Advice for Parents, Carers and Supporters

If you’re the parent, carer, friend, relative or supporter of someone looking to apply through Clearing and they’ve come to you for help, it’s good to know the ins and outs of the process, and what you can do to help them get ahead and land a place on the course that’s best for them. Clearing is designed to give people another chance at getting into university.

You can apply through Clearing if: you’re applying for university for the first time in 2022; you’re not holding any offers from your UCAS application; you didn’t meet the conditions of your offer; or you achieved better results than expected. Whatever their situation, here are a few ways in which you can support your applicant, from preparation to results day.

We’re running a series of online information sessions too, to help applicants (and their families and supporters) prepare for UWS – the Higher Educational Institution of the Year in The Herald Higher Education Awards 2022 – check our Clearing information sessions here for details>>

Finding their place

The key to Clearing success is all in the preparation.

Before results day (9 August for applicants from Scotland and 18 August for applicants from across the rest of the UK) you can check out which courses have Clearing places and what the entry requirements are through university websites.

On the run up to Clearing process opening (5 July 2022), applicants should do the following:

Identify the courses they’re interested in
Check out the entry requirements for each course
Rank their courses, with their most wanted at the top
Make a note of the phone numbers to call – at UWS, it’s 0800 027 1000.

Our Clearing Checklists will help you and your applicant get ready for the big day. Applicants can call our Student Recruitment team too on 0800 027 1000 or email clearing@uws.ac.uk to discuss their options in advance.

Results day

Once exam results are out – 9 August for Higher students and 18 August for A-level students – encourage your applicant to check UCAS Track first thing to see what the status of their current application is.

If UCAS Track shows they’re in Clearing they should get in touch as soon as possible. Clearing operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s important that applicants get up early and hit the phone. They can talk through their options and it may be that entry requirements have changed and there will still be vacancies in their subject areas of choice.

If they haven’t quite made it this year, don’t rule out re-sitting exams, reapplying next year or undertaking a further education college course as an alternative route into university. At UWS, our Student Recruitment team will be able to offer guidance on what to do next. Whatever happens, there are many options and pathways open.

Cheer them on

Calls made and offers received, it’s time for your applicant to make their decision. They’ll be given a deadline by which to get back to the university – so use that time to help them weigh up their options. They can then accept the offer through UCAS Trackby clicking ‘Add Clearing Choice’.

The next step is to start planning for student life – there’s still time for students who enter through Clearing to apply for student finance and accommodation. At UWS, students will be sent all the information they need to start preparing for the next phase of their life.