UCAS Clearing 2024 FAQ and Help Megathread

Mega Clearing FAQ 2024

Clearing, Clearing-Plus, Self-Release into Clearing and Changes for 2024

By popular demand, our FAQ Megathread for Results and Clearing for 2024 is back!

This thread contains several FAQs asked by students on TSR each year. From Clearing basics (what it is and how to apply), to troubleshooting and changing your mind, we’ve compiled a list of popular questions and answers from previous years, all updated for 2024 applicants.

Huge thanks to previous contributors to this thread, allowing current volunteers to update things more easily. Special mentions to claireestelle, Charlotte's Web, PQ and sleep_supremacy for working on previous versions of this FAQ.

All guidance on this thread comes from UCAS-trained Clearing and Applications advisors with years of experience supporting applicants on results day with impartial advice.

Use these links to quickly jump to the Clearing FAQ section relevant to you!

How does Clearing Work and am I Eligible (click to jump)

Finding Vacancies and Contacting Universities (click to jump)

Clearing - Once You've Secured an Informal Offer (click to jump)

Troubleshooting - When things don’t quite go to plan... (click to jump)

Decline my place FAQ - Using the 'decline my place' button to place yourself into Clearing (click to jump)

Questions for 2024 (click to jump)

Clearing Plus FAQ (click to jump)

Adjustment -no longer offered by UCAS (click to jump)

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!

Resources and Further Support:
Getting out of an unconditional offer and applying through Clearing
Universities in Clearing for 2024
Threads for each university about Clearing
Medicine Clearing thread
A-Level results day countdown thread
Ask a Question in our Clearing forum
University Transfer FAQ

UCAS Social Media accounts:
TikTok ¦ Instagram ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ LinkedIn ¦ YouTube

(edited 2 months ago)

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Reply 1

04MR17

This year The Student Room is encouraging everyone to #FindYourFuture

Click on this image to find out more:

Reply 2

04MR17

Clearing - Finding Vacancies and Contacting Universities

How do I prepare for Clearing?
Before you even get your results, you can search for available vacancies via the UCAS website, make a list of universities you think you may be interested in - include their Clearing phone numbers in your list. Clearing vacancies change all the time (with courses both added and removed) - for example, what is available on the 5th of July is likely to be very different from what is available after A level Results Day, so it is well worth regularly checking for new vacancies. Even if a university has not advertised any spaces, it may be worth saving their contact details as they may advertise from the morning of A Level results day, or the day before, or not at all (more on that later).

Important: Clearing vacancies are published only on the UCAS website or on university's own websites.

The "Clearing" app on the Apple App Store/Google Play is NOT official and will only show vacancies from universities that have paid a subscription to the app creator.

You can search for Clearing vacancies here.

Check that your UCAS Contact details are correct!
Before making ANY phone calls (ideally before you get your results) log into UCAS Hub and make sure your phone number and email address on your application are correct. Lots of applicants apply using a school or college email address and then don't remember or bother to update it which means they miss important updates (and then Clearing universities can't get in touch with them).

How does the Clearing application process work?
During Clearing, you are able to directly contact universities to see if they have a place available on a course you wish to access. Generally, this is done by phone or using web forms on university websites (some universities offer contact through social media too). The Student Room always recommend phoning universities because you will always get an answer straight away from the person on the phone, rather than waiting for an email reply.

Universities can then make you an informal (sometimes called verbal or provisional) offer. Once you have this, you can enter it by clicking on the "Add a Clearing choice" link on your UCAS Hub. On A level Results Day, this can be done from 1 pm - this allows you to call several universities and gives you some time to consider your options. It is normal to call more than one university and end up with a few offers to decide between.

After they've given you an informal offer, lots of universities are now sending confirmation emails with a deadline to accept the offer by, but not all institutions do this. Make a note of when each university's informal offer deadline is. As soon as this point arrives, the informal offer you received becomes void, and the place is no longer yours - they don’t want to hold places for people who may not be interested. Once you’ve submitted the choice on UCAS Hub, the university will then formally confirm your place via UCAS (and often email too, but they don't have to). They might need to confirm your immigration or fee status and ask for proof of your qualifications before your place gets confirmed, so keep an eye on your emails!

Can I call a university even if they haven't advertised any Clearing vacancies for my course?
Yes, however it’s unlikely they will have places. Universities do, occasionally, operate internal Clearing lists for very popular courses, or courses where there may only be one or two places, to avoid the university being flooded with applications. If there is a particular course or university you have your heart set on then it may be worth a try, however, you should be aware it’s very likely you will not be successful. It is generally better to use your time focusing on securing informal offers at universities which are advertising places. But as the saying goes - if you don't ask, you don't get.

How many universities can I add / call? Is Clearing first come, first served?
Of course! It’s a good idea to consider all of your available options. This is where preparing well for the day can become a big advantage. There is no limit to the number of informal offers you can hold, although you can only add one choice on UCAS Hub. It’s a good idea to prioritise the universities you want to go to most, as these offers are on a first-come-first-served basis. Obviously if you confirm a place with 1 university via Clearing, it’s a helpful practice to let the other universities know that you won't be accepting their offers - the place can be offered to someone else more easily then.

Will universities speak to me if I'm not in Clearing? Can I speculatively contact a university to see if they will consider me?
They may or may not. You can contact a university you are interested in, they might be able to give you limited information. However, officially they should require you to be in Clearing in order to speak to you about a place. UCAS guidance says two things:
- universities should not approach applicants who have secured a place elsewhere
- universities should provide reassurance to applicants whether they would be accepted or not before an applicant surrenders a place elsewhere

Since Adjustment is no longer a service UCAS offer (scroll down for more on that), we expect most universities to be quite open to talking to you even if you aren't in Clearing but some universities may be inconsistent in this scenario. This is a good question to get help with if you're in this situation, so please post a question below and we can help.

How do I contact universities to get an offer in Clearing?
Traditionally, you'd phone them, however in recent years we have seen many universities providing online "application forms" for Clearing applicants to fill in their details. And some universities are very active on social media - offers have been given on Facebook and Instagram, as examples. Bear in mind that not all universities use social media in this way - we recommend this as a good thing to do if you find yourself stuck on hold on the university phone lines. But otherwise, phoning is our recommended medium for getting in touch with a uni.

What do I say when I call the universities?
You simply need to say that you are interested in X course and would like to make a Clearing application. You will likely then be asked to provide your UCAS ID or Clearing number so that the university can access your application. Universities might ask you to confirm personal details or academic results, so it’s a good idea to have a transcript of your results to hand. The person on the call will guide you in terms of any information they require from you - this will vary by university and course. You should always take a note of the name of the person you spoke to and any important information they give you like offer deadlines, so keep a pen and paper handy! If you're confused or don't understand what they're saying then ask them to confirm what they've said by email so you have a written copy.

If doing that phone call is something you may feel anxious about - practice with a friend or family member, role-play it. Have them there with you to support you if you feel it will help. But universities will want to speak to you, not somebody else on your behalf.

Will I need a new personal statement?
Universities you apply to in Clearing will see your original UCAS application. If you are applying for a different course, you will need to explain this to the university and ask if they would be willing to consider an additional statement. This is fairly common and universities will know how to deal with this. Obviously, you would need to have this prepared in advance, so if you are thinking of a course change, it is good to make an early start when it comes to writing your additional personal statement.

Is Clearing only for unpopular courses? What about Law and Medicine?
There is a common misconception that Clearing only has vacancies for unpopular courses where there weren’t enough applicants. Courses may be in Clearing for many reasons. Some of these include:

•

Not enough applicants meeting the minimum entry requirements

•

More applicants than expected performing poorly at interview

•

Poor advertising of the course

•

More applicants than expected failing to meet the conditions of their offer

•

More applicants than expected changing their mind - applying elsewhere, deferring or taking a gap year.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen places for Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences and other very popular courses at top universities appear in Clearing. Things fluctuated a lot in 2020-22, so we don't have many trends and patterns to follow. Our advice is the following:
- Remember that many of these courses will not be advertised in Clearing at all. You may need to ring up a university who haven't advertised Clearing spaces and ask if they are able to take you.
- Any available places are usually snapped up very quickly.
- Entry requirements are likely to remain very high, unlike other courses where minimum requirements are often lowered.
- Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Securing a place on a high demand course in Clearing is not something you should expect or rely upon, as the vast majority (if not all) places will have already been filled in the main application cycle, or via waiting lists.

In summary: this is possible, but have Plan B and Plan C ready to go.

Medicine in Clearing 2024 advice can be found here.

Will universities reduce their entry requirements in Clearing?
It varies. There unfortunately isn’t any way to predict whether your course's entry requirements will reduce, and, if so, by how much. Some universities have the option to be more flexible depending on the strength of the rest of your application - this particularly applies to vocational courses. Grade requirements may also change as Clearing progresses - universities may decide to make further reductions if Clearing is well under way and they are struggling to fill the course.

For courses with requirements for GCSE English and Maths at a particular grade, these are highly unlikely to be lowered as these form basic minimum requirements for the course and may be dictated by regulatory bodies. A good rule of thumb is that if a university shows Clearing specific entry requirements on their website then those are the lowest they'll accept. If they don't list Clearing specific entry requirements then it's worth contacting them if you're within 2 grades of their standard entry requirements. As we said earlier, if you don't ask - you don't get.

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!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

04MR17

Clearing - Once You've Secured an Informal Offer

I’ve got an informal offer - now what do I do?
Once you’ve secured an informal offer, you can enter it into your UCAS Hub by clicking on the "Add a Clearing choice". This is your formal submission of your offer. You absolutely must make sure you enter this offer within the timeframe stated by the university - failure to do so can mean you losing your place and put you in a real pickle. Universities set a time limit to avoid applicants holding their places for too long - remember that the universities will be keen to fill their course and offer the place to someone else.

Most universities will now send you an email explaining the terms of any informal or provisional offer. If a university makes you an offer over the phone then ASK THEM if they can confirm the offer and any terms in writing by email. Don't forget to keep an eye on your email junk/spam folders. And remember: using your old school/college email is a bad idea - it may soon be inaccessible to you, switch to a personal email address on your UCAS account now.

When can I enter a clearing choice on UCAS Hub?
If you already have your exam results, you can enter a choice as soon as Clearing opens (5th July). If you have results to collect on A-level Results Day, you won’t be able to enter a choice until 1pm that day. This gives you time to look at your options, call some universities and make a decision. You can only enter one choice in UCAS Hub - so you need to make sure it’s the right one! And you can't phone a university if you don't even know what your results are - so make sure you get them!

Will I need to attend an interview?
For most applicants, it’s unlikely. Most universities don’t have the capacity/facility to hold interviews during Clearing. There are, however, some exceptions to this.

