Clearing for Parents and Carers
As a parent or carer, helping your young person get into university can be a difficult time for you too, especially if you didn't go yourself and so haven’t experienced how it all works.
Understanding all the different words and phrases involved, and the timelines for when decisions need to be made, can leave you wondering what’s going on, so we've put together this comprehensive guide to understanding what's going to happen, when, and how you can provide the support needed by your young person if they need to change their plans.
What is Clearing?
Clearing is a system that allows students who have not received their firm or insurance offers (explained further down the page) to find a university place. Because the official deadline for applying to university it is often seen as a “last minute” way to apply, but lots of students now use it as their main route onto a course. It’s a two-part process:
- Students contact universities that have vacancies on courses that they are interested in by phone, email, or through the UCAS Clearing website to see if they can get a place.
- When that’s successful and a student has received an offer from a university, they must accept it through UCAS.
If a student already has an accepted place at a university but has changed their mind, there’s a process to follow to officially say “no” before they are allowed to be accepted at another university.
If a student already has an accepted place at a university but has changed their mind, there’s a process to follow to officially say “no” before they are allowed to be accepted at another university.
Clearing Dictionary
There are a lot of words and phrases that are used during the Clearing process. Here are the key ones to know:
- Firm offer: This is the university that the student has put as their first choice on their UCAS application.
- Insurance offer: This is the university that the student has put as their second choice on their UCAS application.
- Conditional and Unconditional offers: Different to the above, this is how a university will respond to an application. A Conditional offer means that the person applying needs to get specific grades in their qualifications to secure the place that's been offered. An Unconditional offer means they are being offered a place at the university no matter what their grades turn out to be.
- Clearing number: This is a unique number that is assigned to each student who is eligible for Clearing. It is used by universities to identify students who are calling them about Clearing places.
- UCAS Extra: This is a service that allows students who have already received an offer from a university to apply for other courses that they are interested in
How long does Clearing last?
Clearing typically runs from the day after A-level results day until the end of September. However, we can offer places much earlier than that if the circumstances are right.
How can I help my child through Clearing?
Here are some tips on how you can help your child through Clearing:
- Stay calm and supportive. Clearing can be a stressful time for students, so it is important to let them know that you’re there to help them through.
- Get involved with researching courses. There are a wide variety of courses available through Clearing, and you can help your young person by taking part in researching which course is right for them.
- Help your child contact universities. Once your child has decided on a course, they will need to contact universities to see if they have any vacancies, and that’s something you can both do (although the university will need to speak to your child as part of the application process).