UCAS - Clearing

Clearing

If your students don't get the exam grades they hoped for and their places are not confirmed, there is a good chance that they could find another course through Clearing.

The Clearing process runs from mid-July and helps students who have not got the right grades (or who have applied late) to find courses where there are still places available.

The Clearing vacancy search will list courses available in Clearing from:

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) results day for vacancies in Scotland
A level results day, vacancies in the rest of the UK - 15 August for 2013.

Official vacancy lists are published on the UCAS website.

Your students need to be available in person to deal with admissions tutors and make decisions. They should plan their summer holiday so they are at home when their exam results come out.

In Clearing, applicants can apply for any course that has places left. They don't have to keep to the same subjects that they first applied for.

Eligibility for Clearing

If applicants only made one choice on their original application and paid the reduced fee (£12 for 2013), they can go through Clearing if they pay us the additional £11. Your students will be able to go through Clearing if one of the following situations applies:

they hold no offers and they have not withdrawn from the UCAS scheme
their offers have not been confirmed because they have not met the conditions
they decline or do not reply to a confirmed offer of a changed course and, as a result, hold no offers
they apply for one course which is declined/unsuccessful and they have paid the full application fee (£23 for 2013)
we receive their application after 30 June. If we receive it after this date, we will not send it to any universities or colleges.

What your students need to do in Clearing

Once they have their exam results, your students should check the lists for suitable courses and then contact universities and colleges about gaining a place through Clearing. They should do this themselves as admissions tutors will want to speak to them personally, not through their parents or teachers.

If a university or college provisionally offers a student a place in Clearing, they will give them a date by which they must enter their course details in Track. If the applicant wants to be formally considered, they need to click on their 'Add Clearing choice' button in Track and enter the institution and course details. They can only enter details for one choice. Applicants should only enter a Clearing choice if the university or college has provisionally offered them a place on the course and they want to accept it. If a student enters a Clearing choice without discussing it with the university or college, this may delay the progress of their application.

If the applicant is not accepted by the university or college, their 'Add Clearing choice' button in Track will be re-activated so they can apply to another course through Clearing.

More detailed information about Clearing can be found in the students' section.