Results Day is a stressful time of year for all students. As a parent it can be hard knowing exactly how to support your child through the process, and ensuring they are happy with their decisions. If you are unsure of the Clearing process and would like to learn more about it, read below for some useful information to ensure your child is supported on Results Day.
A-Level Results (and SQA Results for Scottish students) will be released on Tuesday 10 August 2021. When universities receive students' results, they will check these against their offer details to see if they have met the conditions of their offer. If the conditions have been met then there is nothing to worry about! The university will confirm the offer and this confirmed offer will be shown clearly in UCAS Track.
If the conditions have not been met, and both the firm and insurance universities have not confirmed their places, your child will be eligible for Clearing. It is important to check the status of your child’s application on UCAS Track. It can take a little while for all universities to confirm their offers, and if some students have narrowly missed out there is a chance they are still considering the application. If your child’s Track has not yet updated, it is worth your child calling the university to speak to them directly about their offer.
If your child has been automatically entered into Clearing, it will state this clearly on their Track.
A Few Important Things to Know:
- Track will not show exam results, it will only show if applications have been successful/unsuccessful. Students will receive their exam results from their exam centre. It is important to check if there are any social distancing guidelines in place, and the best way to collect them.
- Make the most of “My Matches” in UCAS Track - there is a “My Matches” button in Track, which personally matches students to various other courses based on their application. If students are interested in any of these options, they can select “Interested”, which will pass their details onto these universities. If the university has places available, they will be in touch.
- Ensure your child’s contact details are up to date in Track. This is where they can receive important updates and potentially offers - so it is crucial to ensure everything is up to date.
- Use the UCAS Search Tool to browse alternative courses through Clearing. It is the only official vacancy list and is regularly updated.
- Staying calm is key. Clearing hotlines are likely to be busy and so it can involve a lot of waiting to be put through to someone. Students can find this stressful and feel pressurized by the time. As a parent it is important to try and keep your child as calm as you can to ensure they are able to review all of their options and not rush into any decisions.
- Students in Clearing do not have to apply for the same course. If they applied for History and now, for example, wish to change to English Literature then they can do this. Students should research their new course options fully to ensure they would be happy studying the new course, and ensure they are passionate about their new potential course. Universities will want to know why your child is interested in their course when speaking to them via the Clearing hotline, so they should note down key points about the course and its modules.
- You do not have to accept the first offer you get. Students can feel a sense of urgency and may want to just go with the first offer they receive. With verbal offers, some universities may give a deadline to confirm this offer. During this time, it is worth students calling other universities that they may wish to go to to see if they can get any more verbal offers. There is no limit to the number of verbal offers you can receive, however you are only able to add one to UCAS Track, so students will need to decide which offer they wish to go with.
From a practical point of view, if your child is going through Clearing they will likely spend a large majority of the day on the phone with various universities. Try to ensure they have a fully charged phone and a quiet area to make their phone calls. During the stress of the day, it can be easy to forget to take a break or check you are drinking and eating enough. The last thing anyone wants on Results Day is a stressed and ‘hangry’ student! Offering a bottle of water and a snack, as small as it may seem, will be a practical way to ensure your child is well taken care of.
It can also be easy for students to feel overwhelmed. With our handy Clearing Directory, you will have easy access to university hotlines and clearing websites, to take the hassle out of finding these numbers on the day. Consider going through this together before Results Day, to make sure they are familiar with the process and how to navigate the directory. This will not only save valuable minutes on the day, it can also help to relieve any anxieties before the day.
Clearing can be a long process, so it is important students are prepared for any eventuality. It can also be a hard time for parents, as you may feel helpless while watching your child go through potentially stressful situations while trying to find a new university place. As a parent, your main superpower to offer on the day will be a calm and level head. Students will be weighing up lots of different options and can feel either dejected, overwhelmed or completely uncertain. Some reassuring words from their parents could make the world of difference - as much as they may hate to admit it!
Hear from students who have gone through Clearing here to hear a first hand account of the Clearing process.
