Clearing advice and guidance from Keele University

Clearing is the last stage of the UCAS application process. So if students are looking for a university place in September, it’s their last chance to get an application in, maybe change their mind, or look at an alternative course if they’re looking to start in the next few months.

Anyone applying for an undergraduate course can apply through Clearing. So whether you’ve changed your mind, you’re looking for a new opportunity, a new course area, applying to university for the first time, or your grades weren’t quite what you were expecting, you can use Clearing as a chance to secure a place for undergraduate study for September.

My top tip to help you prepare for Clearing is simply to be at home, school, or college on results day. Hopefully, you’ve done some research, found some courses you might be interested in, and hopefully you never need those plans but just in case, having good people around to help you navigate your next steps will make it much easier for you.

When it comes to results day, there are two things you’re going to need.

First of all, your results! They really are your passport to a university place. So as soon as you have those results, you can start applying to universities.

The other thing that you need to check is, if you’ve already applied to a university, check your UCAS account. You might have already been accepted onto a university course, even if your grades aren’t quite what you’re expecting.

So get those results and check your UCAS hub to see if you’ve been accepted.

My advice would be to go into Clearing with a plan and reach out for help if you need it.

Clearing can be frustrating, it can be emotional, and it can be exciting all at the same time. Ultimately, here at Keele, we’ve got a team of people ready to help you navigate those next steps and so have lots of other universities. So best of luck.