For healthcare courses (Nursing, Midwifery, Medicine etc.), you may need to attend an interview which may be remote or in person. The Clearing admissions contact will advise you on this. Universities are often required to interview prospective students as part of the requirements of their professional regulatory body. You may also be required to attend for an Occupational Health appointment. This is worth bearing in mind if you are applying to a university a considerable distance away. If you already did an interview at a uni from when you first applied, and you are now applying to them again through clearing then they may not require a second interview.

For Art and Design courses, you will sometimes be required to send over a web-based portfolio before being given an offer. It’s therefore really important that you’ve had a look at portfolio guidelines beforehand and have one prepared.

Performing arts courses may require provision of a video audition (usually pre-recorded). It’s a good idea to have a selection of monologues, music or choreography (as appropriate) prepared.

Do I need to contact universities I held an informal offer for but didn't choose?
You aren't obligated to. Universities will hold your place for a specified amount of time, and then will release it and offer it to someone else. You should not prioritize contacting these universities - it is far more important that you have sorted and secured your own place. It does help other applicants who are looking for places if you inform the other universities when you know you won't be taking their place. Unis do not see this on their system if you have not selected them.

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!

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 by the applicant and/or the university. Here’s how to deal with the most common issues.

Can I be rejected after I’ve entered a Clearing choice on UCAS Hub?
Yes - there are three main reasons why this may happen.

1. Failing to obtain an informal offer before adding the choice on UCAS Hub. This is usually unsuccessful and wastes time. If you do this accidentally, you would need to contact the university, explain, and ask them to make a decision on your application ASAP so that you can apply elsewhere. Once you've submitted a choice into your Clearing, it is locked for you, you can't add another, you can't change it, you can't remove it. So if you do this without an informal offer from the university, they may leave you in limbo for a long time because they don't know who you are. This will then stop you from applying to other unis - who want to fill their spaces ASAP.

2. Failing to add the choice by the deadline specified by the university at the time of the offer. The university may well have already allocated that space on their course to someone else now.

3. Some sort of error or misrepresentation - perhaps the university misunderstood your grades, or there is an issue with your transcript. For international students this can also happen if there's a problem with your UK visa history. 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 below, 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 supposed to change their mind once an informal offer has been made. Universities should not give out informal offers and rescind these unless you have misrepresented yourself or have given false or incorrect information. If this happens, let us know and we can help. You don't have to solve this alone.

I accepted a Clearing offer and added it to UCAS Hub, but I’ve changed my mind. What do I do?
Once you have accepted an informal offer and added it to UCAS Hub, 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 what you need to do depends on what UCAS Hub says about your Clearing Choice.

- If your choice says "referred" then 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 the 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.

- If your place is confirmed (unconditional firm) on UCAS Hub then you should have a button available to "Decline my place" to put yourself back into Clearing. If that button doesn't show, you may need to phone UCAS themselves.

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 whether they would accept you. Remember that the university may not commit to giving you an offer without you being in Clearing and may not give any indication as to your chances. If a university was one of your original 5 choices then they can see your UCAS application even if you're not in Clearing - which may help. If not, you have to be completely transparent about all of your qualifications and grades on the phone to them.

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 Hub to place yourself in Clearing. You can do this by following the ‘Decline my place’ option on UCAS Hub 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 Hub.

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. If you want us to help you through this process, let us know, we can guide you through it and make you fully aware of the risks you're taking / the potential benefits.

I have been accepted by my firm but I now want to go to my insurance, what do I do?
TSR (and now UCAS) recommend you do the following in this scenario:
1. Phone your insurance choice in advance of results day and explain you want to go there.
2. If your grades come through and match your firm offer, your insurance choice will already be allocating your space to somebody else. Hopefully by results day you will have already told the insurance university what you want to do and they will have given you advice on whether they will have space for you or not. If you haven't done this by results day, do it on the morning of results day as soon as you have your results.
3. You must be aware that you may not be able to go to your insurance choice because that course is full and unavailable in Clearing.
4. If your insurance choice can take you, and you have met the conditions of your firm offer then on the morning of results day you will be placed with your firm uni. You would press "decline my place", ring up insurance uni with your clearing number and then enter them as a clearing choice at 1pm.
(Remember to keep a note of the names of people you speak to throughout.)
5. If you miss your grades for your firm offer you may be placed with your insurance uni anyway, or if you have missed their grades too then your insurance uni are highly unlikely to take you in clearing - that ship has sadly sailed.

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 usually not prioritise these sorts of operations as they try to fill their courses. This is one of the rare times when you need to bother them a little in order to get the outcome you need. Generally this is not a strategy we recommend outside of this scenario. 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 an informal 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. This is something you can look at and prepare in advance with universities you are looking at already with Clearing in mind. Every university has their own policy for guaranteed accommodation. Some will guarantee it for clearing applicants, some will not.

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!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 4

04MR17

'Clearing Plus' FAQ

In 2020, UCAS introduced 'Clearing Plus'. This is a service which sits alongside actual Clearing and it provides a list of courses matched via an algorithm to each student. Clearing Plus also allows students to let universities know that they are interested in a particular course.

Important: Clearing Plus is an option, and not the only route to apply through Clearing - the normal Clearing course search is still available and should also be used. Students are not encouraged to solely rely on Clearing Plus. Clearing Plus works most effectively when a student has said they are interested and immediately phones the university. This way, the university can see your full application immediately and can make a decision quicker.

What is Clearing Plus and how does it work?
The whole purpose of Clearing Plus is to offer applicants with some options as a starting point, rather than starting with a blank page and a very large pool of courses available in Clearing Search. Clearing Plus essentially takes all courses and uses algorithms to cluster them to match students to.

