Can you go through clearing without doing a UCAS application?

[Electronicmind]

DS is doing a stand alone foundation year at a RG uni. If he passes highly enough, they guarantee him a place on one of their degree courses. This is very much his preferred option and he seems to be doing well so far.

However, it is possible to pass (level 4 qualification, CertHe) but not score highly enough to stay where he is, in which case he would probably want to do his degree at a lower ranked university. At present he's so determined he's staying where he is, he's not looking at other options or interested in putting an application together. He's prioritising the course he's on. He also doesn't have Alevels/predicted grades which makes the UCAS application less straightforward.

To put my mind at rest, should the worst happen, is it possible to apply through clearing if you didn't make an initial UCAS application or is clearing just for people who applied but didn't get the grades they'd hoped for.

Who should he be speaking to for advice?

Hi, OP -

All HE applications in the UK (except possibly for those to private universities, I am not sure) go through UCAS. However the UCAS deadlines are not Clearing deadlines.

Clearing this year opens on 5 July, IIRC - don’t rely on me! Applications received at UCAS from 30 June are automatically entered into Clearing. If your DS does not have good news by 30 June, he can put in a UCAS application then.

Source: I am a former Russell Group admissions tutor.

So I'd it likely he needs to do a UCAS application to stay where he is? He seems to think not. He didn't apply through UCAS for this course.

If they offer automatic progression to year 1 he won't need to apply through UCAS no. He'd only need to apply through UCAS if he wants to apply elsewhere. As poetry said there's no problem applying to UCAS in June or July (or August or September!) - it doesn't close.

If it turns out that he needs to look around, I would encourage him (at that point, no need in advance) to ask for suggesting of where to try from his tutors.

Since his application is from a slightly unusual route, he could talk to any suggested contacts and then follow up with a formal UCAS application

Fingers crossed it's not necessary.

Is he doing Maths by any chance? I recall a poster in a similar position a couple of years ago. Glad he got somewhere sorted if so!

Just to reassure about transferring having done the FY - it's quite a common route actually (we lose loads of our FY students who transfer elsewhere - annoyingly), so don't worry about another uni not knowing what to do with his application.

I agree with PPs that staying where he is should count as progression and not require going through UCAS. Your DS has already been admitted to his current institution (apparently by an exceptional route). But that is based on our procedures. His own FY admins are the best source of information on on this.

Going anywhere else will require going through UCAS

OK, thank you all. So he doesn't need to do anything until he knows whether he's able to stay, or not and I can stop stressing over it and leave him to talk to his tutors ?

Strictly speaking, this is correct. It would be prudent to apply before the Jan deadline, to generate some offers as a back up plan. He doesn’t have to accept any of them if his confidence continues to grow. The point is that the most desirable options are least likely to enter Clearing.

Warning: If your DS takes this route, he must check that he will still have a pathway to Clearing if he rejects all his offers and then does not progress to Y1. I don’t think this ever came up in my experience, so I cannot be sure. Maybe some wise Mumsnetters can answer this for both of us?

@poetryandwine if he applied to 5, rejected them all and then his current uni says he doesn’t auto progress he’d automatically go into Clearing (or could use UCAS extra depending on dates). I’ve had a student do this - applied for 5 miles away from home, family circumstances changed late April so rejected all and for a great place in Clearing somewhere local

Thank you, @Bunnyannesummers
Good for me to know and great news for OP and her DS.

@Electronicmind - can you let us know when you've got the info you need? There are so many knowledgeable posters offering to help, and I have a question of my own, but I don't want to hi-jack your thread until you're finished on it! Good luck to your DS.