Clearing: five ways The Uni Guide makes your life easier

Every hour counts in Clearing. Fortunately, The Uni Guide has a few crucial tools and resources to make all the difference on the day (alongside the official Ucas website, university websites and our sister site The Student Room). 

So how can we help you through Clearing?

1. See what courses are out there

Once you’ve found Clearing vacancies you’re interested in on Ucas, drop that course into our search to get a bundle of key stats and information, clearly laid-out in one place. 

Depending on the course, these key stats could include:

• Full entry requirements: Remember, you can tailor your search to your predicted or final grades, so you’re only presented with courses you can realistically apply to successfully.
• Modules and assessments: These can vary from university to university, even if the course title is the same, completely changing the experience for a student.
• Student satisfaction ratings: Both overall and for specific elements of students’ experience (eg facilities, feedback on coursework etc).
• Graduate prospects and salaries: Both short and long-term.
• Student demographics: Who you’ll study alongside, including what they go on to achieve.

Plus lots more! Search for a course and start getting to grips with your degree course possibilities.

2. Find alternative subjects or courses 

If you've got your heart set on going to university this year, you might need to think a little more creatively where your choice of course is concerned. Our subject guides will help you explore your options, including similar courses and popular combination courses in your subject area.

If you’re completely re-thinking the subject you want to study, you can use our A-level Explorer to see the full breadth of subject options available to you, based on what students studying the same A-levels went on to study.

While it’s difficult to switch from maths to history (because they’re so different), it may be more reasonable to apply to a statistics course.

3. Shortlist and compare courses

Hit 'Shortlist' on the courses you're interested in so you can return to them later.

This will make it easier to keep track of all the courses that catch your eye. Then you can compare all your shortlisted courses in one place and easily check key course stats, such as average graduate salary and student satisfaction scores, to choose the ones you want to take the time to call in Clearing.

4. Get the lowdown on the uni

Because you won’t be studying the entire time, lots of our university profiles feature more key stats to give you a taste of life as a student at a specific university; these include stats and comments you won’t necessarily find in their official prospectus or on their website, around aspects of uni life from the quality of accommodation to the nightlife

 So no matter what you enjoy doing in your free time, you can see how well suited your uni is to keeping you entertained and inspired by way of clubs, societies, local events etc.

This is essential reading, especially if you won't make it to an open day before making your Clearing decision.

5. Find out what current students are saying about the university or course

Our sister site The Student Room has dedicated forums for specific universities, as well as forums for a variety of university courses. 

Drop by to see what current students are saying about their experiences studying at a particular university or taking the kind of course you're interested in.

Don’t forget to check out our full results day and Clearing advice section, to help you prepare. We have tips on what to expect on the day, finding a Plan B, making a Clearing call and much more.

Or simply begin with our jargon-free Clearing survival guide if you’re not sure where to start.