Applying to the UK for 2020 Entry: Your Complete Guide to UCAS Clearing
School closures, online schooling, exam cancellations, an IB grading furore and US visa uncertainties: the Class of 2020 has undoubtedly had a tough year as a result of the upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for many students plans for the following academic year may still be evolving.
If the UK has recently fallen onto your radar as a destination of interest, it is not too late to apply for September 2020 entry. Similarly, if you have already made an application through UCAS but failed to meet either your insurance or firm conditional offer, all is not lost. Read on to find out everything you need to know about UCAS Clearing 2020.
What’s Clearing?
UCAS Clearing opened on July 6, the same say that the IB results were released. Clearing allows students who did not meet the conditions on either their firm or conditional offers a last-minute chance to reapply to a university course. Clearing can also be used by students who did not previously make a UCAS application in the main round. It allows universities to fill up courses that were undersubscribed by allowing students to reapply with their achieved grades. That means universities can make decisions about which students to accept quickly before the start of the next academic year.
Clearing has become an increasingly popular pathway for students to find their university place. 73,320 students used Clearing in 2019, including a record 19,640 students who applied directly through Clearing, having not made an application in the main round.
It is not too late to secure your UK university place for Sep 2020
Who is it for?
It is for students who:
· applied through UCAS in the main round but did not get any offers
· applied through UCAS in the main round, but did not achieve the grades to meet either their insurance or firm offer
· have been accepted by their firm or insurance choice, but want to decline those choices in order to make a new application in Clearing. This might be the case if you have had a change of heart about the subject you want to study between making your first application and now. Applicants can do this through self-releasing in UCAS Track, but students should not do this lightly as this means forfeiting your secured place.
· did not apply in the main round but are now wanting to attend university in the UK next year, perhaps because of changing circumstances around COVID-19, changed visa rules etc.
How does it work?
If your final grades do not meet the conditions of either of your offers, and the universities involved have confirmed that they will not accept you on the basis of the grades you did achieve, you will automatically be placed into Clearing, which will be visible in UCAS Track. Your account will show a Clearing ID number too. You do also have the option to self-release into UCAS by rejecting your unconditional place but do this only if you have received advice from a university guidance counsellor to do so as you will forfeit your university place by doing so. You are also able to enter Clearing by making a new UCAS application now; since the main round is closed you will automatically be put into Clearing.
How can I see which courses are available through Clearing and what the entry requirements are?
You can check out which universities and courses still have places available through the UCAS website. There are currently over 30,000 courses available. Make sure you enter your location (which really refers to fee status) accurately as indicating that you are an international student will expand the range of courses on offer.
If your achieved grades meet the entry requirements and, after looking at all the course details, you are interested in applying for the course, you need to phone the university to have a conversation with the admissions staff. They will ask you for your Clearing number and Personal ID so they can look up your UCAS application. This will allow them to see you achieved grades, and your personal statement and reference. If they are satisfied that you are a good match for the university and course you want to do, they will make you an informal offer over the phone. You can have conversations with multiple universities and if you get informal offers from more than one university, you will need to decide which one you want to accept. As an international student, since you cannot visit the campus now, you might like to take a virtual tour or open day to further familiarize yourself with the university and its location.
Once you have decided which offer to accept, go into UCAS Track and click ‘Add Clearing choice’ and fill in the course details as given to you by the university on the phone. When the university confirms the ‘match’, it will show as an acceptance on your ‘Choices’ page in Track. You can only add one choice at a time, but you will be able to add another if the university does not confirm your place.
What is Clearing Plus?
This year UCAS has introduced Clearing Plus which acts as an automatic matching service between students in Clearing and universities by suggesting available courses to students who have previously applied for a particular subject.
When you enter Clearing, you will see a button in Track called ‘My Matches’. Clicking here will take you to your top 50 course matches. If you are interested in any of your matches, you can let the universities know and if they still have places available, they may call you.
What if I did better than expected? What is Adjustment?
If you did better than expected and obtained results that far exceeded your firm offer, you might be wondering if you could ‘upgrade’ your university. Alternatively, you might be wondering if your achieved grades could open up doors to study a new subject that you believed to be out of reach in the main application round. If this describes your situation, there is a way that you can explore your options safely, without jeopardizing your secured place.
You can register for Adjustment in Track when it opens on A-Levels results day (this means it is not open yet to IB students) which is August 13, 2020. From then on you have just five days to speak with universities about whether they would accept you on your chosen course with your achieved results. There is no vacancy list for Adjustment so you will need to contact the universities you are interested to find out if they have any spaces. If they do, and then make you a verbal offer, it will updated in Track. If you try Adjustment but do not find another course or university you want to swap your original place for, then you keep your original choice.
What are the deadlines?
Clearing is open now and will remain so until September 21. Applicants who already have their final results, such as IB Diploma and HKDSE graduates, are advised to make contact with universities through Clearing as soon as possible. A-Level results are published on August 13, after which more places may become available, but there will also be a large increase in competition for places as A-Level students who did not meet their offers go into Clearing to secure places on available courses. Adjustment closes on September 1.