Explain UCAS to Me Like I’m 5

[G00dG1rl]

I went to uni overseas, and feel very daunted about UCAS for my DC. Explain it to me like I’m 5. Here’s what I think I know:

• DC applies to 5 courses..1/2 aspirational, a few at predicted grades, and 1/2 worst case scenario.
• The unis reply back, and we see what offers are on the table. If DC accepts an unconditional offer, the process is over (DC not likely to do this, as the unis toward the top of their list have said that they don’t do unconditional offers).
• Once all offers are on the table, DC must choose their top two, which should have different grade requirements.
• On results day, they get their top choice if grades are achieved. If not, they get their second choice if grades are achieved. If not, they enter Clearing, which sounds like a bunfight clusterfuck (I haven’t really delved into this too much just yet).

Is my understanding correct?

Yes that's it! The only other thing I'd add is for DC to check any GCSE requirements very carefully - there are sometimes minimum grade requirements in Maths and English. Make sure they check this so they don't "waste" one of their five slots on somewhere they don't meet minimum requirements for. Oh - and also check if there are any specific Alevel subjects required for the course. Good luck.

Technically they don’t have to have different grade requirements that you pick - that’s just the custom. However the insurance would also stand if for any reason the firm withdrew the course. It is also possible a firm may not drop grades but an insurance would.

so you can miss grades and still get firm / clearing place - a lot will depend of how oversubscribed they are.

Thank you I was literally wondering if I had it right yesterday

So let’s say Bloggs Uni is choice 1, with an ABB requirement. DC gets BBB, and might still get into Bloggs Uni, if they’re undersubscribed? Does this happen a lot?

It happens to varying degrees every year depending on numbers. For example my son had a Maths and Physics offer for Warwick (firm) and Bristol (insurance) in 2024. He missed it by one grade. Warwick offered him a place on their Physics degree, Bristol maintained the Maths and Physics offer. A friend of his had exactly the same firm and insurance and missed by the same grade but was rejected by both and put in to clearing. He had slightly lower GCSEs overall so that is potentially the reason why but who knows - it's a bit of an opaque process!

When they go through clearing, are the unis taking time to trawl through personal statements, or is it a case of rushing them through as quickly as possible: “GCSE Maths 5 ✅ GCSE English 5 ✅ ABB ✅ Go!”

And can they get a space through clearing on one of their original 5 if they didn’t choose it as one of their top 2? Can they get a place in clearing if they were rejected at the first stage by one of the 5?

Unless physio/teaching etc (where they might want to interview) yes to the "Go!"

And yes, yes for your last two questions.

Also be aware that you can use clearing to trade-up to a better uni if your results are better than expected - many unis put courses in clearing at their standard asking grades, with the intention of mopping up these students.

Be aware that you can't 'choose' to go to your insurance on results day. (This is a common misconception). The unis get the results a few days before they are published so if your firm uni decides to accept you (because you've met your offer, or they are happy to take you even though you've missed your offer) then the insurance choice is automatically released (as if it had never existed). Of course, if the insurance uni course happens to be in clearing there is nothing to stop you rejecting your firm offer and pursuing the insurance uni course.

They may still get either firm or insurance if grades are not quite meeting the offer but that is at the uni’s discretion. They receive results in advance of pupil so can make decisions on borderline/near miss ready for UCAS to confirm outcome on the day. Failing that there is Clearing to identify potential courses with places still available on Results day for which they contact uni and negotiate.

So if Bloggs Uni requires ABB and DC gets BBB, with a “no”, could the course be offered in clearing at BBB? Or do the unis go through and offer to those with the clearing grades first?

And if you want to “trade up” to a course elsewhere on clearing, do you have to relinquish your offer to go into clearing? That seems risky if so…what if those spaces you spotted somewhere better get snapped up by someone else who was quicker to get into the queue?

The firm unis go through those with clearing-level grades first and offer to them, so it's vanishing unlikely you'd see your 'firm' university offer the grades they had rejected you on, in clearing. I guess it could happen if they rejected you, then much to their surprise a week later a number of students pulled out from that course (traded up in clearing, deferred a year, decided uni wasn't for them) so they had spaces to fill.

Clearing works such that there is no peril - you don't release your confirmed place until you have it in writing (so a contract) from your new uni course, and UCAS is the go between for the switch. (You don't actually 'enter' clearing - everyone can have a nosy around on results day whilst having their confirmed place happily sitting at their firm or insurance; it's only if you decide to do anything that you contact UCAS to release your confirmed place so the new uni can offer their clearing place to you on the system).

Top tip. If you know what course your DC might be interested in, have a look in clearing this year (13 Aug) to see what grades are typically required for their course across their shortlist. e.g. last year my DS's course choice asked for AAA and the course was in clearing at BBB. Whilst "past performance is no guarantee of future results" (different cohort, number of places etc) this has given us confidence, when selecting his firm/insurance that he's likely to still get his place if he drops a grade.

Thanks. This is all really helpful. I really do hate that DC has to drop down from 5 to 2, because it’s easier to plan for aspirational/predicted/safe with 5, rather than 2. 😬

Clearing sounds like a nightmare when you factor in housing, etc.

You would either be offered it or not. It might be worth a phone call if rejected but they are unlikely to have places in Clearing for that course, they might offer a related alternative or joint honours but with no guarantee of switching to original preference later on. You can hold a place while looking through Clearing then need to release it once Clearing place is confirmed and that become the Firm.

Oddly enough, some unis guarantee housing for students who come to them via firm, and through clearing, but not those who come to them via insurance. (The thinking being that by clearing time, the unis need to go all-out to fill the last spaces with whatever enticement they can offer, so save some rooms for this purpose). So another thing to check!

😬