Clearing 2024 – What to Expect

Learners
Clearing has been open for over a month already, but many people may be wondering what clearing is and why they might use this UCAS service. If you are a young person (or supporting one) awaiting their results and you aren’t sure about what clearing is or how it works, then this blog is for you.

At this time of year young people planning to attend university are likely to have applied through UCAS and accepted firm and insurance choice offers from universities they would like to attend. When they receive their results, these will either be in line with their offers and they will be accepted on their chosen courses, or they will not and that is where clearing can come in.

What is clearing?

Clearing is a way for universities and colleges to fill any places they still have available on their courses, there are over 30,000 courses that fill places through clearing so there is a lot of choice! Clearing is open between 5th July and 21st October 2024 and can be accessed through UCAS.

Who is clearing for?

There is a common misconception that clearing is only for people who don’t achieve the grades they hoped for, but this is not the case. Clearing is for you if:

  • You didn’t receive any offers and you are looking for a university/college and course.
  • You did better than your predicted grades and want to change university/college/course.
  • You declined the offers you received and are looking for another university, college or course more suitable for you.
  • You applied for university or college after 30th June.
  • You didn’t meet your entry requirements for your chosen university/college course and are looking for other options.

    • How does it work?

    You can find places available through clearing on the UCAS website where you can search for courses and/or universities and colleges that still have places available.

    UCAS also have a clearing matches service available through clearing plus, which takes the information from your application and your grades and qualifications and matches your profile to specific courses, a bit like a dating app! This process can help to narrow the options down for you and give you a starting point, you can find out more about this online.

    Once you have found a course you are interested in you can then contact the university or college to discuss a place on the course. Before you contact them, have your qualification details/results (including your GCSE English, Maths and Science) and your UCAS ID number to hand as they may ask for these. If they can offer you a place and you would like to accept then they will then talk you through the next stages of the process.

    Top Tip:

    The clearing contact details for the university or college can be found at the bottom of the course information page on UCAS or on the university or college website.

    Things to remember
  • Clearing is an opportunity for you, it can be hard if you missed out on the grades you were hoping for, but you absolutely haven’t run out of options.
  • Universities and colleges want you! They are hoping to fill places on their courses and are looking for students that are right for them, clearing places are not offered out of pity or generosity – you earn them!
  • Clearing is not just for those who haven’t achieved the grades they wanted. If you haven’t applied before now or got results that were better than you expected, then this is a great option!
  • You aren’t on your own! You can access support through your teachers and advisors at school or college and UCAS also provides support and advice through their website.
    • Good luck in your clearing journey!

    Blog content written by Aimee Green