The smart parent's guide to turning Clearing into an opportunity

Clearing has transformed from a last-resort option to a strategic pathway that thousands of students use each year to find their perfect match. Indeed, last year, approximately 74,000 students found a place across 30,000 courses. 

This article will help you navigate the process alongside your child, turning what might initially feel like a setback into a genuine opportunity for their future. 

Myth 1: Clearing is only for students who didn't get the grades.

Reality: While Clearing helps those who missed grade requirements, it's also used by students who:  

• Changed their mind about their chosen course, 
• Received better grades than expected and want to explore other options, 
• Made a late decision to enter higher education, 
• Want to relocate to a different university, city or region, 
• Discovered new interests since their initial application. 

Myth 2: Clearing is only offered at ‘lower ranking’ universities. 

Reality: It is more accurate to say that most universities, colleges and courses appear in Clearing.  Thanks to the reconsideration process some of the UK’s most selective institutions are also involved.  

Myth 3: It’s a frantic, “first come, first served” rush on results day. 

Reality: While the day itself is busy, Clearing runs from July to October. Indeed, many students find places in the days and weeks following results day when the initial rush subsides. 

Myth 4: Clearing students don't get accommodation. 

Reality: While accommodation options might be more limited, universities and colleges prioritise finding housing for all incoming first-year students, including those who come through Clearing.  

Myth 5: It reflects poorly on a student's academic record.  

Reality: Universities and colleges don't distinguish between students who entered through Clearing versus those who didn't, and there’s zero research that shows any difference in outcomes or graduation rates. 

Applying is a bit like online dating.  

• Swipe 1: By the end of January, your child connects with a few institutions they like based on course descriptions, open days, "vibe", or whatever the right lingo is today. 
• Swipe 2: By May, they commit to one place but keep another as contingency (this is the firm/insurance process). 
• Swipe 3: By August, when results day arrives, those matches might not work out—perhaps grades differ or interests change. 
• Swipe 4: Clearing opens a new pool of potential matches where your child can explore institutions still seeking compatible students.
• Swipe 5: The process culminates in your student finding the perfect match that suits their interests, results, and skills.  

It's not about settling; it's about finding their happy ever after—or at least for the next three or four years.

Let’s follow the Clearing process for each of these students below:  

1. Start the conversation early.   

Whilst your child goes into their well-deserved break with offers, these offers are contingent on getting certain grades. If there is a whiff of concern that those grades haven’t been achieved or any sense that they’ve lost interest in the original plan, your job as parents is to start the discussion around:

• Possible course and institution alternatives.
• A back-up plan with lower entry grades. 
• An adjustment plan if grades are higher. 

I appreciate that anything around ‘grades’ will be a sensitive topic, but if my social media inbox proves anything, it’s that students want to talk about this stuff.  

To help the conversation, try using these conversation starters: 

• “How did that exam feel, compared to your mocks?” Obviously be careful not to subscribe to their subjective perception – I often feel students do the best, when they say they did terribly! 
•  "What aspects of your original choice were most important to you?" By keeping this vague, it might be surprising to hear what they see as important. 
• “When was the last time you genuinely lost track of time? What were you doing? This helps try to identify ‘natural motivations’ that lie outside of traditional academic subjects. 
• "Is there anything that doesn’t feel right about chosen course or institution?" Here you want to try and isolate that niggle that maybe they haven’t registered themselves or haven’t verbalised. If you know what doesn’t feel right you can look for what does 
• If you were to fast forward to the night before you leave, what would be keeping you awake? Remember to underline that there are no right or wrong answer here! 

2. Research 

When supporting your young person looking for alternatives, your mission is to: 

1. Show them the expanse of what else is out there
2. Ensure they really understand the alternatives  
3. Check they align with their genuine interests

We don’t want students just saying yes to get back to holiday/do what their mates are doing/avoid disappointing family (delete where appropriate). We want them to make informed choices that are indeed the best fit for them. 

Start with using the search function on UCAS, filtering for Clearing availability. However, students are also encouraged to make contact with universities and colleges even if they are not yet ‘in’ Clearing. Alongside phoning, I recommend sampling courses via Springpod and contacting undergraduates via Unibuddy. Universities and colleges have active social media accounts, so take advantage of those too.  

3. Record 

Whether you’re supporting your young person with creating a back-up plan, or finding completely different alternatives, it is vital that they keep a note of: 

1. The Clearing phone number 
2. The protocol for each institution 
3. The entry requirements 

Suggest your child tracks the conversations on a sheet like this, bookmark university Clearing pages and at a minimum save telephone numbers.  

Phone calls 

Much to a teenager’s chagrin, so much of Clearing is dependent on picking up a phone and speaking to someone. These phone calls are not tests but they are a data gathering, informal chat with a very nice professional. Students don’t need to put on a posh accent, but they do need to be clear, request specific information, and take notes. 

Remember, universities won’t speak to parents about anything specific if they are not down as the nominated access. So, if you know your child wants you to act for them, check now whether you have nominated access.  

There are two styles of phone call that you will need to practise with your child.

The research/ before results day call where the aim is to: 

1. Introduce themselves. 
2. Find out more about the course. 
3. Investigate the likelihood of the course being in Clearing. 
4. Identify the entry grades for Clearing. 
5. Establish whether there will be any further information required, for example a new personal statement or an interview.  
6. Establish the Clearing protocol for that institution’s course (do they need to sign up to an expression of interest form or just call back on the day? Is there a Clearing page updated daily?) 

Key questions students could/ should ask include: 

• How is the course assessed, and what's the balance between exams and coursework? 
• What support services are available for students? 
• What are recent graduates doing now? 
• What are the employability figures? 
• What accommodation options remain available? 

The results day Clearing call is slightly different, as a student: 

1. Shares their UCAS ID, results, and the course they’re interested in, 
2. asks if the institution would consider them for an offer, 
3. identifies how much time they have to consider this, 
4. ultimately aims to get a verbal offer. 

Clearing is a valuable opportunity to find the right fit for your child's higher education journey. With proper preparation and a positive mindset, it can lead to choices that may even surpass their original plans.