Clearing FAQs | Supporting your child through Clearing

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Andrea is a parent whose daughter went through Clearing. Hear her story.

How can you help your child prepare for results day?

Make sure your child is ready for any outcome, such as their grades being better than expected, as expected, or worse than expected. Before results day, help them research available Clearing courses, save the ones they’re interested in to their Whatuni account, and decide on a shortlist of five. This way they can enter Clearing straight away and get a place on a course they want.

Getting grades can be stressful so you’ll need to support your child in the lead-up to results day. Remind them you’re there to help and that no matter their grades, they’ll always have options to study.

How can you support your child on results day?

Help your child create a backup plan in case they don’t get the grades they expected. Clearing courses can fill up quickly. The more prepared your child is to enter Clearing, the more likely they'll get a place on a course they want. Make sure they have a shortlist of Clearing courses, a list of phone numbers to call, and all they need to have on hand when calling Clearing hotlines.

Remember to stay calm. Your calming influence will encourage them to do the same. Whether or not your child gets the results they want, they’ll always have options. Remind them of this and reassure them they’ll get a place on their ideal course.

Your child narrowly missed the grades they needed on results day. Can they still attend their firm or insurance choice?

There’s no guarantee but the university may still be willing to offer your child a place on the course they were rejected from. They can also apply for a different course at the same university through Clearing. They'll need to call the university to find out.

When can your child start to use Clearing?

Your child can only start to call universities once they get their grades on results day. These are the results day dates for UK qualifications:

A-Level results day: 17 August

BTEC results day: usually the same day as A-levels or just before

Scottish Higher results day: 8 August

Your child shouldn’t wait for these dates to start looking at Clearing courses. They should be researching what courses are available when Clearing opens on 5 July.

What if your child got better grades than expected and wants to change course?

They can do this through Clearing once their firm offer becomes unconditional. They’ll have to first call the university they want to change to, let them know they're going through Clearing, and then see if they're made a verbal offer. When your child accepts the verbal offer, the university will update your child’s UCAS Hub account and send them a confirmation email.

How can you help your child research Clearing courses?

Before your child starts researching Clearing courses, sit down with them and make a list of the things they consider important when choosing a course. Consider factors such as university location, course length, module choices, how they’ll be assessed and how the course is taught.

Once they have a list of key factors, look through available courses with them. Encourage them to save any they’re interested in to their Whatuni account so they can easily compare them. From there, help them condense the shortlist down to about five options.

Andrea, whose daughter earned a place on the Mathematics BSc (Hons) at Nottingham Trent University in 2020, says:

Quote from Andrea, the parent of a Clearing student

Should your child decline any offers before they call universities?

No, your child should only decline an offer if they’ve got a verbal offer from a uni over the phone and are sure they want to change course.

What information should your child have on hand when calling universities?

Make sure your child has these with them:

Their Clearing number

Their UCAS ID number

Course name and code

Their personal statement

Their grades

Any questions they’d like to ask

Andrea maintains:

Quote from Andrea, the parent of a Clearing student

How can you support your child with preparing to call universities?

Make sure they’ve written down their UCAS number, the name and code of the course they’re calling about, their personal statement for reference, their grades and any questions they have about the course. This way they’ll be prepared for what they may be asked over the phone.

You could also do practice phone calls with them. Assume the role of an admissions tutor and ask them questions such as ‘Why are you interested in this course?’ or ‘What would make you a good fit on this course?’. This practice should help to alleviate stress and put their mind more at ease.

What should your child do once they get a verbal offer?

They should thank the uni and let them know they’ll take some time to consider the offer before deciding. Your child shouldn’t take any offer without giving it some thought. You should discuss each offer they get with them before they choose which to take.

Once your child is sure they want to take an offer, they should log in to their UCAS Hub account and add the course as a Clearing choice. The university will then confirm their place.

How does your child organise student accommodation in Clearing?

The university will send your child all the details about how to apply for student accommodation once their place on a Clearing course has been confirmed. Most universities reserve spaces in their student accommodation for Clearing students, but do make sure your child sorts their accommodation as soon as the uni sends them the information.

How does your child change their student finance details?

They’ll need to let their student finance provider know of any course change. This can be done by logging in to their student finance account and updating their course details. This applies to student loans, maintenance loans and any other student funding they’ve applied for.

What if your child can’t find a course they like?

Encourage them to keep looking. There will be hundreds of courses available in Clearing across a wide spectrum of subjects. They may need to do a bit more research, but it’ll be worth it to find the right course.

If they’re still struggling to find their ideal course, other options include: