Troubleshooting - When things don’t quite go to plan...
Anything that happens outside of the ‘normal’ UCAS process has the potential for issues to occur. By following the advice above, you should limit the chances of any problems, however things unfortunately do still go wrong on occasion. The process is not perfect, and mistakes can be made on both the side of the applicant and the university. Here’s how to deal with the most common issues.
Can I be rejected after I’ve entered a Clearing choice on Track?
Yes - there are three main reasons why this may happen.
The first is failing to obtain a verbal offer before adding the choice on Track. The university won’t accept someone they have never heard of - some applicants seem to think this is worth a try, however this is always unsuccessful and only serves to waste time. If you’ve done this, you would need to contact the university to explain, and ask them to make a decision on your application asap so that you can apply elsewhere.
The second possible reason is that you have failed to add the choice by the deadline specified by the university at the time of the offer.
The third reason is some sort of error or misrepresentation - perhaps the university misunderstood your grades, or there is an issue with your transcript. This is more complex and it is important to have a record of exactly who you spoke to and what they said. In this scenario, please start a thread or comment, so we can provide additional help.
If you do find you have been rejected and can’t work out why, it’s important that you contact the university as soon as possible to find out the reason so it can be addressed.
Universities are not permitted to change their mind once a verbal offer has been made. Universities should not give out verbal offers and rescind these unless you have misrepresented yourself or have given false or incorrect information.
I accepted a Clearing offer and added it to Track, but I’ve changed my mind. What do I do?
Once you have accepted a verbal offer and added it to UCAS Track, you are committed to that offer to some degree, so it’s important you are sure about your choice before entering it.
If you definitely do not wish to attend that university, you would need to contact the university, explain the situation and request that they place you back in Clearing. The university is under no obligation to do this quickly, and are likely to prioritise their applicants who want to attend their university. It's a good idea to ask what their timescale for this is, and also to contact the university you actually want to go to in order to make them aware of the delay, and make sure that they are happy to wait.
I have been accepted into my firm/insurance but I’ve seen something I love in Clearing. Can I apply?
Firstly, you would need to call the university in Clearing to see if the place is still available and get a preliminary idea of whether they would accept you. Bear in mind that without a Clearing ID, the university may not wish to make any commitment or give you any indication, in which case you need to decide whether the risk is worthwhile to you.
Only once you are absolutely certain this is what you want to do, and that you understand you will hold no university place, you can use UCAS Track to place yourself in Clearing. You can do this by following the ‘Decline my place’ option on Track and filling in the form. Once you have been placed into Clearing, you can follow the normal Clearing process of adding the choice to your UCAS track.
Do be aware that there is risk associated with this - you will hold no confirmed place during this process and will need to work to the timescales set by the new university. Be aware that UCAS are often unable to assist with this.
I have been accepted by my firm but I now want to go to my insurance, what do I do?
You would need to follow the same steps as above, as once you have met the conditions of your firm choice, your insurance offer ceases to exist. You would initially need to contact the insurance choice to explain the situation, and see if they still have places and would be willing to consider you.
I’m waiting for a decision from my firm/insurance, but I've found a course I like in clearing, what do I do?
You can call your firm/insurance to let them know you no longer want to be considered so that they can record an unsuccessful decision and then you can be placed in Clearing.
It is important to ask them the timescale for this and to follow up regularly - universities will generally prioritise filling their courses.UCAS will normally be able to help you out in this situation if you are having trouble with delays from your original university.
I’m worried about accommodation. Won’t it all be taken by the time I apply?
This is something it’s important to discuss with universities at the time when you are given a verbal offer. Some universities may have places in their own accommodation, others may not. Some universities can offer you additional support if you are accepted in Clearing to secure private accommodation.
Generally it’s unlikely you would be stuck without any accommodation at all - even if what is available would not be your first choice.
Have a question that isn’t answered here? Post in the thread and our UCAS trained Clearing and Applications Advisers will do their best to help!