I’m Josh, the Admissions Manager at University Academy 92. With Results Day coming up soon, we decided to find and answer the internet’s most searched questions about Clearing.
Question 1: What is university Clearing?
Clearing is basically the period of time in which universities are looking to fill their last few places on their courses. It also allows people to apply who either haven’t already done so or don’t get confirmed at their firm or insurance choices.
Clearing is an opportunity to get a university offer immediately on the phone (results depending), rather than having to go through a much longer process. You simply get your results (this is key, you’ll need your results to apply), call up any university you’re interested in applying to, (you can call UA92 up on 0300 124 9292), and hopefully you can get a verbal offer there and then.
Question 2: How do I apply through Clearing?
You need to have your results to apply for a place in Clearing. You can search for Clearing vacancies online using the UCAS or WhatUni search tools. Once you’ve found the course or university you are interested, in the quickest way to confirm they would accept you is to pick up the phone and give them a call. You can call UA92’s Clearing Helpline on 0300 124 9292 and an advisor will run through the step-by-step process of how to apply depending on your circumstances.
Question 3: When does Clearing open and close?
Contrary to popular belief, Clearing isn’t just a one-day window. It actually opens on the 5th July and it runs all the way through to the 20th of October. So, as long as you’ve got your results, you can start to contact universities to discuss making a Clearing application.
Question 4: What is results day?
The main results day in England is A-level results day. This year (2025) is it falls on Thursday 14th August. This is when you will be able to access your results from your school/college and your UCAS Track (if you have an active UCAS application) will update the status of your firm and insurance choices. Some other qualifications come out earlier such as International Baccalaureate and BTEC, so it depends what qualification you are waiting for.
Question 5: Can you apply through Clearing if you’ve not already started an application?
Yes! If you’ve not got a UCAS account or if you’ve not already started an application, it’s not a problem. The best thing to do is give us a call. We can talk you through everything and you can have an application completed in less than 30 minutes! There’s no need to wait for months for offers – we can do everything over the phone.
Question 6: Do universities lower grade requirements for Clearing?
Yes, many universities will change their grade requirements during Clearing. Always check the university website or the UCAS Clearing website for the latest updates. Make sure you have your qualifications and grades to hand. Don’t worry if you don’t know how many UCAS points you have – we can help you convert your qualifications into UCAS points over the phone.
Question 7: What courses are available through Clearing?
Not all courses advertise vacancies during Clearing and if they do, they can fill up, so it’s important to be prepared. The best way to search for a specific course that has Clearing places available is to use the UCAS Clearing Search Tool. Here, at UA92, all our courses in Sport, Business, Media and Digital will have Clearing places available. However, these will be offered on a first come first served basis, so if you want to apply, give us a call.
Question 8: Can I change my university course through Clearing?
Absolutely, it’s possible to change to a different course or even a different university during Clearing even if you’ve got a confirmed place. Clearing can actually be a really good opportunity if you’ve had a change of heart or your circumstances have changed since you originally applied.
The process of changing your course or university during Clearing is straight forward but make sure you’ve thought everything through and have considered all your options. I’d also recommend talking it through with your family, friends, teacher or even one of our Clearing advisors.
Question 9: Can I apply to multiple universities through Clearing?
You can speak to as many universities about Clearing places as you want. On the phone, it’s likely a university can make you a verbal offer (basically let you know if you would be accepted on the course). However, when it comes to formerly applying through UCAS, you can only add one Clearing choice. So yes, you can speak to lots of universities about Clearing places and shop around, but you can only add one choice on UCAS. Courses can close at any point so make sure you stay calm but act quickly if there’s a particular course or uni you are interested in.
Question 10: Do Clearing students start their course late?
The simple answer is no. Most students who come through Clearing will still start their course with everyone else in September, as long as you can get your student finance sorted before you start. If you have already made an application to Student Finance England, you can simply update it with your new university and course details. If you haven’t made a start on your Student Finance application I recommend making this a high priority once you have you have added your Clearing choice. Student Finance can take weeks to process so you need to get your application in as soon as possible. If, for any reason, you’re not able to sort your student finance in time, you can always defer to one of our four other start dates throughout the year and start in November, January, February or April.
Question 11: Can I defer my university place in Clearing?
Yes you can, at UA92. We are quite unique in that we have multiple start dates throughout the year. Not a lot of universities have this option. So, if for whatever reason you are not ready to start in September, you don’t have to wait a full year for another opportunity. You can delay your start date to November, January, February of April. Just drop us an email at admissions@ua92.ac.uk with your UCAS ID and your full name and your preferred start date and we can get that sorted for you.
Question 12: How long do universities take to respond to Clearing applications?
A verbal Clearing offer can usually be made over the phone so depending on your circumstances you could be made an offer within a few minutes. Make sure you have all your qualifications to hand and an advisor will talk you through everything step by step – just call 0300 124 9292.
I hope I’ve been able to answer all your biggest Clearing questions. Let me leave you with a couple of top tips that will hopefully give you the advantage on results day.
- Be prepared – do your research beforehand. You can already see which courses will offer places in Clearing so do most of the leg work before results day. Come up with a short list of universities or courses you would consider if you ended up looking for a Clearing place.
- Make sure you have all your results as well as your traditional qualifications such as A-levels or BTEC, think about whether you have any other qualifications that may carry UCAS points. Check the UCAS Tariff Calculator for a full list – you never know if could get you a few extra points. Read our article about the most random qualifications that carry UCAS points.
- Make a list of questions you want to ask – remember phone lines on results day can be quite busy so when you get through to an advisor ask as many questions as you like. Whether it’s about accommodation or bursaries, our Clearing advisors will be able to support you. It’s also a good idea to have a pen and pad to take notes.
- Get ahead of the game – you can join our Clearing Club for a pre-result day offer, regular updates throughout Clearing, and even an exclusive Whatsapp number so you can message a Clearing advisor directly. Find out more on our Clearing page.
- Don’t panic – it can be a stressful time but if you do find yourself going through Clearing, don’t worry. Thousands of students get a place through Clearing every year so you’re not on your own and everything will work out in the end.
Wishing you all the very best of luck on results day and if you’re looking for Clearing places in Manchester get in touch with us on 0300 124 9292. Find out more about Clearing at UA92 on our Clearing page, which includes more helpful guides and advice.
