{"id":5966,"date":"2022-08-03T15:26:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T09:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=5966"},"modified":"2025-01-29T19:07:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T13:37:43","slug":"clearing-in-the-uk-2022-a-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/admission-guide\/clearing-in-the-uk-2022-a-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearing in the UK 2022: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The UK\u2019s university application process can be confusing, especially for international students who might not be used to it. But once you understand how Clearing works, you can use it to secure a place at a UK university you\u2019d like to attend. Here is our guide regarding: Who is it for? How does it work? \u2013 and everything else you need to know about the process.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Clearing?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Clearing is a process that happens every year in the UK where students who didn\u2019t get into their first choice of university, decide against offers they received, or apply late in the year, can try to get into a different undergraduate course.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s basically a way to fill up university courses that still have available spots. And every year, thousands of students successfully get into a university through clearing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearing is a process that begins in<\/span><b> July for those who want to get into undergraduate courses.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is not available, however, for postgraduate degrees. Most students will start to go through Clearing on <\/span><b>A Level results day in the UK on 18 August 2022.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means they will check the <strong>UCAS<\/strong> database and\/or call universities to see what places are available to try and secure a spot on a course. Places fill up quickly, so it\u2019s advised to note this day in your diary and call universities then.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) established the Clearing procedure.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To apply to a bachelor\u2019s programme in the UK, you must primarily use UCAS. The Clearing system is designed to help applicants secure a place at a university if they do not receive any offers or have not met their offers\u2019 conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When Can you Use Clearing?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following are the points to keep in mind when applying for Clearing:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are applying to undergraduate programmes at UK universities, typically bachelor\u2019s degree programmes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite already applying, your school grades were better or worse than anticipated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to submit a late application but did not do so by June 30.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Universities didn\u2019t make you any offers, or you can\u2019t or don\u2019t want to accept any of the ones they have made.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve paid the \u00a326.50 application fee or \u00a34.50 if you\u2019ve previously paid the reduced charge of \u00a322 and refused your firm place.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Are International Students Eligible for Clearing into UK Universities?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearing is a process that allows students to apply to universities late in the year, and it is open to both <\/span><b>British and international students.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you are unhappy with your previous university applications or have not applied to any universities yet, Clearing may be an option for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To register for Clearing, you must submit your applications through UCAS. Many international students secure places in universities through Clearing every year. To use Clearing, you need to apply through UCAS and pay the fee of <\/span><b>\u00a326.50.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re an international student interested in attending university in the UK, you can still apply through Clearing even if you missed the main June 30th deadline. However, you must complete a UCAS application form to qualify for Clearing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Clearing Timeline 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"ul-table-wrap\"><table style=\"table-layout:fixed;width:100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>5th July 2022<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>Clearing Opens<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>Although many people think Clearing opens on the day British students get their school grades, it opens much earlier. The first course vacancies are published in July, but most places won\u2019t be available until after A Level results day.<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>18th August 2022<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>A Level Result Day<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>This is when students in the UK who are finishing school nervously await their final grades. It is also the day when Clearing openings will be updated. So, if you don\u2019t obtain the expected results, don\u2019t freak out. Clearing may be appropriate now.<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>18th October 2022<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>Clearing Closes<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc;\"><b>This is the deadline for applying to courses and universities through Clearing, but you shouldn\u2019t wait until the last minute! Places fill up quickly; if you wait too long, you may not get the course or university place you want.<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<h2><b>What is Adjustment and Clearing Plus?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Adjustment <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was optional for any student whose scores were better than anticipated, but it was discontinued for the 2022 entry and is no longer available. You were able to change universities during confirmation, thanks to adjustment. You would have to decline your position and then go through the Clearing procedure, which is still an option.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020, UCAS added a new option called<\/span><b> \u201cClearing Plus.\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Clearing Plus is designed to make finding courses easier for you by suggesting courses you might like and which might be a good fit for you. Without Clearing Plus, you will have to search through courses by yourself actively.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can express interest in courses online through Clearing Plus, but UCAS recommends that you also search for courses and contact universities. The university might not reach out to you if a course is popular or filling up quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Can Students Apply to Universities through Clearing without using UCAS?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can apply to an undergraduate university in the UK in two ways: the UCAS path and the<\/span><b> Record of Prior Acceptance (RPA) path. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The UCAS path is the most common way to apply and is what you will use for Clearing. The RPA path is when you apply directly to the university during Clearing, and if you are accepted onto a course, the university will let UCAS know.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RPA could work well for students who haven\u2019t applied to university and don\u2019t want to use UCAS. However, it has some drawbacks compared to UCAS. For example, many universities won\u2019t accept applications sent directly through RPA and will ask that you go through UCAS instead. Additionally, you might limit your options by only being able to apply to one university through RPA. In contrast, you can apply to more than one university with UCAS through Clearing. Ultimately, it comes down to your specific needs and whether the university you have in mind accepts applications through RPA.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applicants to postgraduate courses in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/country\/united-kingdom\" title=\"UK\"><strong>UK<\/strong><\/a> generally don\u2019t go through UCAS, and Clearing only works for undergraduate courses. In other words, Clearing is irrelevant to you if you\u2019re looking for a Master\u2019s degree. You can instead apply for postgraduate programmes directly through the college. Each university\u2019s application system can vary, but you will find detailed instructions on the university websites.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The clearing process can be daunting, but it will be much easier if you have researched the courses and universities you are interested in. Utilize the resources available, such as university websites and prospectuses, and talk to current students to help you make the best decision possible.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UK\u2019s university application process can be confusing, especially for international students who might not be used to it. But once you understand how Clearing works, you can use it to secure a place at a UK university you\u2019d like to attend. Here is our guide regarding: Who is it for? How does it work? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[974],"tags":[229],"class_list":["post-5966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-admission-guide","tag-united-kingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}