The reality of Clearing: as told by students

What is Clearing? Read our survival guide or browse our special advice section.

Lots of people have found it really straightforward

Going through Clearing isn’t about applying all over again. If you know what you want to study and where you want to go, it can be sorted very quickly.

I found that it was extremely easy, especially if you act quick and waste no time in contacting any course you are interested in.Universities I contacted were very quick and polite with everything and talked me through what was going to happen, they didn't leave me in the dark.ANOYNOMUS786 | (from The Student Room)

The same day I contacted the admissions team i got an interview for the next morning. After my interview I was told that I got a place and the stress of finding a university course was gone!It was great that i was able to find a course and get a place at uni in such a short amount of time, i had expectations of it being a long and tedious process, but it was quite the opposite!ANOYNOMUS786 | (from The Student Room)

I rang up the universities I wanted to go to and and told then I would like to apply for their course. They then checked my grades and details before either accepting or rejecting me.GrandMagpie26 | (from The Student Room)

• Read more: how to call universities

And having a 'plan B' is always a good idea

Having a decent back-up plan can do wonders for your stress levels on results day. Even the best-laid plans can go south...

I think getting rejected results day was the best thing that happened to me, without this I would never have changed my attitude towards academics and probably coasted through my undergrad studies. If you go through Clearing don’t be disheartened. Focus on what you want from university, what achievements would make you proud and open the doors you want at the end of the road. Your attitude and goals are what is really important.mnot | (from The Student Room)

I absolutely was not expecting to ever miss my firm (although it was high at A*AA for physics) not to talk of my insurance choice which had a reasonably lower requirement in comparison. To put it simply, I (temporarily) missed the grades and landed straight Bs.My firm was where my heart was – I really really wanted to go there and nowhere else. My insurance was just there for fun really so having my insurance say no was extremely disheartening for me.Ayo.f1 | The Student Room Member

I hadn't gotten into my first choice course of Optometry. I missed by a grade and so I had the option of either resitting the year to try to get a place on the course for the next year or going through Clearing.Since I didn't want to go through A-levels again and was unsure if I would be able to get the grade, I decided to go through Clearing to see if there were any other similiar courses. Thankfully I found a wide range of different courses that were also in the healthcare sector.ANOYNOMUS786 | (from The Student Room)

OK, it's true. Sometimes Clearing can be a nightmare

By its very nature, Clearing can be a really stressful time – but keep going and you could end up with a really positive outcome.

Clearing is quite frankly a horrible process. The phone lines are constantly busy. Having spent over two hours attempting to contact Portsmouth University repeatedly, I eventually was put through with all the places taken.Although it's worth the university place, bear in mind that you may not even get a chance to talk to a real person before the place is gone.First year law student | (University of Surrey)

This was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. The Ucas website crashed, all phone lines were jammed and universities did not always give you an instant answer.First year Psychology student | (University of Chichester)

I considered applying to two universities, Surrey and another. On my first attempt at calling Surrey they said there were no longer any places available.After a day or so, I called up Surrey again and specified my grades, I got put through to the head of the department who offered me a place.Second year Civil Engineering student | (University of Surrey)

I contacted nine universities and seven of them were extremely unhelpful, telling me an immediate 'no' without giving me any other information. Luckily Sussex Uni were much better; they assured me that by passing their psychology foundation year – the entry level was CCC – I would be guaranteed a place on their AAB Psychology BSc courseThis was extremely helpful as I'd only managed to get BBC in my exams, so a foundation year seemed to be my only option for going straight to uni without having to take a gap year or settling for a uni I definitely didn't want to go to.Xofia | The Student Room Member

• Read more: Clearing and results day: have a back-up plan ready

But there are lots of people who found Clearing really positive

In fact, your Clearing place might end up suiting you better than your initial choices!

