Clearing 2019: 5 things you should know

A-Level results will be released on August 15. With slightly more than a week to go, it’s time for those planning to go to university in September to start thinking about Clearing 2019.

Clearing is a process that usually takes place between July and October, in which universities and colleges fill any spaces they have on their courses. School-leavers can use UCAS’ search tool to find courses still available before contacting those universities with the courses of their choice to see whether the admissions team will accept them.

Important dates

Clearing 2019 opened on July 5. This means from July 5, undergraduate applicants will be able to add an additional choice in Track if they don’t currently hold an offer. This also coincides with IB results day.

A new feature on UCAS for Clearing 2019 is the ‘Decline Your Place’ option on Track. Source: Shutterstock

A-Level students who are yet to receive their results can kick things off by creating a shortlist of courses they’re interested in. Start your research by reading course descriptions on the university’s website. List down all you want to ask the university admissions staff during the Clearing call on results day. Check out this list of the 15 highest-ranked universities in Clearing 2019.

Clearing 2019 closes on October 22. This will be the last date students can add a Clearing choice on Track.

Who is it for

It’s usually for those who have yet to accept an offer from any university or failed to meet the conditions of their offer. From this year on, it’s also for those who have had a change of personal circumstances or have had a change of mind regarding the course or university they’ve applied to – those with an unconditional firm offer can initiate a ‘voluntary’ Clearing (more on that below), who take on tens of thousands of these students each year.

New ‘voluntary’ Clearing entry

The new “Decline Your Place” feature introduced to Track this year lets university applicants turn down an unconditional firm offer so they can enter Clearing 2019 voluntarily. This feature goes live from July 5 for anyone with an unconditional firm offer. Be very sure before using this feature!

A-Level results day

Results will be out from 6am on August 15. If you’re planning to go through Clearing 2019, you should bring the following documents to your results day:

• Your UCAS letter, which contains the contact details of your firm and insurance choices 
• UCAS personal ID number
• Details of your qualifications (including GCSEs)
• Copies of personal statements and references

From 3pm on this day, students can only add a Clearing choice to UCAS track.

Adjustment period

This falls between results day and August 31. This is the period when universities can “adjust” their offers and students can request re-marks.

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