Clearing guidance for teachers and advisors

We understand that the A-level results period can be a challenging time for students, who often seek guidance from their teachers and career advisers. Our Clearing guide aims to help you in supporting your students throughout the process.

Clearing is now a widely accepted method of university application and can be a positive experience. Students who have missed their predicted grades, exceeded them, or changed their plans can go through UCAS Clearing to secure a university placement.

1. Encourage research in advance

Encourage your students to consider questions including:

• Which is more important to them: the course subject or the university itself?
• Are there other courses available at their preferred university?
• Which other universities offer similar courses?
• Could attending a further education college be a viable alternative?

If Clearing appears to be an option for any of your students, motivate them to explore alternative courses and potential pathways into higher education.

Help them stay focused and encourage thoughtful consideration of their options.

2. Get prepared before results day

Given the unpredictable nature of results day, it’s crucial to ensure that your students have both primary and backup plans in place for various scenarios.

Advise your students to compile a list of the Clearing phone lines for the universities they may wish to contact.

You could also encourage your students to practice phone interviews, enabling them to feel comfortable answering questions about their motivations, plans and UCAS personal statement.

3. Be positive and proactive on results day

Results day can be nerve-wracking, but it’s important to remain calm and positive. Reassure your students that there are still numerous options available to them.

After receiving their results, guide students to log into UCAS Hub to check the status of their offers. It’s crucial they don’t automatically assume they have lost their place if they haven’t met all the conditions of their firm or insurance offer.

Students should promptly contact the universities they are interested in applying to through Clearing.

Before reaching out to a university:

• Ensure that students have the following information at hand: Results, UCAS ID, UCAS Clearing ID, UCAS Personal Statement.
• Advise students to review their UCAS personal statement, as universities may ask about their reasons for choosing a specific course at their institution. Help them prepare answers to such questions in advance.
• Encourage students to compile a list of any queries they have about each university, their desired courses, or aspects of student life such as accommodation, transport and support services.

Getting in touch

Please note that we can only engage directly with the applicant and cannot discuss a student’s application with you as their teacher or career adviser.

Students looking for support during Clearing can contact our Recruitment Team or request a call back on +44 (0) 1603 751485, or email admissions@norwichuni.ac.uk.