UCAS - Advice for Scottish university and college applicants as results day approaches

Advice for Scottish university and college applicants as results day approaches

With just hours to go until Scottish results day, UCAS advisers, including our social media team, are available to help anyone with questions about the Confirmation and Clearing process.

UCAS figures released after 30 June - the deadline for making university choices - show that 42,515 people from Scotland have applied to higher education in the UK so far this year. Some 41,719 of those applied to Scottish institutions.

Applicants can log in to Track on the UCAS website, at www.ucas.com/students/track/ from around 09:00 on SQA results day (7 August) to see if they have been accepted or are eligible for Clearing - but they won't be able to make a formal Clearing choice until early afternoon. They should call universities and colleges beforehand, to discuss courses that interest them, in search of a provisional offer.

After checking their status in Track, eligible applicants can browse Clearing vacancies on the UCAS website.

Andrea Robertson, Director of Customer Operations at UCAS offered this advice to applicants: 'If you achieve the results you need for your firm or insurance choice, then congratulations on all your hard work. If your grades don't quite meet the offer requirements, there's no need to panic.

'Clearing is there to help anyone who is without a place on results day, for whatever reason. You can find detailed guidance about the Clearing process on the UCAS website, alongside courses still available.

'It's very important to be flexible and determined when looking at the alternatives, and to research the requirements properly. You should be as well informed as possible before you make that call to admissions staff to discuss your potential acceptance.'

In 2011, 1,395 Scottish students found a place through Clearing, and 1,210 of those went to institutions in Scotland.

Expert advisers from UCAS will be on hand to answer questions on 0871 468 0 468 from 08:30 on Scottish results day.

Our social media team will be available at the same time, and you can put your questions to them on Twitter and Facebook.

You can access these and other digital services, such as advice videos, by visiting www.ucasconnect.com. UCAS Connect is also available as a mobile app on Android, Apple and Nokia devices.

If you don't get the results you expected (whether higher or lower) and need advice about future options, you might also find it helpful to contact professional careers advisers on the free Skills Development Scotland Exam Results Helpline 0808 100 8000. The line is open from 08:00 on Scottish results day.

Media contacts

UCAS Press Office: 01242 545 469

James Woodward, Press Officer
Email: j.woodward@ucas.ac.uk

James Durant, Press Officer
Email: j.durant@ucas.ac.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is a charity and is the world's leading shared admissions service for higher education. We manage applications from over 650,000 applicants each year for full-time undergraduate courses at over 300 institutions across the UK.

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