Is it worth applying to higher offer courses that always seem to hit clearing?

[SockFluffInTheBath]

DD wants to do a language- which she is taking at A Level- at uni next year. She’s quite strong in that subject, less so in her other unrelated ones. A few ABB places were in clearing for CCC this summer, is it worth applying to one/two of those if she’s predicted ACC/BCC, or would it be a waste of time?

I was surprised At how low some of the grade had gone this year. I would be interested to know this too.

Sorry to derail the thread, my daughter has only just a started a levels, but how do you find out which courses went to clearing? I’m just curious.

I would. And bear in mind your dd can stagger her choices, so apply to 1-2 stretch choices and then might get a response or two and can tailor remaining accordingly, depending on whether she got offers and what they were. Can also contact the admissions teams direct and ask if they feel it’s worth applying with x and y grades. I think if they can be helpful they will- but obvs get your dd to email them.

@stealthninjamum I don't think you can now as must of the courses will have been filled and taken off. Most uni sites now state 2025 entry. You can't guarantee that it will be the same next year,

I stalked UCAS and the university websites around results day. I think clearing is still on (just) so you can see what remains in clearing. There’s no enduring record of everything that went into clearing though, not good PR I suppose.

Thanks @Bibbetybobbity good plan.

Yes I watched clearing year 12 to get an idea for yr 13 but there’s no guarantees what will go in clearing. Clearing grades for some courses went very low this year.
I’d definitely have a punt for 1 or 2 if she has a strong application for that subject and it’s not an oversubscribed course. As long as got a few safer bets.

@SockFluffInTheBath if you look the course up on the UCAS website and scroll down to near the bottom of the page you'll see some historical grade data which shows what grades they actually accepted (not even including the clearing acceptances, which might be even lower).

@time2chime i spotted that, but got the impression it was for ‘this course and similar courses’. Maybe I need to go back and read it properly! Thank you.

better to try than not

It really depends. When a course is in recruiting mode, for the most part admissions tutors will stretch to make the case for applicants of a given standard before accepting that standard in Clearing.

But pressure does funny things to people, so no guarantees.

Ah interesting, so are you saying that the range of grades for course as listed on the UCAS for historical grade data does not include the clearing offers/acceptances? I do know that these do include contextual however.

Apologies - I misread this first time around but now see that the historical data does include clearing offers, and contextual offers: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/entry-requirements/understanding-historical-entry-grades-data

Still a useful tool though.
It's always worth asking questions at open day. My DS is applying for an MEng and was told by one admissions tutor that if he missed the grades they would probably offer him the BEng and allow him to transfer to MEng if he did well in his year 1 exams.

There were some amazingly low offers in Clearing this year from RG and other popular unis, but it's worth remembering that the majority of students on those courses will have hit the original grade offers.

Not everyone will feel comfortable being surrounded by students who they know achieved much higher grades than they did.

@HPFA absolutely, and I wouldn’t consider suggesting it except she’s strong in the subject she’d be taking and would match them in that. Weaker across the board though, granted.

have some (never want to go there again) experience with my DCs of clearing. I would add to double check that there is no stipulation that if you don’t accept the offer from X uni you are prevented from applying in clearing. Seem to recall that was the case for some unis…but that was before what seems to be a dramatic shift in clearing opportunities last year - perhaps all those places freed up from int’s students/cost of living pressures. Year on year they do change dramatically - 2021/22 there was still the hangover of so many kids having got their predicted grades the year before and there was v little in clearing so DC decided to retake, the following year there was a little bit more but if you hadn’t secured it in the first few hours you were going to struggle to find anything. Then this August (researching for future DC) I couldn’t believe the huge number of excellent courses in clearing which much reduced grade reqts. After 21/22 though I think I’d be too paranoid to rely on it though! Good luck!

Yes, lots this last August but, as some have said, not the case the years before that (maybe due to the bulge due to the elevated grades from TAGs).

For some unis there are Freedom of Information requests about which courses were in clearing and some responded with the data and it was interesting to see how they varied from year to year, even within subjects.

Frankly the system needs to change, it's ridiculous. There seemed to be so many dropped grades acceptances this year - great but you had to be predicted the high grades in order to get an offer in the first place.

I would be pushing for the higher predicted grades if you can siting what happened in the summer. Then just ensure she has the normal range - aspirational, fits likely grades/happy to go there and one if it all goes south. Then be on clearing if required.

Thanks everyone. She’s found a non-RG she has her heart set on as it’s quite flexible and allows her to run a third language at a non-examined level so she can keep her hand in. It’s also a lovely place and the open day drew her right in. It’s funny though, done mocks this week and without much revision she’s one mark off A* in the degree subject, others are D. She can’t be the only one who is good at the subject they want to do and let down by non-related ones. That’s a whole tranche of kids being missed by the RG universities’ blanket ABB.

Your best chance for getting info on this is to be thinking about it in the summer if when your DC is yr12. Screen shot the actual uni websites on the morning (8am) of results day to see and record what was available. Do it again at mid-day as what’s left will have changed a lot. Do it again for the next couple of days.

If you are trying to gather this info once your DC is in yr13, the key moments of clearing for the previous year have already passed.

It’s a fast moving thing on the morning of result day. Best places which are in clearing only have a few places and these will be gone fast….by 9 or 10 am. This also means it’s important for students to look at UCAS at 8am to find out if they’ve been accepted etc and also to get their actual A Level results from school or college as soon as possible (UCAS doesn’t show these) - most likely by being there are 8am too. They need to have all the phone numbers and to have looked at Clearing the night before and early that morning and know exactly where they will ring ahead of time and be on the opine as soon as possible after 8am to have the best chance if the most competitive places.

It’s also worth bearing in mind, that even if someone meet their offer, Clearing can throw up better and more competitive options. Clearing and early calls won’t just be for those who are disappointed, but also for ‘trading up’ as some ‘bargains’ are available early on. Most students do t consider this, as all they are interested in is if their firm place took them. But there is scope for those ambitious for ‘better’ to trade up and some places will guarantee accommodation for Clearing appliances too. The position on accommodation for clearing is also worth looking at as some will guarantee it, but lots don’t.

To be honest, it’s an information game. Those ‘in the know’ who have been gathering g info through yr12 and 13 and prepping ahead of results day have much better access to the best options in Clearing, than those who are blindsided by their results on results day and take a few hours to process and start gathering info.

And the thing that really bugs me is schools and colleges who won’t make results available to kids at 8am. Whilst those kids are waiting to know what they got, the best places in Clearing are vanishing. So it’s worth asking your school or college about when they release the info and how. And if they say it’s later than 8am, challenge them about this and the consequences of it. Speak to the Head of Sixth Form and any uni/careers advisors about it and ask them to change it for next year….dont wait until August.

Clearing needs a complete overhaul. It just encourages students to panic and grab anything they can, without giving it enough thought. It would be much better if clearing didn't open until Monday after results day, giving everyone the chance to look at what is available and perhaps even visit.

I don't think everyone knows a student doesn't have to submit all their 5 uni choices in one go - they can keep some spaces empty? My understanding (best to check) is that they can add to these spaces up until end of June...maybe its worth her keeping at least one spot free - waiting until after the Jan deadline has gone and ring around to see if there might be spaces? And then apply? That way you could try and get something before it went to clearing?