How to find the right course in Clearing

5 tips for finding the right university courses in Clearing

Going through Clearing doesn't mean that you can't end up at a brilliant university studying the course you always dreamed of. You're not starting from scratch, but you do need to work quickly and carefully to find the best possible course for you.

We've put together 5 key tips to help you find the perfect Clearing course options on results day.

1. Prepare in advance

If you're worried about not getting the grades you need on results day, you can get a headstart on searching for Clearing courses. When Clearing opens on July 5 2023, Clearing courses will become available on the UCAS search tool. Most students won't be able to apply until they get their grades on results day in August. That gives you over a month to start shortlisting any universities or courses you might be interested in. You can note down the Clearing hotline numbers, contact details, and any other key information you might need so you'll have it on hand on results day.

2. Consider new courses

Clearing is the perfect time to assess whether you want to continue doing the course you originally applied for or consider something different. Although many universities offer the same subjects, their courses will be structured differently and often contain very different content.

Try and be flexible. Maybe you could consider a joint honours course? Or maybe you could think about a similar course with a different title? Of course, it might not be the best idea to start considering Biology if you originally applied for English, but thinking about related subjects and topic areas is a great way to expand your search if you're struggling to find relevant courses.

3. Revisit initial applications

When you apply through Clearing, you aren't starting from the very beginning. You already researched lots of courses and universities when you initially applied to uni. In fact, you sent in applications to five of them.

To start with, take a look back over the three courses you initially applied to and didn't confirm as your firm or insurance choices. Are you still interested in these courses? Do you still want to attend the university? Do any of the courses have spaces remaining in Clearing? Asking yourself these questions will help guide your initial decision-making process.

4. Think about location

Wherever you choose to study during the Clearing process will be your home for the next three years. You need to make sure that you're happy with the university and the area as well as the course.

When making a shortlist of courses to apply for through Clearing, consider the whole university too. Do you like the city it's in? Is it a campus or a city university? Do they have accommodation available for Clearing students? (Don't worry. If the university you love doesn't have accommodation available in halls, there are plenty of private rental options you can consider - have a look on StuRents.com.)

Making a list of what's important to you in terms of course, university, and location will help you to narrow down the clearing Courses you want to apply for.

5. Use Clearing Plus

Clearing Plus is a tool designed by UCAS to help you find your perfect course in Clearing. Once you are made eligible for Clearing, either by not meeting your grade requirements or by applying directly through Clearing, you'll be able to access Clearing Plus. Just click 'view your matches' in your UCAS Hub.

UCAS look at your original course and university choices, your grades, and your qualifications. Using the data they have from universities about available Clearing courses and entry requirements, and the information they have about previous Clearing candidate behaviour, they then match you with courses.

If you think they sound good, you can click 'interested' on any of your matches and the universities will be notified to contact you. Bear in mind that Clearing spaces fill up very quickly and admissions teams are very busy, so if you're keen it might be smart to reach out to the university directly yourself rather than waiting for them to call you.

What happens next?

Once you've picked the Clearing courses that you're interested in, you need to call the relevant universities. Need support? To find out how to prepare for Clearing calls and interviews, check out our blog on calling universities in Clearing.

For even more tips and advice, follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with our entire Clearing series.