So you have decided that you might want to go through clearing! Whether it’s because you’ve changed your mind about your first choice university, suddenly decided you quite fancy going or haven’t got the grades you needed, clearing gives you the option to apply for universities and courses you many never have even considered before. So here’s some tips to make clearing a bit less daunting.

1. Universities often put the courses that will be on clearing on their websites the night before results day. If you’re having doubts about your course or university it might be worth having a browse of what is available whilst you wait for your results.

2. Don’t be afraid of ringing! Remember that those on the phone want to give you an offer. If you meet the requirements they ask then there is no reason why you won’t get one.

3. Get as many offers as you want! When you first apply to uni you get 5 options. That’s not the case with clearing – you can get as many offers from as many universities as you want, even for different courses at the same university if you’re unsure at the time. You normally have a few days to confirm but in those days you can do more research and take your time making the decision.

4. You can still look round the university. In the days following clearing many universities run campus tours so you can still get a feel for the university with the comfort of knowing that you hold an offer already.

5. You don’t need to have already applied to university to go through clearing. Even if you’ve just decided on results day that you’d quite like to go, you can still apply. No personal statement, no UCAS form, just a phone call!

6. Grades are often lower on clearing, so options you hadn’t considered before may now be open to you. If you have the grades for them you can still be given an offer.

7. You can still use clearing to change courses if you already hold a place at a university. As long as you have the grades for the course you’d like to switch to, just ring up and ask!

8. If you’ve met and exceeded the grades that your firm choice university were asking for then you might want to consider other universities or courses through adjustment rather than clearing.