UK Universities: UCAS Clearing 2013

UK universities are preparing for the yearly influx of applications through the UCAS Clearing system (an alternative to the standard application process) from 15 August, the day A-level and Advanced Diploma results are published.

The UK Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) opens its full Clearing vacancy search on results day, and UK university admission lines will be buzzing from then until 22 October, the final deadline for applications.

What is Clearing?

First of all, what is Clearing? UCAS Clearing is an application option for students who have not received the university offer they want, who haven’t got the grades they needed, or who applied to university too late (after 30 June).

Clearing allows UK universities to fill available spaces after the A-level results have been announced. It also gives students an opportunity to rethink their choices and possibly end up with a course better suited to them. If their grades are better than expected, students also have the option to go through ‘adjustment’, which allows them to apply to a university with higher entry requirements.

How does Clearing work?

Next, how does Clearing work? Lists of Clearing vacancies are published on the UCAS website. In addition, The Telegraph newspaper will be publishing vacancies from the morning of the 15^th, and has also made available a free clearing app for iPhones and Android devices.  

Here’s how to use Clearing:

• Check the UCAS website and The Telegraph for the latest Clearing vacancies, and identify courses you’re interested in applying to.
• Grade requirements for courses are likely to stay the same for Clearing applications, but it’s worth checking with the university if you’re uncertain whether you have strong enough A-level results to apply.
• Contact the universities you are interested in directly. Be prepared to give your Clearing number, which you will find on your Track page within the UCAS online application system.
• You are likely to be interviewed by phone, so be prepared. It may be useful to have a copy of your personal statement ready.
• If you receive an offer that you want to accept, enter the choice (after 5pm on results day) through your Track page in the UCAS online application system. Remember you can only apply for one choice at a time through Clearing, and entering a choice which has not been confirmed by the university may cause delays and rejections.

Clearing 2013

What lies ahead for students using Clearing in 2013, and how does this compare to previous years? A record number of 55,700 applicants gained places at UK universities through UCAS Clearing last year, following a decrease in the number of A-grades awarded and the government’s  introduction of open recruitment for any AAB+ student (two As and one B at A-level or equivalent).

With universities allowed to take on as many AAB+ students as they liked, the result was an uneven distribution of talent. A number of prestigious universities entered clearing for the first time, having found themselves with unexpected course vacancies.

Clearing 2013 could be even better for students, with some Russell Group universities entering the UCAS Clearing system for the first time. However, the government has again lowered the open recruitment criteria, to ABB+, and total applications through the normal route up to the 30 June deadline are up by 3.1%, so this year’s numbers are difficult to predict.