The key benefit of Clearing Plus is that it might suggest similar but slightly different courses that a student may not have considered. However, any applicant who has spent a little bit of time before results day doing research and getting prepared shouldn't have a need for Clearing Plus.

Students will have a list of ‘matched courses’ and can then let universities know that they are interested. Universities that pay £2k for an enhanced profile will have their logo displayed and a tagline under the university name. Other universities will just have the university name.

Will all universities be using Clearing Plus?
All universities will have access to Clearing Plus; this doesn't mean they will all use it in the same way. If an applicant expresses an interest through Clearing Plus, UCAS would hope all universities using Clearing Plus would provide a response either way, however, universities are not obligated to use Clearing Plus or to respond to applicants. Universities who pay UCAS for the advanced perks of Clearing Plus are more likely to be active on the platform - you can typically identify see these universities if their logo and tagline are displayed on the Clearing Plus search.

As a relatively new feature of the UCAS process, how universities will use Clearing Plus in 2024 is something we are still figuring out. If you have used it, let us know how you used it, how universities you interacted with used it (if at all). It would be great to hear about.

Will there be courses in Clearing Plus which are not available on the normal UCAS Clearing listings and vice versa?
Yes there might be - there may be courses unis don’t want everyone to see, just certain students that meet specific criteria they have set. It is recommended to use a combination of Clearing Plus and the ordinary UCAS Clearing course search.

Are universities more likely to place students who contact them directly than through Clearing Plus?
We think that either way you will probably get a faster answer over the phone. If you are a university and you have somebody on the phone and someone else has expressed interest through Clearing Plus, you are going to give an answer to the person on the phone first to clear the line. The Student Room recommend using the university's own contact method, particularly if this is a high demand course which will fill up quickly. Although, every university may behave slightly differently.

Is there a limit to the number of courses a student can say they are interested in?
There is a limit of 5 courses students can express interest in via Clearing Plus. It should be noted that selecting 'I'm interested' does not guarantee contact from the university.

Who can use Clearing Plus?
Clearing Plus is open to anybody in Clearing. So anybody not holding an offer. There is no sign up - this is automatically available and there is no need to opt-in. You will see the 'see matches' button on UCAS Hub if you in Clearing.

Can students use Clearing Plus if they have applied directly to Clearing?
Yes - there will be less information about them available to make matches but Clearing Plus can still be used. Matches may be less relevant but will still be present. To be eligible for Clearing students need to have paid the full application fee.

What about international applicants?
It is also available to international students, however pay close attention to the qualifications in clearing plus: if a university sets requirements in terms of UK qualifications, there is no conversion to international qualifications. Our advice would be to contact the universities directly to see if you would be eligible for what the uni is offering - but certainly use Clearing Plus as a research tool if it helps you.

What if I don't have my results yet?
Students who don't yet have confirmed results for whatever reason will still be shown matches but these might not be so relevant. If you don't have your results yet you aren't really in a position to do clearing. Clearing Plus may be a helpful research tool for you, but we would not recommend pressing "I'm interested" if the university won't be able to see your results - it would just be quite confusing. If this is your situation let us know, we can guide you through it once we have the full picture.

How do Clearing Plus matches work?
Every student is matched to courses based on their profile (subjects included in their UCAS application) and criteria set by universities. UCAS's algorithm will take into consideration previous choices, grades, and qualification subjects when matching students to courses, and the profiles of previous students accepted onto the course.

In addition to this, universities can set their own criteria (see the next point).

Can universities decide who their course is shown to?
Short answer: Yes. See next question.

Longer explanation: Universities can set their own (confidential) criteria to decide what types of students their course is shown to. This is entirely a choice universities can make, however we expect if they use this criteria it is likely to include qualification type and grades achieved. Other options to include involve measures to help that university with widening participation. Universities can also filter by international applicants, home applicants or all applicants.

The benefit of this to universities is that they can look at their current group of applicants and can then target their matches through Clearing Plus to help their overall composition of students be more diverse if they wish to. To be clear: we are saying universities can do this and might be doing this, we don't know which institutions do or don't use these practices. Universities can change their criteria at any point in time.

What happens if the university or course I want isn't matched to me?
If it's in the main UCAS Clearing search, then it is available. Phone up the university and proceed as normal. You may just not be in the specific group that the university is looking to target. Treat this as a tool to help you find suitable courses, not a way of deciding whether the university would offer you a place or not.

Can you be matched to a university you were rejected from previously?
Applicants that a university may have previously rejected during the main application cycle (and on results day) can be matched to the same course they were rejected for. There is no way for a university to opt out of you seeing them. This is the UCAS algorithm doing its best to match you to courses it (rightly) thinks you will like, sadly it does not mean the university will reconsider you.

Is there a limit to the number of matches a student might get?
Every student will have some matches, although this is likely to be more limited for niche subjects.

Initially, you will see the top 50 matches, with the ability to keep revealing 50 more, until you reach 1000 courses. You will importantly only see courses switched on in Clearing Plus, and courses for which you meet the criteria set by the university. Unis can therefore control to some degree who sees their courses.

Does Clearing Plus update over time?
Yes, the list will update when the student presses the 'See matches' button, and courses will be available in as close to real time as possible (there may be a couple of seconds delay between a provider adding a course and the student seeing it).

Is it possible to filter courses by distance from home?
This functionality is not yet available to the best of our knowledge.

