Clearing is now closed for 2024. Take a look at our undergraduate courses for 2025 entry.
Clearing advice for teachers and careers advisers
Getting results can be a stressful time for students who may turn to their teachers or career advisers for help. Our guide will help you support your students through Clearing.
Clearing is now a common way of applying to university and can be a positive experience. Students who missed or exceeded their predicted grades, or have changed their plans, can use UCAS Clearing to find a university place.
How does Clearing work?
Clearing starts in July and closes in October. Students go into Clearing after they have received their exam results. Students can find out what places are available in Clearing and get in touch to secure new places.
Our guide to UCAS clearing will brief you with all the information you need to help your students.
Before results day – make plans for you and your students
Plans can change rapidly on results day. We recommend that teachers start talking to their pupils about Clearing early in the process of university applications so they have all the options. Organise class discussions and offer 1-to-1 chats where you can give more tailored advice.
It's important to be ready to help students make decisions, don't make them for them.
Preparation is key. Make sure your students all have plans and contingency plans for best and worst-case scenarios. Encourage them to think about Clearing as a positive option taken by many students to find their university place.
Our guide to UCAS clearing will brief you with all the information you need to help your students.
Get your students to research ahead
If Clearing is looking like an option for any of your students, encourage them to explore their options, including alternative courses and potential routes into study. Help them stay focused and encourage them to think about their options.
- Is it the course subject or the university that is more important to them?
- Are there other courses they could do at their university of choice?
- What other universities have similar courses?
- Is going to a further education college an option?
There's plenty of time to find the right option: an alternative course or university, resitting exams or deferring for a year.
Getting prepared for results day
Get your students to note down the Clearing phone lines of the universities they may want to contact.
It’s also worthwhile encouraging students to practice phone interviews so they are used to answering questions about their motivations for applying, their plans and their UCAS Personal Statement.
On results day
It can be a nerve-wracking day but stay calm and positive and let your students know there’s still plenty of options available to them.
Once students have got their results, get them to log into UCAS Hub to see the status of their offers. It’s important that they don’t just assume they’ve automatically lost their place if they haven’t achieved all conditions of their firm or insurance offer.
Have private spaces available for where you can talk to students in person or online. Some students may want to calling Clearing hotlines as soon as they check their results.
Students should contact the universities they’re interested in as soon as possible. We need to speak to the applicant directly and can’t discuss a student’s application with you.
Before they make contact with a university make sure they have the following information to hand:
- results
- UCAS ID
- UCAS Clearing ID
- UCAS Personal Statement
- CV
Ensure they have read over their UCAS personal statement. The university may ask them questions around why they want to study a particular course at that university. Help them to prepare answers to these types of questions in advance.
Before they make contact get them to make a list of any questions they might want to ask about the university, the courses they’re interested in, or any aspect of student life such as accommodation, travel and support services.
Questions about Clearing?
Get in touch and talk to our admissions team about Clearing.