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Here are some top tips for staying in control on results day, whether you get good news or bad.

Remember: clearing is for everyone these days, not just for those who have missed the conditions of their offers.

Results day for the happy:

1. Stay calm. Well done! If you’ve met the conditions of your offers, you usually don’t have to do anything, although sometimes it’s good to make contact with the university and say that you’re coming.
2. If you’ve done really well and want to ‘trade up’, or simply want to change your mind, look at the clearing advice below.
3. Remember that although you can ‘self-release’ through the UCAS Hub, it’s important to be ABSOLUTELY SURE before letting a valuable place go. 

Results day for the not-so-happy:

1. Stay calm. If you haven’t done as well as you’d have liked, nothing will be gained by panicking. Take a deep breath and follow the advice below.
2. Contact your school to see if there is a possibility of a re-mark. This is usually only sensible if you are near the upper-grade boundary, as marks can go down too. Your school can advise.
3. If you go for a re-mark, make sure it’s a PRIORITY one, as that way you’ll stand a better chance of securing any university offers in time.
4. Contact the university and LET THEM KNOW that you’re having a re-mark. They are obliged to hold your place open until a certain date – usually the end of August or beginning of September.
5. If you’re not going for a re-mark and want to go to university this year, it’s time to embrace CLEARING.
6. UCAS will have already started the process for you by making suggestions through ‘My Matches’. You do not need to take up any of the selections that will be visible on your Hub, but it might be worth a look. But for now, read on. 

Results day for the confused:

Occasionally, instead of seeing ‘UNCONDITIONAL’ (you’ve met your offer) or ‘UNSUCCESSFUL’ (you’ve missed your offer), you will still see ‘CONDITIONAL’. This happens when you may have narrowly missed your offer but the university has not yet made a decision on you, or they are missing a vital bit of information.

Since 2023, universities and colleges will be able to add a reason, or reasons, to explain to you why your conditional offer is still conditional against that choice in your Hub. However, this is not a mandatory requirement, and it can be a bit hit and miss. When in doubt, always ring the university for clarity, or to plead your case.

Clearing

Clearing exists for universities to fill spaces on their courses, and for those not holding any offers who are looking to start university in the autumn of 2024 to find a place.

If you are not holding any offers (either because you missed yours, went direct to clearing, changed your mind or are so happy that you want to ‘trade up’ with your great grades), the process is the same.

1. Do a UCAS clearing search.
2. Find your Clearing Number (which allows universities to see your information) under your ‘Application Status’.
3. Make a list of courses that match your grades and appeal to you. (Remember that you can look for a completely different subject from the one you initially applied to do, because the personal statement doesn’t usually play a part in clearing.)
4. RANK them with your most preferred at the top.
5. RING the universities in rank order. This probably means a lot of ‘redial’ as the lines are always busy. You MUST ring yourself. The universities only want to speak to you, not a parent, guardian or sibling.
6. Be prepared with ALL your results, as they may ask about GCSEs and other information. 
7. If the university does not make you a clearing offer, go to the next one on your list.
8. If the university does make you an offer over the telephone it will be ‘informal’ until you choose to add them as a clearing choice via your UCAS hub.
9. You don’t have to accept an informal offer there and then. There may be other options you want to consider. You can collect a number of informal offers over the phone, then pick the one you would like to add as your clearing choice. 
10. Some universities take your details and refer them to the Undergraduate Admissions Office who will then email you with their decision.You may have to be patient or bide your time by keeping going down your list, as it may be a day or so before you hear.
11. If you do secure an offer you like the look of, and if at all possible, drop everything and go to the university if you haven’t already, to make sure you like it.*
12. Be mindful of the deadline by which you have to accept an offer, usually by adding it as your clearing choice in the ‘Your Choices’ area of your application. Once you’ve added the choice, the university will then confirm your place, which may take a day or so.
13. Having secured a place, ring the accommodation office and keep doing so until you get a room secured, preferably in a hall of residence.
14. (DO NOT add a clearing choice to your application until you have an informal offer from a university.)   

*Universities are increasingly offering ‘Clearing Open Days’, during which you can meet current students, see the facilities and find out about available accommodation. They are usually held on the Saturday after results day (17th August this year) and days in the following week.  

REMEMBER: Clearing courses are not all added on results day. Courses will come and go for several weeks from 14th August, so it is worth checking every day to see if there’s something you like. The main popular choices will usually be available in the first couple of weeks after results day but clearing doesn’t officially end until 21st October 2024, so if you’re late to the party, there may still be something for you!

A further note of comfort – last year’s stats

A letter sent to students in July 2024 from Ofqual and UCAS on the website says:

Last year [2023], about one in five accepted applicants achieved or exceeded their predicted grades. Yet over 80 per cent of UK 18-year-olds applying to UCAS secured a place at university or college…  A record 39,620 UK 18-year-olds secured a place using Clearing in 2023. This year, there will be tens of thousands of choices on offer’.  

So there are many good reasons to be positive, whatever your results.

TOP TIP: If you aren’t completely happy with your current choices, or anything you can find in clearing, strongly consider reapplying in the new cycle. There will be great opportunities for you, whatever your grades, and you can take your time and think carefully about your future. You might decide to retake a subject, have a complete rethink about your subject at university and earn a bit of money for travelling and life. Don’t be afraid of a gap year – you will be older, wiser and a better student. And you will have given yourself breathing space to make a big success of university.

GOOD LUCK!