How do I let a university know I am interested?
Simply select the 'I'm interested' button and you will see a popup that says:
"I agree that this course provider can contact me if they still have places available for this course, or similar courses, and I meet their entry requirements." If you change your mind, you need to contact the course provider to let them know. And then the student can select ‘Allow providers to contact me’ or ‘Cancel’.

What do universities see when students say they are interested?
Universities have a dashboard which allows them to see all interested participants. They are initially just provided with very basic data, including your name and contact details. Some universities might just use this, but they are also provided with a link to your UCAS application if they want more information before contacting you.

How will universities contact students who have said they are interested - is this by phone as default or email?
It is up to the university how they contact the student - it may be by email or phone. Make sure your contact details for your UCAS account are up to date well before Results day - no school email addresses that you can't access any more!

How long do students have to consider offers from universities?
If students have selected a lot of courses they are interested in and receive a number of offers, it is up to the student to decide which one (if any) they are interested in. There is still a need to act quickly as places will be taken up.

UCAS advise unis to have reasonable deadlines on offers (24hrs or more) to limit pressure on students. Each university will set their own deadline - make sure you check this.

Is there a way to revoke interest?
Short answer, no. For the moment, if a student expresses interest in error, they’re best letting the university know if they contact them. As of 2023, UCAS were working on the ability for a student to revoke interest - they've not shared anything with us about whether this has been developed.

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!

Adjustment - No longer offered by UCAS

Adjustment was a UCAS service in place until 2021. We have a couple of FAQs since we still do get asked some questions about it.

I keep seeing articles and references to Adjustment, what is it and are you sure it doesn't exist?
Through Adjustment, students who had met the conditions of all of their firm offer, and had exceeded at least one condition could hold their place and attempt to 'trade up' to a better university. It aimed to enable students who did considerably better than expected to apply to a university they had not previously considered.

The service definitely no longer exists. The closure of Adjustment was not widely publicised, and for this reason references to it might still be present in school literature, printed reference materials and in some outdated online sources. Adjustment is no longer available to anyone, in any situation.

If I do better than expected, how do I reduce the risk when applying elsewhere?
The first thing to do is to call universities - some may not speak to you without a Clearing ID (you don't get this until you are placed in Clearing) however this is still worth doing. Explain that you have done better than expected, share your grades and try to get an indication as to whether the university would be willing to offer you a place.

Crucially, you need to find out how long the university can hold your place for, to give you time to place yourself into Clearing and add it as a choice (you can't add a Clearing choice until 1pm on Results Day).

If you have very high grades, this is where it may be worth chancing some universities who haven't advertised any spaces on your course, but you'd love to go there and may have an internal clearing list. See "Can I call a university even if they haven't advertised any clearing vacancies for my course?" in one of the above posts.

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!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 5

04MR17

How does Clearing Work and am I Eligible

What is Clearing?
Clearing is essentially a way to apply to university for people who either did not apply in the main cycle or for those who do not hold any offers. It provides access to a pool of places which have not been filled in the main application cycle.

When does Clearing open?
UCAS Clearing 2024 opened on 5th July 2024 and closes on 21st October 2024. You can access it through this link!

How is Clearing different from the main UCAS application cycle?
In Clearing, control lies with the applicant to search for available places, and then contact universities directly (ring them up, basically). Universities will speak with the applicant, review their UCAS application to make sure this applicant is suitable. Universities will not speak to a teacher or family member on your behalf. Some universities offer alternatives to phone call, such as live chat, but The Student Room always recommend phoning if you are able.

Applicants then obtain an 'informal' offer (also called 'verbal' or 'provisional' offer). This is just an informal commitment for a place from the university. Once this is received, the applicant can then add the course and university onto their UCAS account as a clearing choice. The university will then accept this, and the place is confirmed.

Who is eligible for Clearing?
Essentially, anyone not holding an offer of a place at university is in clearing. There are many situations where someone might be placed into Clearing. this might be because:

•

You applied directly to Clearing as a late applicant

•

You did not receive any offers from your original choices

•

You missed the deadline to accept your offers and UCAS declined them all on your behalf

•

You failed to meet the conditions of your firm and insurance offers

•

You asked a university you were placed with to place you into Clearing

•

You used the 'decline my place' feature to release yourself from an unconditional offer

If you're in clearing then UCAS Hub should have a clear message stating "You are in Clearing".

To be eligible for Clearing, you need to have an application in the current UCAS cycle and to have paid the full application fee - you must complete these in order to access Clearing. If you want to go to university this September/October but haven't made an application yet, you will need to set up your UCAS account and pay the application fee before you are in Clearing and before most universities will speak to you properly on the phone.

What is a Clearing number?
To apply via Clearing you must have a Clearing number. A Clearing number or Clearing ID is a number which appears on your UCAS Hub once you login. If you can't see this, you may not actually be in clearing - see the list of bullet points further up in this post ^. When you speak to universities, you may need to provide this number for them to find your application and view it on UCAS. Many universities won't ask for this and will just use your UCAS ID (the long 10 digit number).

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!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 6

04MR17

Decline my place FAQ

Since 2019, UCAS has allowed applicants to release themselves into Clearing through a 'Decline my place' button. This is an irreversible decision and it is therefore extremely important that students fully understand the implications.

What is "Decline my place" and how does it work?
This is a button that allows you to "get rid of" a confirmed and locked-in place, which places you automatically into Clearing. This can be done via UCAS Hub and doesn’t require the applicant to contact the university they want to be released from.