I had a very pleasnt experience. They were very kind and understanding. I was reassured that my grades were great and I would be a suitable fit for the course.The process was very easy, they just confirmed details (such as my grades, date of birth and Ucas number) then I had an interview the next morning. After the interview I was told I got a place!ANOYNOMUS786 | (from The Student Room)

If you don't get the grades for your first choice, it is important not to panic. Also, don't rush to get on just any course, it has to be the right one for you.I found that my clearing course suited me even better than my original firm choice, and accepted. I ended up being glad that I went into Clearing!First year Drama student | (University of Glamorgan)

If I hadn't gone through Clearing, then I wouldn't be at RHUL, and subsequently wouldn't be on a year abroad in Australia! It may seem like the worst possible thing at the time, but hopefully it'll all work out.Second year Classical Studies student | (Royal Holloway University)

Clearing was a great opportunity for me to review my choices and successfully gain a place at a university near home and suited for my requirements.Second year Social Studies student | (University of Sunderland)

My failure to get into any of my original choices is something that has played on my mind for a while but I'm happy where I am now; I've met some good people and I think that year 2 will be good. At the end of the day, if I had gone to Warwick or Sheffield or one of my other original choices, the past year probably wouldn't have been much better and could have been much worse.ArtisticScreech | The Student Room Member

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And there's a lot you can do to be prepared

I noted down which universities would accept me for Clearing if both my firm and insurance rejected me. I wrote down their numbers and the conditions, and brought it with me to results day.Tyra-Faith, London | Student

If you want to go through Clearing, my advice would be to check entry requirements beforehand and if you're slightly below the average offer, don't worry too much – I've heard of people getting into Russell Group unis with AAC, even ABD through Clearing, although if you're applying for a competitive course like Law this may not be possible.ArtisticScreech | The Student Room Member

Also, don't forget that Clearing isn't just for if you miss your grades

You might change your mind about where you want to go – either before or after you get there.

Often, people think clearing is JUST for those who didn't get their grades, but it isn't. I made my firm choice, but after I visited the uni, I realised it really wasn't for me.Since I was accepted by my first choice, I had to apply to Lincoln via Clearing. It was very stressful.But it just takes patience, and remember the final goal!First year Social Studies student | (University of Lincoln)

I went to my first choice of university for two weeks but found that the course wasn't for me and the university didn't live up to my expectations, so I contacted my insurance/second choice of university who told me that they would still accept me in the same year and I could start immediately.They were extremely helpful and guided me through the clearing process and gave me advice on how I should proceed.First year Biological Sciences student | (University of Southampton)

I was left with my insurance which I later decided I didn't want. I then visited Essex University on an open day and loved the atmosphere. I got in contact with the Economics department before turning down the insurance offer I had via Ucas, and then only when they agreed via email to take me via Clearing, did I reject the insurance offer.Fourth year Economics student | (University of Essex)

I applied through Clearing because I hadn't found the course when applying originally. I applied and within an hour had a phone interview with one of the staff from my department and was made an offer within a matter of hours.It was stress-free, easy to do and advice was offered throughout. I was very happy.Fourth year English Literature student | (University of Kent)

It can be more complicated if you didn’t do A-levels

...but not impossible!

I found Clearing extremely stressful as I took the IB and many phone operators during Clearing were not familiar with it. I was not promptly informed of rejections and many universities raised their entry requirements for Clearing. I ended up in a university whose entry requirements were far lower than my points score. Luckily I am happy where I ended up.First year Marine Biology student | (University of Hull)

It was very stressful, mainly because universities do not write entry requirements for international students. One of the main reasons for choosing my university was the fact that they wrote specific entry requirements for my country (others too).First year Human Resource Management student | (University of Glamorgan)

On the other hand…

If you’ve studied for a qualification such as IB or Btec, you may get your results before A-level students get theirs. So if you’re going to use Clearing, you could have a head start.

• Read more: check out our advice on results and clearing for Btec and IB students.

I applied to four universities for Law and received four offers. I later decided to study Physics instead and went through clearing for Salford. It wasn't stressful for me because I did the International Baccalaureate and so could go through Clearing months before the A-level students.First year Physics student | (University of Salford)

Doing the IB instead of A-Levels meant that there was a lot more time to arrange things and sort myself out but it also meant that unis were a bit more confused and I didn't get released from my offers until very late.Second year Human and Social Geography student | (University of Leicester)

And finally... don't give up!

I looked at the possibility of resitting my A-levels, including how much it would cost and which institutions offered this option in my local area.Zuzana | Student

Don't be afraid to ring up if you don't meet the grade requirements. I was allowed on course despite not having enough points.First year Chemical Engineering student | (University of Westminster)

My advice for Clearing this year is to keep going! I don't even think I confirmed my university place until a week after results day because I'd panicked and didn't want to admit I'd failed by going into Clearing. But really, there wasn't much to be scared of at all.e.lma | The Student Room Member

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