A Parents' Guide to Clearing...
Homepage » For Parents » A Parents' Guide to Clearing For those who don’t make the grades or haven’t applied through the normal UCAS channels the clearing process gives a further opportunity to find a suitable university placement. Clearing is a highly efficient process that places well over 30,000 students in little over a month between mid August and mid September. So, for students who have not received offers or haven’t made the grades there is no need to panic! Students are eligible for clearing if:
It is essential that a student planning to use the clearing system is available in person during this critical period and that summer holidays are planned around exam results. Clearing is a time for clear thinking and decisive decision making whilst parental help, advise and patience is paramount. For those eligible for clearing, UCAS will send, what is known as a clearing passport, which is essentially a form you use to secure a place. The clearing passport carries an clearing number which identifies candidates to any university or college to which they apply. If the university decides to offer a place they will then ask the candidate to send them their Clearing Passport. At this stage you are dealing directly with the institution concerned so do not sent this to UCAS. Although some candidates may find the Clearing process a little stressful, for others its actually quite exciting. Whereas the normal UCAS application process drags on for months clearing is, for most applicants, all over and done within a couple of weeks. The key is to get organised quickly and gather as much information as possible from various sources. The primary source is www.UCAS.com which advertises all the courses available through clearing but this information is also published in the Independent. If this doesn’t sound like too much of a contradiction in terms clearing is something of an organized free for all! A student may apply for as many courses as they wish at any university that takes their fancy. To improve the likelihood of making a choice that won’t later be regretted a student should consult school or college advisors, friends and family and spend time looking through university websites for information about, courses as well as accommodation and the local area. Help your son or daughter by drawing up a short list and then get them working! Phoning, emailing or better still visiting in person, as popular universities will attract many applications and places can be snapped up. Institutions will ask about exam results and of course, why they are interested in the university and the course: it will be a like a mini-interview. If a university offers a candidate a place, they'll ask for confirmation by way of a signed clearing passport. If applications have been made to more than one university, they should think carefully before sending it off because only one university at a time can consider an application. The danger is that without care a student could find themselves unable to pursue a course they are more interested in if they have sent their passport elsewhere. So students should give it a few days and chase their first-choice university for a reply before sending the passport anywhere else. Once a place has been accepted and confirmed, the university will inform UCAS, and UCAS will write to the successful candidate in final confirmation. They will then be committed to that university and can no longer apply elsewhere. This may seem to force the student into a big commitment, but the system simply wouldn't work if students confirmed places, only then to change their minds. This is why it's so important to think carefully before finally committing. If a student is offered a place, but decides not to accept, their passport will be returned so they can apply elsewhere. |
