What is Clearing?
Clearing is a way of applying to university if you haven’t met your expected results. You can also apply to university through Clearing if you missed the UCAS deadline, and you are applying for the first time after 30th June. Clearing 2024 is now closed.
Who is eligible for Clearing?
You can apply through Clearing if:
- you did not meet the entry requirements for any of your offers
- your grades are better than you expected
- you have not applied you any universities yet (after 30th June)
- you have not received any offers
- you have an offer from a university, but you want to study somewhere else.
Each year universities submit a list of courses available for Clearing, which can be found using the Clearing search tool on the UCAS website. If you already have a specific university in mind, you can find the courses they offer on their website. View the courses St Mary’s offers.
If you find a course you like, you can contact the university directly. All universities run a Clearing hotline where you can discuss your options with a member of staff. When you contact the universities, you need to provide them with your Clearing Number and UCAS Personal ID, so they can access your application.
If you are offered a place at the university, you can accept it on UCAS Hub.
Please note: if you already have an offer from another university, you need to decline it before you can accept a new one.
Clearing Plus is a tool specifically designed to help students find the perfect course for them. In comparison to the normal clearing search, Clearing Plus suggests courses that may suit you, using the information UCAS already knows about you, such as:
- your original course choices
- your grades
- the universities’ entry requirements.
To see the recommended courses, login to UCAS, and select the button ‘See matches’. If you register your interest in any of the courses, the university can contact you.
Yes, all international students are eligible for Clearing if they have applied to university through UCAS before 30th June.
There is no official application process for Clearing, if you meet the eligibility requirements you can contact universities anytime during Clearing, and they will help you through the process.
However, if you are interested in studying at a particular university but are undecided on what course you wish to study, some universities will allow you to pre-register and then they will contact you when you receive your results.
You can apply for Clearing between the 5th of July and the 23rd September. Please call us or complete our online application form once Clearing has opened.
If you are waiting until Results Day for your results, you can contact us once you have your results.
If you have not applied for a course through UCAS before 30th June, you will be automatically entered for Clearing. However, if you do not have a UCAS account, you can still be accepted onto a course if you contact the university and complete a Record of Prior Acceptance (RPA) form.
If a university makes you an offer you will have 24-hours to complete the RPA form. They will send you an offer email where you will find the login details to access the form. You will also need to provide copies of the certificates for the qualifications in the offer email. They can be scanned, or you can attach photos of the certificates.
Once the university has received your form and certificates, they will register you with UCAS, confirm your offer and then they will send you an email with information to welcome you to the university.