Who can decline their place? Is it open to everyone?
'Decline my place' is open to any applicant who has been placed with a university. That means that you have accepted an offer and it's been made unconditional. You might have an unconditional offer early if you already had your results, or, more commonly, your offer will turn unconditional on A-level Results Day, once you meet the conditions set out in your offer. For most applicants this is when the Decline my place button will appear. If you are eligible, you will see a button on your UCAS Hub stating ‘Decline my place’.

When should I release myself into Clearing?
You can press the button from any time when you have an unconditional offer. You should only release once you are completely sure you do not wish to attend the university you have been placed with.

I want to be placed into Clearing but I don't have an unconditional offer yet - my university hasn't made a decision. How do I do this?
The 'decline my place' process is only applicable to people with an unconditional offer - people who have met the conditions of their offer and have secured a place at university.

If you want to be released into Clearing from a conditional offer, you would instead need to contact the university you're waiting on directly, and ask them to reject your application on UCAS. It is worth bearing in mind that universities often do not prioritize this sort of task over assisting people who actually want to go there, so this can take some time. When you phone them, ask them how long they expect this to take. Relay that timescale onto any university you then contact about Clearing places.

Universities also aren't permitted to reject applicants who have met their offer conditions (or haven't had their results yet). Remember that communication is key and it is really important that you keep everyone aware of the situation and timescales, and make notes of who you spoke to and when.

What are the benefits of releasing yourself into Clearing?
Firstly, it’s a lot quicker than the old method. It can be done in a matter of minutes. You’re also totally in control - you aren’t relying on administrative staff from a university. The aim is that this method will reduce a lot of stress associated with Clearing.

What are the risks?
There is no easy way to reverse this and it may mean you lose your place if it is offered to someone else. Once you are placed in Clearing, your place is totally detached from you and becomes available to others. You have no claim to it.

Additionally, if you haven't already spoken to other universities and lined up possible places for yourself, this could mean you end up choosing to attend a university which was much further down your list of preferences, or choosing different types of courses that do have spaces - if the courses you want are full.

Therefore, this isn’t a decision you should ever take lightly.

Can I press the "decline my place" button by accident?
Potentially, but UCAS makes it very hard to do so.

In addition to clicking the ‘decline my place’ button, you would also need to complete a drop-down questionnaire. You shouldn’t proceed with the self-release unless you are 100% sure you do not want to attend the university you have been placed with. If you are feeling unsure, post below and we can talk it through with you so that if you do press that button, you do it with confidence.

I pressed the "decline my place" button and now I wish I hadn’t. What do I do?
You will need to phone up your original university which you were placed with as soon as possible to ask if they have your place available still. Remember: you no longer have a claim to it, so you are asking the university to kindly let you back on that course. Explain you made a mistake and that you still want the place, they will then instruct you about the next steps.

It is possible that the university will already have filled your place, particularly if there is a time gap between your self-release and you contacting the university. If this is the case, you may unfortunately need to look for another place elsewhere.

Why does this button exist?
In previous years, applicants who no longer wished to take up their unconditional offer and wanted to apply elsewhere would need to contact the university they had been placed with and ask to be placed into Clearing.

The problem with this was that universities tend to be really busy on A-level Results Day, and weren’t prioritising these students - naturally, they gave more time and attention to the ones who actually wanted to go there. This resulted in huge amounts of stress for students, as their new university would often only agree to hold their place for a limited amount of time.

To tackle this, UCAS now allows applicants to release themselves in to Clearing using a 'decline my place' button on their UCAS Hub.

Have questions that aren’t answered here? Need more information before making a decision? Post below and one of our UCAS trained Applications and Clearing Advisers will do their best to help!

Questions for 2024

I want to do a very competitive course, if I miss my grades should I use clearing for something else or taking a gap year and reapplying?
Gap years are a very personal choice.

First of all do not worry about starting university aged 19 rather than 18. This is something we see people asking about often, but people can go to uni at any age, 19, 22, 34. The Student Room has had users attending university in their 70s. :wink:

It is important that students recognise that retaking qualifications does not guarantee your grades will meet entry requirements, and you may not be offered places on the same courses. For more details about your choices here see our Gap Years forum.

Remember that students cannot hold a deferred offer and also make a new UCAS application in the next cycle.

Is it still possible to call UCAS in the case of problems?
Short answer: Yes. You may get a faster response using UCAS's social media platforms though. The list of issues to contact UCAS about is quite small. Majority of your interactions on results day should be with universities. If you're unsure who you need to help resolve a problem, ask us :smile:

How will Clearing work for Advisers and teachers this year?
Your school advisor (this will likely be your careers advisor or head of year at school) will have your qualification results the day before. They'll have a look through, spot anybody who might need some support with their next steps. They are then able to login into UCAS Hub an hour early, again this is to prepare for supporting you.

Have a question we didn't answer? Need more information? Post below and one of our UCAS trained Clearing and Applications Advisers will do their best to help!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 7

04MR17

This thread is now live! :woo:

Reply 8

It_Is_I_Porkpie

My "Decline my place" button on UCAS is not letting me press it. How can I release myself into clearing when it's like this?

Reply 9

04MR17

Original post by It_Is_I_Porkpie

My "Decline my place" button on UCAS is not letting me press it. How can I release myself into clearing when it's like this?

UCAS Hub will be locked now until Tuesday morning as Tuesday will be Scottish results day

Do you have your results?

Reply 10

PS Reviewer

Original post by It_Is_I_Porkpie

My "Decline my place" button on UCAS is not letting me press it. How can I release myself into clearing when it's like this?

As above. UCAS hub is in lockdown at the moment.

