Few questions

I don't want to go to my insurance anymore so do I email the department asking to be released? (should I be saying released or reject?)

If your offer for example is AAA and you get abb is it possible for the university to still accept you which will show on track?

In clearing/adjustment what number do you contact? Department number?

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A) email the uni and just explain that you would not take up the place if your firm rejects you and want to go straight into clearing instead. Do NOT use the words release, reject or withdraw as they have very specific meanings none of which apply in your case

B) it is possible for a uni with an aaa offer to take abb. If they've decided by wednesday afternoon and sent that decision to ucas then it will show on track. If track hasn't updated then you should call them up to find out when they will decide.

C) the numbers will all be in the telegraph clearing supplement so easiest to get a copy of that. Otherwise check a uni website for a clearing hotline number or call their main switchboard and ask to be transferred.

Can you just remind me what the different words mean? I keep on forgetting which one is which and tie myself in knots trying to avoid using any one of them. I fall back on phrases like 'asking them to let you go' to avoid getting them wrong. I think it'd be a useful bit of information to be stickied to the top of this forum, actually.

A release can only be done if someone is UF on track and sends someone straight into clearing.

A reject can only be done if someone is CF/CI on track and sends someone either to their insurance or straight into clearing - however UCAS while this *can* be done if someone has met their offer conditions UCAS get a bit funny about it. Also if it is used to send someone from firm to insurance then it has to be with agreement from both if the applicant has met offer conditions for the firm.

A withdraw can either be from a specific choice or from UCAS altogether. In this case what will probably be done would be a "withdraw of offer by the uni" (even though a reject would be easier and is possible to do it is not best practice)....BUT most applicant initiated withdrawals would take someone out of UCAS altogether (hence the don't use this word!).

Ok, thanks. That's great. For the majority of cases, reject is likely to be the one used, if the applicant is the standard yr 13 applicant without grades in hand who wants to go somewhere else before results are out, then?

Release is for results day if the applicant has made the grade and gone UF on Track and changes their mind, as well as for those applying with known grades before results day who change their mind? Am I right there?

I will avoid withdraw like the plague and continue to advise people to be very, very specific about what they want to happen when talking on the phone, just in case!

For people who don't have their grades UCAS get very snitty about unis using rejections to pass them onto insurance/clearing. In that case it would ideally be a uni initiated withdraw...but I wouldn't suggest any applicant use that word on the phone!

Likewise lots of people who want to go to their insurance use the word release which would send em straight into clearing.

It's best all round to avoid the technical terms and just stick with a description of what they want the end result to be: "I want X as my form, Y as my insurance" or "I want X as my firm with no insurance" or "Although Y is my insurance I want it to be my firm with X (my current firm) as my insurance" or "I want to be in clearing now to look elsewhere"