Clearing application

Hi can someone please explain clearing applications to me properly , I’ve applied and got a conditional offer. I had to start a UCAS application but I’ve got a conditional offer without a personal statement or reference. Will those still be needed ? ( I haven’t got them because I didn’t apply before) Also , on results day will I need to send my results straight away, is it a first come first serve basis and what do I do if I change my mind ?

What are the conditions stated in your condition offer? Unless they've specified they they need to see a personal statement or reference (which I've never heard of), then you won't need to produce those.

What results are you waiting for? If they're listed on the UCAS "Sending Exam Results" page, here, then you won't need to send them - UCAS will do that for you. This applies to "standard" qualifications like A levels and BTECs. Otherwise, you should send them as soon as you receive them.

If you have met the conditions of your offer, then your place will be confirmed by the university once they have received your results and confirmed that everything is in order. For most people, this happens on results day (as the universities get the results beforehand, so they can do this admin ahead of time). It is not "first come first serve". If you meet the conditions, then you have a place.

If you change your mind, you click "Decline my place" in UCAS Hub and you're back in Clearing. However, there would then be some time pressure to find a course which was available to which you wanted to apply, phone the university to establish whether they'd be able to make you an offer, and then formally apply for it via UCAS Hub.

I have to get 120 tariff points from my A levels and those are the results I’m waiting for. So if I achieve those grades and phone them / provide evidence on results day do I get a place and that’s it I go straight on the course I’ve applied to. I just find it strange that there would be no formal application needed. On the UCAS application they ask for a personal statement which basically is a 4000 word piece of why you’ve chosen the course and you would have to pay a fee of around £60.

In your first post you said "I’ve applied and got a conditional offer". Now you're saying, "I just find it strange that there would be no formal application needed". How did you apply? Via UCAS? If so, then that's your formal application. Where does the £60 figure come from? For 2023 the UCAS fee is £22.50 for a single choice and £27 for multiple choices. Have you not paid UCAS at all? Then how did you apply?

If you meet the conditions of your conditional offer, then you won't even need to phone them. They'll get your A level results before you do, and will update UCAS Hub to note that your place has been confirmed. (Although there's a slim chance that they won't have updated UCAS Hub in time.)

Basically I went onto the unis website and submit a clearing application for a psychology course , they rang me and asked for my qualifications , they asked for English maths and science at GCSE and my predicted A level grades and that was it. They said we are pleased to give you a conditional offer , I asked if I would still need to make a formal UCAS application and she said no but she wasn’t sure. I said £60 because that’s what my friends roughly paid but obviously that was original applications for around 5 choices , so it might not be correct for me. Sorry I’m rubbish at explaining things , but I’m getting a call from a lecturer today so I’ll confirm everything with them

You still need to submit a UCAS application to the uni to be placed there. The clearing offer by itself doesn't mean anything.

So far as I know you can't refer a clearing application without completing all the fields: IE inputting a PS and nominating a ref.

What is your opinion of the these statements from the University of East London, here. Are they just wrong?

"Going through Clearing without UCAS
Want to apply for Clearing without going through UCAS? Here's how it works and what you need to know.

Can I apply through clearing without UCAS?
You don't need to go through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) to apply for a place at the University of East London in Clearing. Our RPA process (Record of Prior Acceptance) will allow us to review your application and potentially offer you a place on a course starting in September 2023.

Some universities don't accept applicants outside of UCAS but at University of East London we are happy to consider direct applications. Please note that if you are applying for a place at University of East London via this route, you cannot be considered by another UK institution.

Follow our handy guide below on how to apply to Clearing without UCAS."

I wasn't aware that they could do this alongside taking UCAS apps, (unless it was some niche arts course, or maybe a private uni). In any case they are very much the exception, but if that's the uni our OP has an offer with, they should just follow their guidance