UCAS Clearing - Physics
We all know the way A Level results day is meant to go: you open the brown envelope, you’ve got the right results, and you’re off to your dream university. Unfortunately it doesn’t always happen this way so it’s best to have a backup plan, even if you’re feeling confident after your exams.
What is Clearing?
Clearing, the UCAS process of matching students without university places to universities with course vacancies, provides you with a second chance to get into university.
You’ll be automatically entered for Clearing 2023 if you don’t get the results you need for your firm or insurance choices. You’ll also be eligible for Clearing if you meet the following criteria:
- You applied to university after 30th June 2023
- You haven’t yet applied to any university
- You weren’t made any offers by the universities you applied to
Clearing is a brilliant way of still getting into a top university even if it wasn’t originally on your list. You can be particularly lucky during Clearing if you’re willing to think about different locations and even slightly different courses – although we don’t recommend changing your course completely!
How to be successful during Clearing
Getting organised for Clearing is the best way to ensure that you get a place at university, especially if you’re going to be applying for a popular course such as Physics.
Make a list of universities and courses you’d be interested in. Think carefully about why you want to go to that particular university and what it is about the course that appeals to you.
Universities such as the University of Bath, University of Manchester, and Durham University all had Physics (or Physics related courses) vacancies during Clearing in 2022.
Check out our University Guides section for more information on universities throughout the UK.
What to say when you call universities
Before you start calling universities make sure you have you exam results, personal statement, GCSE results, and UCAS number to hand as you’ll need to give them to the admissions team.
You’ll need to sound enthusiastic when you talk to the admissions tutors and they may even ask you why you’ve chosen their university or what interests you about the subject area and course.
Make sure you have a good answer for these questions. Telling them that you’re only applying because they’re the last university that will accept you won’t encourage them to make you an offer…
What to do if you can’t get through
Remember, if you can’t get through on the phone then keep trying. It’s also worth sending a short email with all of the details above asking them to contact you about course vacancies for the subject, in this case Physics, that you’re interested in.
By being prepared and doing your research in advance you should be able to beat everyone else to the rush and bag yourself a top university place.
Still not feeling confident about Clearing?
Take a look at our Complete Guide to Clearing to make sure you know everything there is to know about Clearing 2023.
