the offer from the college on Track.
If you’re unsure, check your UCAS account. If you missed your firm offer grades but made your insurance offer, you don’t need to accept it formally. Check any communication from your university to see if they require anything more from you, as they may want some documentation for medical requirements or proof of grades.
For more information, read all the information you need to reply to UCAS offers.
However, there are some other elements to this results day, and clearing is the one which most people worry about. It is essentially the way that universities fill up space on courses which aren’t full yet, and it has some great opportunities available, so let’s look at that in more detail.
How exactly does clearing work?
The first thing to remember about clearing is that there are lots of great options out there; there are many reasons why a university course might not be full. In 2018, many Russell Group universities such as Bristol and Manchester had places available on results day and Clearing is how they filled them. It’s an opportunity to find a course which works for you when the universities have all the information they need.
If you missed your grades, the first thing to do is ring the university which made you the offer you were hoping to make. They may still take you if you missed your offer, or they may offer you a place on a different course. Don’t panic and accept a place on a related course which doesn’t sound as appealing if you aren’t sure. The next thing to do is to ring other universities. You can find a list of available courses on UCAS and you can find out if a university would take you through this system. By confirming if a university would take you, you can hold several informal offers from universities and weigh up your options. If a university makes you a formal, verbal offer over the phone, only accept it if you really intend to attend this course.
There is a lot to do on results day, especially if you don’t reach your expected entry requirements, and Clearing can be fast-paced. Keep notes of who you speak to, their job title, and exactly which course they are offering you. It’s easy to get confused if you speak to several people, so you should have all the information to hand.
Finally…
Once you’ve received a formal verbal offer, you can then add your Clearing choice in Track. Do not add this choice unless you have permission from the university, and remember that entering this information means you have committed to this course. You can only add one Clearing choice so make sure it’s the right one.
Once you’ve been confirmed – congratulations! You have your place at university, and you can celebrate having made it through the whole results day and Clearing process.
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