Parents & Guardians - what you need to know about Clearing

You may be feeling more nervous than your young person about their course results. You want them to get the grades they need to get a place on their first choice of course.

However, if things don't go exactly to plan, Clearing is a great option for applicants. It's their opportunity to find a university course that will still enable them to work towards their career goals.

Work together 🤝
Start by talking about the careers they might want to pursue after graduation and go from there. However, it's also important to remember, they’re going to be studying their course for (at least) three years so they should choose a subject they’ll enjoy and have a passion for.

Ultimately, it’s their decision, but make sure you’re there as a sounding board, to help them be confident in their choices.

Here’s a couple of practical things you can do together:

▪️ Draw up a shortlist of alternative courses and universities
▪️ Make a note of the university Clearing numbers you may need

Do this before results day, so applicants will be well prepared to secure a place on a suitable new course with ease.

Be around on results day 🤗
However things go with their results, it is helpful for you to be around on results day to support the young person in your care.

You could go with them to pick up their results – if they want you to that is!

If they don’t get the results they expected, stay calm and positive, and help them focus on their next step. Just don’t be tempted to try and take over – it needs to be them making the calls to Clearing helplines and completing online applications. Make sure they have their UCAS personal ID and all relevant information to hand and be there to help them in whatever ways they might need.

Here to help 👋
Getting prepared ahead of time is the best way to keep that stress at bay.

The University of Bradford has places available for applicants to apply for as soon as they get their results - whether they're A levels, BTEC, Access, or equivalent qualifications. They can also get in touch at any point after Clearing opens, by calling our Clearing helpline.
Interested in Bradford? Have a look through our available courses, find out more about studying at Bradford and discover the city of Bradford. You can even take a tour of the campus through our Virtual Experience.

Speak to us about Clearing 📲
If you have questions about Clearing and how you can best support your young person, complete our callback request form and we'll call you back soon. :smile: