On results day, if you don’t get the grades you need, don’t panic! Clearing is a process designed to help you find a place at an alternative university or possibly on a slightly different course.UCAS clearing takes place between results day (13th August) and 20th September. You can take advantage of the Clearing process if you’ve applied through UCAS for a place at university and you meet one of the following criteria:
You haven’t received any offers
You’ve declined all your offers or not responded by the agreed deadline
You haven’t got the grades required to confirm your conditional offer
You’ve turned down a course because the details have changed
You’ve only applied to one university and have been declined.
Your application was received after 30th June 2014
What to do when you go through clearingCheck the Track section of the UCAS website which will tell you if you are eligible to enter Clearing. A clearing number must appear to apply for a clearing place.How many clearing choices can I make?You can only add one clearing choice, so do not do this until you are sure which one you want and they have told you to apply. If you just jump ahead and apply to them without having called then they might just reject you…plus you’ll have to wait until they do this before you can apply for anything else.If I'm going through clearing - what do I need?Take a bit of time to prepare yourself. Ringing universities to sell yourself can be nerve-racking and you want to get it right. It’s a good idea to have a copy of your personal statement to hand because you are going to be ringing people and selling yourself to them. If you got some very good results then big these up and no matter how down you feel – sound enthusiastic!What about accommodation?Some universities reserve and guarantee accommodation for those entering through Clearing. You should be able to find this out on their website.If the university you are applying to cannot guarantee you accommodation, they will help you find somewhere to stay. They will give you lists of approved landlords and/or details of suitable private accommodation.Read our full results day guide on our advice page for loads more information that will help you get through results day
