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Clearing and results day FAQs

Your frequently asked questions on results day and Clearing answered, and advice on what to do if things don’t turn out as you’d hoped.

Girl researching Clearing questions

CONTENTS

  1. Results day FAQs

  2. Clearing FAQs

  3. Clearing and results day FAQs for parents

Results day FAQs

Results day can be an emotional time and it can be hard to organise all the thoughts and questions you may have.

How should you prepare for results day?

Whatever your expectations, you should have a contingency plan in place. 

Carefully consider all your options, including resitting your exams, deferring, taking a gap year, or reapplying next year. 

If you're feeling nervous, talk to people who've experienced results day already, whether that’s a parent, older sibling, friend, or teacher. 

Read our FAQs and take a look at our results day and Clearing page for more info.

How do you check if you have a place at university?

The best way is to regularly check your UCAS Hub. 

UCAS Hub updates as soon as updates are received from universities. This tends to be at around 8:30 am, but be ready from 8 am on results day. Even if you don't get the grades you need, you should check your UCAS Hub first as you may still be offered a place. 

Remember to have your password and ID number for UCAS Hub at hand and check your email inbox isn’t full and can accept bulk emails. Many universities will send confirmation messages automatically to a list of their applicants. 

What should you do if you're away for results day?

Our advice is never be away on results day, but if unavoidable there are measures you can take. 

Make arrangements with your school to get access to your results if you can't get them online. You should also check your UCAS Hub as soon as possible on results day. If you need to go through Clearing, don’t leave it till you get back to contact universities as this could reduce your options significantly. 

You’ve got your expected results and met the entry requirements of your Conditional Firm (CF) choice. Do you need to do anything on results day?

Congratulations! You should have a place at your first-choice university. 

Still check UCAS Hub for peace of mind, especially if you have an offer expressed in UCAS points rather than grades. Once Hub confirms you’ve met the conditions of your offer, wait for the confirmation email from your university. Check that the university has the right email address and that your inbox is set up to receive messages from them. 

If you have any questions for your university, it’s best to wait until the following week to contact them as they’ll be extremely busy for the first few days after results come out.  
Once you've celebrated, you can start thinking about preparing to go to university. 

You just missed out on your Conditional Firm (CF) choice. Is it worth calling them to see if they’ll still offer you a place?

Yes, it's worth contacting them, but be aware it may not change anything. 

This will usually mean the course is full, but it’s worth calling to see if anyone decides not to take their offer. The university may be able to offer you an alternative, similar course, for example via joint honours or with a foundation year. 

You haven’t achieved the grades needed for your chosen university. What can you do? 

Stay positive! You have a number of options. You could find an alternative course or university via Clearing and can read more about this below in our Clearing FAQs. 

Alternatively, you might consider resitting your exams or taking a gap year.

What if you want to appeal your A Level results?

Some students will be unhappy with what they were awarded, but there are options. Read more about how to appeal your A Level results and find out the best course of action. 

Clearing FAQs

Clearing is available for students who don't get their required grades, don't receive an offer, haven't yet applied or have chosen to self-release.

What's UCAS Clearing? How does Clearing work?

UCAS Clearing is a way of matching universities without students to students without a university place. 

Clearing can be used by almost any potential student, whether applying late or for strategic reasons – for example, trading up to a university you initially thought you wouldn't get into.   

Who can use UCAS Clearing and Clearing self-release?

All students are eligible. It’s most often used by those who haven't got the grades needed to secure their place, those who applied later, those who got no offers or those who don’t want to take the place they’ve been offered. 

UCAS applications received after the 30 June deadline, or students who miss their grade target, are automatically entered into Clearing. 

Self-release allows students who are already holding a university place to release themselves into Clearing rather than wait for their original choice of university to release them. Self-release is available in UCAS Hub from July onwards. 

Those who haven't yet applied to any universities can also apply through Clearing once they have their results. However, you'll need to have completed a UCAS application to use Clearing. 

You can apply online through UCAS Apply. Don't forget you'll need a reference as well as your personal statement. 

Is there a difference for international students in Clearing? 

You should aim to go through this process as quickly and early as possible, as there are some differences in applying through Clearing for international students. 

You may have to apply for a student visa. This can take time if there are lots of people applying at the same time. 

You might have to take some tests such as a language assessment to secure a place. Your university may also ask to have an interview with you. Ask each university directly what they need as it'll vary depending on where you're from and the university you’re going to. 

If you're taking International Baccalaureate exams, you'll have an advantage over UK students when using Clearing. This is because most UK students don't get exam results until August. 

To find out more read our Clearing advice for international and EU students 

What's the best way to approach Clearing?

A positive attitude can go a long way to being successful in Clearing. Make a list of universities with available courses that you’d consider, their phone numbers and email addresses. Think about what you might say beforehand and make notes if you need to. 

It’s important to make the call yourself rather than asking someone to do this on your behalf, unless you have a disability that necessitates this. When you call universities, be positive about yourself and the university. Remember you're competing for places with other students.

Be prepared to say why you want to study that particular course at that particular institution and what you can offer. Be ready to answer questions on your exam results, your motivation and your experience. Staff want to feel confident that you want to study there and that you’re not choosing them out of desperation. Prepare your own questions to ask them too.

Getting a place through Clearing isn't as difficult as it sounds, and you may be surprised at the number of vacancies. However, depending on your results there'll be some courses and universities that'll be unattainable, and recognising this early on will save you a lot of time. 

