Guide to University Clearing

July 5, 2024

Clearing is one of the many ways to get enrolled into higher education, and thousands of students go through this process every year to find the perfect course for them.

Although it may seem like an awkward thing to get your head around, the process is quite easy to get the hang of.

In this guide, we go over what Clearing is, and how you can utilise it to find your ideal course with us.

What is Clearing?

Clearing is the process that universities use to fill spots on courses, and get students enrolled easily after the traditional application deadline.

There are a few different conditions that will allow you to go through Clearing to find a university, and you must meet at least one of these to start the process.

The requirements are that:

You did not meet the entry requirements for your chosen university on results day, and you are looking for other options.
You declined the offers you received from other universities and are looking for a new course or institution.
You did not receive any offers and you still want to go to university this academic year.
You received better grades than you expected on results day and want to change to a different university.
You did not apply to any universities before the 30th June 2024 and want to enrol on a course this academic year.

It is worth remembering that if things do not go as you expect on results day, there are options available to you – so do not panic!

This year (2024), Clearing will begin on the 5^th July, and run through until the 21st October – however the final date for applying to a course is the 25th September 2024.

Any applications made through UCAS after the 30^th of June deadline will automatically be moved into Clearing, but you cannot apply to any courses until you have your exam results. If you have exam results already, you can apply from the start of the Clearing period.

How can I prepare for Clearing?

Most students will wait until results day to even think about Clearing, but it is worth being prepared for any outcome ahead of time.

Clearing begins quite early, and a lot of universities will start to publish their course vacancies from the 5^th of July – even though you will not be able to apply until you have your results. This gives you valuable time to investigate what might be available and prepare different action plans for a variety of outcomes.

There are a few things you can do to get prepared for Clearing, including:

Research what courses are available and keep a note of ones that would be of interest.
Write down the Clearing contact details for any universities you are interested in.
Attend open days if you can, as a lot of universities will hold some around results day to give students going through Clearing a chance to see the facilities.
Produce some questions to ask universities if you have any queries before applying.
Make note of important achievements, grades, and skills to mention when speaking to universities. Some may ask you questions about yourself when you contact them to apply, so have some great points ready to share with them.
If you have not got one already, put together a small portfolio of your work. Some universities would like to see your previous experience, and passion for the course you want to enrol on.
Apply for Student Finance as soon as you can. You do not have to have an offer to start your application, so you can add a course you want to enrol on as a placeholder. Then, when you have an offer, you can go back into your application and update it with the correct information.

How can I apply to the College of Esports through Clearing?

As mentioned previously, you will not be able to apply to a course without having exam results, but this should not stop you from deciding if you would like to enrol on one of our courses.

Keep an eye on the UCAS website for more information about what courses will have vacancies available for this academic year.

There are six undergraduate courses that currently have very limited Clearing vacancies, with options for a Foundation year available for all of them.

We offer courses in:

All undergraduate courses are full-time over three years, but this extends to four years if you take a Foundation Year.

You can apply to any courses with vacancies through UCAS during the Clearing period if you meet the conditions of entry, and phone lines will be open for students who wish to discuss options.

Results day 2024 falls on the 15^th of August, and on this date Clearing lines will be open early to give students the best chance to contact us. Please note that this line will be busy on this date.

If we make you an offer for a place on one of our courses, we will send you an email and you must then confirm your space as soon as possible. This confirmation will be done through your UCAS account.

You can learn more about all the courses that we offer, and how to apply through the education hub on our website.