About UCAS Clearing

[SaveSundays]

We're trying to prepare well ahead of time.

DC is in yr 13. SO, I understand that on results day if you can go into Clearing to secure a place at another university of on a another course etc if you don't get any offers from your previous 2.

My query is, to go into Clearing, you have to release any offers you currently have. So what happens if:

1. Your university that has given you an offer don't release you into clearing on time?
2. You can't get through to Clearing on phone on the day because lines are jammed?😯
3. What if you've got your eye on a university course but by the time you're released into Clearing, the other place has gone? meaning you now don't have a place at either university?

Adjustment sounds a much easier process because you can hold on to your current offer until you've been made an offer at the other place. I'd really appreciate anyones replies on the above.

1. Most uni's will honour their offer allowing you sufficient time to be released into Clearing
2. Many (most?) uni's allow you to indicate your interest online thereby eliminating the need to use the phone
3. See 1. If you are holding a place via Clearing and haven't been released and the deadline is looming (if you were given one) contact the Admissions Team to see if they will extend your deadline.

Remember that to be in Adjustment you need to exceed your offer and Adjustment is only available for a very short window.

I understand that on results day if you can go into Clearing to secure a place at another university of on a another course etc if you don't get any offers from your previous 2.

My query is, to go into Clearing, you have to release any offers you currently have.

Those are two completely different scenarios.

If you have met the offer of neither your firm, nor your insurance university, you are automatically put into Clearing - you will get your Clearing number on results day and can start contacting universities about alternative places.

In the second situation, you will be holding a firm offer from either the university you said you most wanted to go to, or from the one that you said that you would like to go to if you don't get the grades for the first.

It is sensible to have some idea re which universities / courses you would like to try for, should it all go pear shaped on results day (clearing opens at the beginning of July), i.e. planning ahead for being forced into Plan C, so to speak. But really, the best way of avoiding the worry of not being released in time by a university you actually chose and now have a confirmed place at, is to choose a bit more wisely in the first place.

1. So, are you saying that actually, you speak to the uni you want to go for first! once they agree to give you a place on a course, THEN you back to the uni you were initially sitting on and ask to be released?
2. I didnt know you could do this online. Thank you.
3. Re: Adjustment, i thought the whole point of adjustment was that if you get results higher than what you expected, you can then apply to a uni that you have not previously applied to necessarily?

Unis get results before students. That gives the firm time to consider their firm offer holders who didn't meet their offer, and reject them. That process is normally turned around by the Tuesday before results day, so insurance can then accept if offer met, accept despite offer not being met, or decline so the applicant is automatically in clearing. The vast vast vast majority of decisions are made before results day, so there's never usually an issue of not being released. In fact anyone not released is still being considered by their firm or insurance - phone if the offer hasn't changed to unconditional. It's rare though.

Phone - keep trying! Yes it's busy but there should be plenty of staff hired specifically to answer clearing hotlines.

Shouldn't happen. If you're rejected by firm and insurance you're automatically in clearing before you get your results.

But check websites in the few days before results are out and have a list of places and phone numbers. And your Ucas id number.

I don't understand. You've already applied, been offered, and accepted your firm and insurance. What do you mean by go back to the uni you want? If you're talking about if you miss both offers, you'll have already been released into clearing before you get the results.

But yes that is the point of adjustment. It's a week long because the uni whose place you want to give up might take a few days to do so - it's a busy time of year.... again it's rare for a uni to be so slow to release you to adjustment that the adjustment place is lost. I haven't heard of it happening at all tbh.

The scenario i'm thinking of is:

You're predicted grades are BBC.
You've applied for Geography at University of X who have accepted you. You have firmed university of X. Entry requirements are BBC.

You've also applied to University of XB who have equally given you a place. You have put them down as your insurance. Entry reg are BCC

On results day, you get ABB.
You notice University of Birmingham (who you never applied to to start with) are in clearing and decide to trade upwards, be a bit more ambitious. Entry reg in Clearing are ABB.

can you apply to Birmingham and what do you do next?

Titchy - Cross posts. I read about such a scenario this year on one of the threads. It was quite sad.

All these processes are explained on the UCAS website - your DC's school may well / should have directed them to fond their way around the rest of the site as well as Apply and Track?

Here's the info on Adjustment:
www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/results/ucas-adjustment-if-youve-done-better-expected

Would add, you can't use Adjustment if you have accepted an unconditional / unconditional if firmed offer as your firm, as you have no grade conditions to meet / exceed.

MarchingFrogs - I know but i'm getting anxious about it all already. Its still months away but want to make sure i'm clued up on all the loopholes and processes because God knows on the day ds won't.

Marching -See that's exactly the kind of information that's very handy to know. Thanks so much and also for the link.

Ok. Adjustment and clearing are two separate processes. It wasn't clear what you were asking. But yes you phone up Birmingham asking if they have adjustment places for you with those grades. They say yes and hold it for a week while you wait for your firm to release - which they will - it's actually quite rare that adjustment is used btw.

Thank you very much.

In your scenario if offer for x is met or exceeded the place there will automatically be confirmed. If a new option appears then you need to speak to new one and ask to be released by x in order to apply. However why would new one not have been on list in the first place? You can firm an offer in excess of predicted grades and use x as insurance.

If they do better than their offer then that's what adjustment is for.

However why would new one not have been on list in the first place? You can firm an offer in excess of predicted grades and use x as insurance.

But you might not have got an offer in the first place, if your predicted grades are lower than the university's usual offer.

Some universities don't participate in Clearing or Adjustment, of course.

However why would new one not have been on list in the first place?

Because their predicted grades are much lower than the entry requirements of the new uni and so it would have been pointless applying.

It depends though. If the application is otherwise strong (ie, ps highlights relevant work experience or string interest) the offer may be made on reduced grades or just above predicted, or even made unconditional if firmed. It is worth including one whose typical offer is above predicted grades if the course or uni is one dc is particularly keen on.

Definitely not a waste of time applying with lower grades.

Thanks for the informative thread.

Quick question. Say your first choice uni requires ABB and your insurance Uni asked for BCC. What would happen if you got BBB or BBC and were rejected from first choice but your grades are higher than the insurance offer?

Could you then shop around in clearing for a better Uni? Or are you tied to the insurance Uni?

From my understanding your insurance would accept you as you have met their offer but you can ask to be released from this and go into clearing. You do not automatically go into clearing as you have a place. Hope this helps

Stop panicking OP, .

DS was in exactly this situation a year ago. He missed one of his grades by the skin of his teeth, and a remark was ordered.

He rang the university whose offer he was holding, they definitely wanted the B grade, and agreed to hold the place for two weeks.

In the meantime he was able to access clearing and got an immediate offer from another university.

In the end the remark was done in a couple of days, and he got his B and all was well.

People want to do what they can to help in these situations, but you do have to get on the phone and talk to them, and sometimes it takes a while to get through.

Please do not worry about this at all!

On results day, you get ABB.
You notice University of Birmingham (who you never applied to to start with) are in clearing and decide to trade upwards, be a bit more ambitious. Entry reg in Clearing are ABB.

This scenario isn't Clearing.

It's Adjustment.

Very different processes.