As well as this in previous years UCAS only turned on the decline my place button on A level results day.

A university can release you into clearing (push the button on your behalf) if you phone your firm university and ask them then they will be able to explain what you need to do to request this.

Reply 11

It_Is_I_Porkpie

Original post by 04MR17

UCAS Hub will be locked now until Tuesday morning as Tuesday will be Scottish results day
Do you have your results?

Yes I do have my results

Reply 12

It_Is_I_Porkpie

Original post by PQ

As above. UCAS hub is in lockdown at the moment.
As well as this in previous years UCAS only turned on the decline my place button on A level results day.
A university can release you into clearing (push the button on your behalf) if you phone your firm university and ask them then they will be able to explain what you need to do to request this.

Ah thanks. I'll try this then.

Reply 13

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by 04MR17

Mega Clearing FAQ 2024
Clearing, Clearing-Plus, Self-Release into Clearing and Changes for 2024

By popular demand, our FAQ Megathread for Results and Clearing for 2024 is back!
This thread contains several FAQs asked by students on TSR each year. From Clearing basics (what it is and how to apply), to troubleshooting and changing your mind, we’ve compiled a list of popular questions and answers from previous years, all updated for 2024 applicants.
Huge thanks to previous contributors to this thread, allowing current volunteers to update things more easily. Special mentions to claireestelle, Charlotte's Web, PQ and sleep_supremacy for working on previous versions of this FAQ.
All guidance on this thread comes from UCAS-trained Clearing and Applications advisors with years of experience supporting applicants on results day with impartial advice.
Use these links to quickly jump to the Clearing FAQ section relevant to you!
How does Clearing Work and am I Eligible (click to jump)
Finding Vacancies and Contacting Universities (click to jump)
Clearing - Once You've Secured an Informal Offer (click to jump)
Troubleshooting - When things don’t quite go to plan... (click to jump)
Decline my place FAQ - Using the 'decline my place' button to place yourself into Clearing (click to jump)
Questions for 2024 (click to jump)
Clearing Plus FAQ (click to jump)
Adjustment -no longer offered by UCAS (click to jump)
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!

Resources and Further Support:
Getting out of an unconditional offer and applying through Clearing
Universities in Clearing for 2024 - coming soon
Threads for each university about Clearing
Medicine Clearing thread
A-Level results day countdown thread
Ask a Question in our Clearing forum
UCAS Social Media accounts:
TikTok ¦ Instagram ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ LinkedIn ¦ YouTube

Wonderful stuff as always. PRSOM.

Reply 14

MarciaB69

Original post by 04MR17

Clearing - Finding Vacancies and Contacting Universities

How do I prepare for Clearing?
Before you even get your results, you can search for available vacancies via the UCAS website, make a list of universities you think you may be interested in - include their Clearing phone numbers in your list. Clearing vacancies change all the time (with courses both added and removed) - for example, what is available on the 5th of July is likely to be very different from what is available after A level Results Day, so it is well worth regularly checking for new vacancies. Even if a university has not advertised any spaces, it may be worth saving their contact details as they may advertise from the morning of A Level results day, or the day before, or not at all (more on that later).
Important: Clearing vacancies are published only on the UCAS website or on university's own websites.
The "Clearing" app on the Apple App Store/Google Play is NOT official and will only show vacancies from universities that have paid a subscription to the app creator.
You can search for Clearing vacancies here.

How does the Clearing application process work?
During Clearing, you are able to directly contact universities to see if they have a place available on a course you wish to access. Generally, this is done by phone or using web forms on university websites (some universities offer contact through social media too). The Student Room always recommend phoning universities because you will always get an answer straight away from the person on the phone, rather than waiting for an email reply.
Universities can then make you an informal (sometimes called verbal or provisional) offer. Once you have this, you can enter it by clicking on the "Add a Clearing choice" link on your UCAS Hub. On A level Results Day, this can be done from 1 pm - this allows you to call several universities and gives you some time to consider your options. It is normal to call more than one university and end up with a few offers to decide between.
After they've given you an informal offer, lots of universities are now sending confirmation emails with a deadline to accept the offer by, but not all institutions do this. Make a note of when each university's informal offer deadline is. As soon as this point arrives, the informal offer you received becomes void, and the place is no longer yours - they don’t want to hold places for people who may not be interested. Once you’ve submitted the choice on UCAS Hub, the university will then formally confirm your place via UCAS (and often email too, but they don't have to). They might need to confirm your immigration or fee status and ask for proof of your qualifications before your place gets confirmed, so keep an eye on your emails!

Will universities speak to me if I'm not in Clearing? Can I speculatively contact a university to see if they will consider me?
They may or may not. You can contact a university you are interested in, they might be able to give you limited information. However, officially they should require you to be in Clearing in order to speak to you about a place. UCAS guidance says two things:
- universities should not approach applicants who have secured a place elsewhere
- universities should provide reassurance to applicants whether they would be accepted or not before an applicant surrenders a place elsewhere
Since Adjustment is no longer a service UCAS offer (scroll down for more on that), we expect most universities to be quite open to talking to you even if you aren't in Clearing but some universities may be inconsistent in this scenario. This is a good question to get help with if you're in this situation, so please post a question below and we can help.

