Have you applied to study in the UK but received only negative answers? Or maybe have you submitted your application too late? Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that you have to give up on studying in England. All you need to do is take advantage of the reserve application, which is UCAS Clearing.
What is UCAS Clearing?
Clearing is a term referring to the additional intake that is organized at universities in the UK. It is a type of reserve application aimed at individuals who:
- did not submit an application for undergraduate studies in the UK before June 30th,
- applied for undergraduate studies in the UK before June 30th, but received a negative response or declined the offers they held.
In both of these cases, you have the opportunity to study at a university in the UK through the UCAS Clearing process. Importantly, using Clearing is free of charge.
What is the application deadline for studies in England under UCAS Clearing?
Clearing starts on July 1st and typically ends around September or October, depending on the university. However, don’t wait until the last moment to submit your application, as the available spots at universities in the UK decrease with each passing day. If you want to study at a specific university or are interested in a particular course of study, submit your application through UCAS Clearing as soon as possible.
What colleges offer UCAS Clearing?
Since Clearing is a supplementary admission process, it is conducted by those universities in the UK that still have available spots after the standard admission process has ended. As a result, after June 30th, when clearing starts, not all courses will be available.
At the most popular universities in the UK and on the most sought-after courses, there will indeed be very few available spots during clearing. However, in the case of lesser-known or slightly less prestigious universities in England, there shouldn’t be a problem with the additional intake through clearing. However, as we mentioned earlier, with each passing day, the available spots will become fewer, so the sooner you submit your application through UCAS Clearing, the better your chances of ending up at a great university.
How do I apply for UCAS Clearing?
Applying through UCAS Clearing varies depending on whether you previously applied for admission to universities in the UK through the standard recruitment process. If so, it means that you have an account in the UCAS system. That’s where you will find the so-called clearing number, necessary for submitting another application.
Remember that you will receive a clearing number only when all universities have rejected your applications or when you have declined offers from individual universities in the UK.
When applying for undergraduate studies in the UK through Clearing, you should start by finding the course and university that interest you. Next, you need to contact the chosen university by phone to make sure they still have available spaces for you to apply. If you receive confirmation, you will participate in an interview during which a university representative will review your application and present you with an offer of admission. It will appear in your UCAS Track. During this conversation, you will be asked to provide your clearing number.
The situation looks a bit different if you haven’t used the UCAS system before and want to apply to a university in the UK through Clearing. In this case, a bit more work awaits you. First and foremost, you will need to create an account in the UCAS system, write a personal statement, obtain references, and finally submit your application for undergraduate studies in the UK. Once you complete the above steps, you will receive a clearing number.
From that point on, you’ll be able to contact individual universities in the UK, searching for a university that will make you a suitable offer.
Is it worth using UCAS Clearing?
Absolutely! This applies to both individuals who spent a lot of time preparing their original application for studies in the UK, including the personal statement and references, as well as those who came up with the idea of studying in the UK after June 30th. Clearing doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get into a lower-ranked university, especially when applying for a less popular course. Especially since some universities lower their entry requirements during Clearing.
Moreover, Clearing doesn’t keep you in suspense, and you don’t have to wait for days for a response from the university in the UK. You will receive an offer immediately during a telephone conversation. And if it turns out to be negative, you can immediately proceed to contact the next university.
If you are truly committed to studying in the UK, clearing will significantly facilitate that for you. Especially since you can keep calling different universities until you succeed, and there’s no shortage of higher education institutions in the UK. However, the sooner you start making calls, the greater the choice of offers that will be waiting for you.
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