Read our top tips for preparing for a Clearing call.

What are the Clearing 2024 dates?

UCAS Clearing 2024 runs from 5 July until 21 October 2024.

While you can't apply through Clearing until you have your results, you should avoid being in Clearing all the way up to the October deadline. The longer you leave it, the fewer places will be available. 

See the full breakdown of this year's application deadlines.

How will you know if you're in Clearing?

Your UCAS Hub status will say ‘you are in Clearing’ or ‘Clearing has started’. 

If you didn’t match the entry requirements but your Hub status doesn't say you’re in Clearing, it could mean your results haven't been updated or the universities are still considering your application. 

Which universities accept students through Clearing?

There’s a stereotype associated with Clearing that only less prestigious universities will have spaces available. This isn't true. The university places available through Clearing varies each year based on which courses have places still to fill. 

Can you reject your insurance offer and go through Clearing instead?

Yes, you can now self-release yourself into Clearing.

You no longer have to wait to be released by your insurance choice, but can do it yourself, saving valuable time.

Can you change your mind about your course and go through Clearing instead? 

You can. You'll need to get in touch with the uni you originally applied to and ask to be released (make sure you do this as soon as you can). After they release you, you'll be entered into Clearing. 

Will universities go below their usual entry requirements during Clearing?

Within the context of Clearing, they may well go lower than the offer listed on their prospectus. It depends on how much demand each university and course have, as well as the grades of other interested students. The best way to find out is to ask the universities directly.  

If you get multiple offers through Clearing, can you put them all into UCAS Track?

You can only add one Clearing choice at a time. If the university doesn't confirm your place, you can then add another. 

You’ve applied for deferred entry to university and have been unsuccessful with both your Conditional Firm (CF) and Conditional Insurance (CI) choices. Can you go through Clearing or will you have to reapply?

You can go through Clearing, but not to apply for a deferred place. 

Typically, you can only use Clearing to secure a place on a course for the upcoming academic year. However, if you want to enquire further, it’s worth calling the university to at least ask. 

Is it true you can't enter Clearing until you've been declined by your choices?

Not at all. 

You'll automatically be entered into the Clearing process if you don't get an offer from either your CF or CI choices. 

You didn’t meet either of your offers but the universities haven’t declined yet. What should you do?

Call the universities to check the status of your application. 

It may be that some results are missing, or you haven't met the grades and universities are placing near misses such as yourself to see who they can take. They could also be waiting for other candidates' results to come in before deciding. 

The UCAS system can take time to update. If it hasn't been updated later in the day, make a start on your plan B and start calling a few universities with Clearing vacancies.  

You can’t get through using the hotline number. What should you do?

Be patient. Unfortunately, this is the reality of Clearing! 

University hotlines will be extremely busy but persevere and you’ll get through eventually. You could also try emailing or contacting on social media, but calling is likely to be the quickest and most direct route – even if it doesn't feel like it. 

You'd like to go through Clearing but haven’t applied yet. When's the deadline for Clearing and can you still apply through it?

You can still apply but you'll need to get organised. 

You’ll need to complete the UCAS application as normal, including a personal statement. You can’t add course choices but once registered, you’ll get an email with a link to UCAS Hub and your Clearing number. 

Does going through Clearing affect getting your student loan?

If you've already applied for funding but changed your course or university, you need to update your details as soon as possible. 

If you've made your first application through Clearing and haven't applied for finance yet, you need to apply now to give yourself the best possible chance of getting your first loan in time for starting your course. 

There's a possibility you won't get your loan in time for the start of the year. 

How do you find accommodation while going through Clearing?

If the course and university are right, go for it and think about accommodation later. But if you've got a few options, accommodation availability could be a useful way to decide where to go. 

You’ll need to stay relaxed and be prepared to compromise. If the university you want to go to has run out of spaces in the type of accommodation you’re after, then you'll have to think about what's more important to you: your university or where you live. 

Be proactive. Go to house viewings, keep ringing the accommodation providers or estate agents, get onto social media groups to find potential housemates, and do your research. The accommodation you end up in can have a major bearing on your first-year experience, so it's worth putting in the effort to find somewhere right for you. 

  1. READ MORE
  2. Student accommodation
  3. Student halls and houses
  4. How much does uni accommodation cost?
  5. Student housing: private sector

Clearing and results day FAQs for parents

How long does your child have to find a course through Clearing? 

The last day to add a Clearing choice and for universities to accept Clearing applicants in 2024 is 17 October. However, your child should aim to get a place through Clearing as quickly as possible as spaces will be filled quickly. 

What steps does your child need to take between results day and starting university? 

Once your child has secured a place at university, there’s some serious preparation to be done before they start. 

The main things they'll need to sort out are finances and accommodation. These aren’t the most exciting tasks, but they're important. Your child should also open a student bank account – most major banks offer these with varying incentives, so shop around to find the best one. 

They should also use this time to start deciding what possessions they're going to take with them and what can be left at home.

How can you help your child prepare for university? 

There are many ways you can help your child prepare for independent life at university. 

Teaching your child practical skills for independent living is important. If they don’t do these things already, use the time between results day and start of university to get them doing their own washing and cooking their own meals.  

Budgeting is also very important. Sit down with them and work out how much money they’ll have per week, and if they’ll need any additional financial support.

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