What do I say when I call the universities?
You simply need to say that you are interested in X course and would like to make a Clearing application. You will likely then be asked to provide your UCAS ID or Clearing number so that the university can access your application. Universities might ask you to confirm personal details or academic results, so it’s a good idea to have a transcript of your results to hand. The person on the call will guide you in terms of any information they require from you - this will vary by university and course. You should always take a note of the name of the person you spoke to and any important information they give you like offer deadlines, so keep a pen and paper handy! If you're confused or don't understand what they're saying then ask them to confirm what they've said by email so you have a written copy.
If doing that phone call is something you may feel anxious about - practice with a friend or family member, role-play it. Have them there with you to support you if you feel it will help. But universities will want to speak to you, not somebody else on your behalf.

•

Not enough applicants meeting the minimum entry requirements

•

More applicants than expected performing poorly at interview

•

Poor advertising of the course

•

More applicants than expected failing to meet the conditions of their offer

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More applicants than expected changing their mind - applying elsewhere, deferring or taking a gap year.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen places for Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences and other very popular courses at top universities appear in Clearing. Things fluctuated a lot in 2020-22, so we don't have many trends and patterns to follow. Our advice is the following:
- Remember that many of these courses will not be advertised in Clearing at all. You may need to ring up a university who haven't advertised Clearing spaces and ask if they are able to take you.
- Any available places are usually snapped up very quickly.
- Entry requirements are likely to remain very high, unlike other courses where minimum requirements are often lowered.
- Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Securing a place on a high demand course in Clearing is not something you should expect or rely upon, as the vast majority (if not all) places will have already been filled in the main application cycle, or via waiting lists.
In summary: this is possible, but have Plan B and Plan C ready to go.
Medicine in Clearing 2024 advice can be found here.

Will universities reduce their entry requirements in Clearing?
It varies. There unfortunately isn’t any way to predict whether your course's entry requirements will reduce, and, if so, by how much. Some universities have the option to be more flexible depending on the strength of the rest of your application - this particularly applies to vocational courses. Grade requirements may also change as Clearing progresses - universities may decide to make further reductions if Clearing is well under way and they are struggling to fill the course.
For courses with requirements for GCSE English and Maths at a particular grade, these are highly unlikely to be lowered as these form basic minimum requirements for the course and may be dictated by regulatory bodies. A good rule of thumb is that if a university shows Clearing specific entry requirements on their website then those are the lowest they'll accept. If they don't list Clearing specific entry requirements then it's worth contacting them if you're within 2 grades of their standard entry requirements. As we said earlier, if you don't ask - you don't get.
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!

If you meet your insurance choice but not your firm, can you call your firm to see if they will take you anyway (medicine)?

Reply 15

04MR17

Original post by MarciaB69

If you meet your insurance choice but not your firm, can you call your firm to see if they will take you anyway (medicine)?

No use here, they've look at your application already, and decided not to accept you. Ringing them up and asking them again doesn't change that outcome.

Reply 16

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by MarciaB69

If you meet your insurance choice but not your firm, can you call your firm to see if they will take you anyway (medicine)?

No chance I'm afraid. Too competitive and too strict on numbers. They'll have had your results for a week and made a decision by that point.

Reply 17

Nef4578!

I have spent time researching clearing options for History in case next week I miss my confirmed and insurance, what I don’t understand is how you know you are eligible to apply for a course because Unis don’t advertise clearing grades just typical ones. I know clearing grades can be lower than typical entry requirements - but all the clearing courses i am looking at online are still quoting their usual grades and have no indication of how flexible they will be

In my position if i get AAA or AAB I’ll make my first or second choice and I’m fine, but if I’m ABB or BBB and am released into clearing should I start by calling universities that have places for my course but usually require higher grades? I don’t want to waste time on the phone to good unis if they wouldn’t consider lowering their requirements while places are being snapped up (assuming it takes ages to get through to each one so only so many I can call before places are taken?) Maybe it’s more efficient than I think and you get through quickly to unis and get a no/yes so you can call them all, but I read somewhere people were on hold for an hour to admissions last year?

UCAS clearing pages has this section on pages of each course saying most common grade and lowest grade accepted for that course and most are a few grades below the standard entry requirements but I don’t know if they have just taken contextual or EPQ reduced grades into account

Sorry for long question, I guess I just don’t know whether to focus on less aspirational unis in clearing that I know would take my grades or take risk and start by calling better unis even though I don’t have the typical grades?

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere and I haven’t seen reply

Reply 18

04MR17

Original post by Nef4578!

Well it's clear you've done a lot of thinking and research on this - well done!

Just to answer your questions directly - typical clearing offers are very likely to be the grades you need to have on results day to be eligible for a clearing off from that uni. If you are 1 grade below the clearing offer, and you have other things in your application (like an A in EPQ, an AS qualification, a fourth A Level, contextual factors that the uni mention on their website) it is probably worth ringing them up to ask yes.

Sometimes there is a wait, difficult to predict for us. Advice is while you're waiting on hold - use the live chat functions that some unis operate. Multi task it.

Remember that you can't add a clearing choice until 1pm on UCAS, so that's the time you have when you're collecting as many clearing offers as you can. Don't think there's a big rush though. There might be for very very competitive courses, but History is a course where there will likely be a decent number of spaces at unis who advertise vacancies. If there were only 1 or 2 spaces - the uni might not advertise it, otherwise they'd have hundreds of people ringing up for 1 space. So if a vacancy is advertised in UCAS search, that means the uni has enough space to make it worth advertising.

Reply 19

Nef4578!

Thanks that’s very helpful, so is it not true that Universities lower their grades for clearing? Maybe that’s an urban myth, have looked through TSR but not many people come back on here to say what grades they had to get clearing places. Really helpful to know I have until 1pm though thank you! Hopefully I wont need to use clearing