If you haven't managed to secure your place at university, or perhaps you were having second thoughts about applying, then all is not lost. Through Clearing there is still a chance to find vacancies at UK universities for domestic and international students.

UCAS, the central organization that processes applications for full-time undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges offers another chance through Clearing to find suitable vacancies on higher education courses. They state that more than 30,000 students a year gain a place through Clearing.

So, if you've found yourself in this situation, what do you need to know about Clearing and how can you make it work for you?

The First Step

If you've opened your exam results and the piece of paper doesn't have the results you were hoping for, don't worry. That's what Clearing is for. It won't have any impact on your future studies or the quality of the degree you will study for. The time, effort, and energy you've put in to study for your A levels has not been wasted. In fact, it's prepared you for what's to come.

The first step is to ensure that you are in fact eligible for Clearing as not everyone is. The UCAS website www.ucas.com has a list of points that will help you through this process, but for starters you must have applied in the current application year. If you have, then you're one step closer.

If you are yet to apply, then make sure you put it high on your list of priorities' you only have until September 20 to do so. It won't take you long and it's well worth doing. UCAS has an online application form that you can fill out and by doing so you will automatically be entered into the Clearing system.

Once you're in the Clearing system you will be given your personal application number. Keep this in a safe place as it will enable you to track your application on-line.

You will also be given a Clearing Passport, complete with a Clearing number. This is another piece of information that needs to be kept in a secure place as you will need to present this number to any university or college that is willing to offer you a place in one of their undergraduate degree courses.

What's next?

You've applied for Clearing and been given your number and passport, so what's next?

It's time to read the newspapers. Throughout August and September, the Independent will print what will seem like an endless list of vacancies for university degrees at universities throughout the UK. Vacancies range from advertising to advice work, bioscience to cartography, landscape architecture to museum work and social sciences to tax law.

The list even includes some you may not have even thought of (or known existed) such as casino operations, foot health, vehicle operations or wine studies.

You can find further information and subject guides in our university degrees section of  www.topuniversities.com.

Once you found vacancies in the areas you are interested in, start applying. The university year is just around the corner and you want to make sure you have everything sorted. Enroling in the course is just the first step. Remember, you must leave time for all the other things that come with starting a university degree such as finding accommodation, applying for finance or scholarships, and purchasing your course books.

The UCAS website gives an important piece of advice around this time: treat your Clearing application like a job application - deal with it yourself! Don't leave it to your parents or friends to sort out.

The whole Clearing process is one that you were probably hoping to avoid, but now that you're in the system it won't be as daunting as you may think it is. Just make sure you are organized:

• Have all your paperwork (Clearing number and passport) at your fingertips 
• Make sure your exam results are available to those universities and colleges you are applying to
• Check the Independent for undergraduate degree course vacancies
• Apply as quickly as possible to the vacancies in the universities or colleges you want to attend
• Stay positive. It won't be long until you're enrolled in a degree and living the student life.

International students

If you're an international student, the clearing process is the same as if you were a student from an EU country. You just have to make sure that you apply early and allow for any delays in the immigration process. You will be notified of your application just the same as domestic students and can follow the process from abroad.

Read our guide to studying in the UK here.