Results Day, Clearing & Adjustment

1. Have a positive but honest conversation with your son or daughter to see how they feel they performed in their final exams. If they have genuine concerns then some prior research into alternative options can make a real difference on the day.

2. Get them to list all of the things that are important to them with regards to university – course, placement opportunities, geographical location etc. It is really important to remember that if they do need to look for a different institution that they still find one that meets the criteria.

3. If you feel that your son or daughter has been affected by mitigating circumstances (such as illness or bereavement) then it is worth discussing this with their school/college and if necessary contacting their chosen universities in advance of results day. This allows them to take this into consideration when making decisions as to whether or not a student’s application is successful.

4. Gather all paperwork associated with UCAS together and place it in one folder. If a student needs to contact their university choice they may be asked to quote information such as their UCAS ID number. Having all of this to hand can help speed up conversations.

The most important thing to remember is for students to stay local. Universities will want to speak directly to applicants and this can prove difficult if they are away on holiday with no access to a computer and/or their UCAS information.

At approximately 8am students will find that their status on the UCAS Hub will change:

Conditional Offer changed to Unconditional Offer	The student has been accepted onto their chosen course. If a student hasn’t met the conditions of their Firm choice they may have done so for their Insurance – in which case this will have updated accordingly.
Conditional Offer changed to Unsuccessful	Unfortunately the student hasn’t met the conditions of their offer and their place has been withdrawn.
No change (Conditional Offer remains a Conditional Offer)	Don’t panic – this can be for a few reasons. Most commonly it is because the university hasn’t had all of the student’s results confirmed (for instance, they may be waiting for a GCSE resit) but it may be because a decision is still being made.

 Whatever the status on the UCAS Hub, your son or daughter should still collect their results and the associated paperwork. Make sure you find out the opening times in advance.

If a student has been unsuccessful or there is no change to their status on their UCAS Hub try and urge them to remain as calm as possible. Make sure that they have all of their paperwork with them and a fully charged mobile phone to make calls to other universities.

Unfortunately, not all students will secure the grades that they were hoping for and results day can quickly turn to panic. Try and support your son or daughter through this by keeping them as calm as possible. They should listen to advice from their teachers and not make any rush decisions. Clearing is a UCAS process that works for thousands of students, most of which will find an alternative university option and go on to have a fantastic experience.

If eligible for Clearing, their Clearing number will appear on their UCAS Hub. They will need to quote this throughout the course of the day so encourage them to write it down.

All Clearing vacancies will be listed centrally on the UCAS website and on the individual university sites. Sit with your son or daughter and look through all of the options available, when you come across one that you feel has potential then the student should call them (there will be a designated Clearing phone number clearly listed) and discuss the course in further detail. Encourage them to ask any questions that they might have about the course, university or student experience as a whole. If the student’s grades match the university’s criteria they will make a verbal offer and students can hold as many of these as they want so do not be afraid to ring lots of institutions.

Once all of the research and phone calls have been made it is time to decide if one is a good match and formally accept it on the UCAS Hub. If not then they should consider a gap year and reapplying the year after; Higher Education is a major investment of time and finances and it has to be right.

The earliest they can accept an offer is 3pm on A Level results day so there is plenty of time to consider all options and no pressure to make an immediate decision. Just be aware that verbal offers do expire (sometimes 24 hours after they are made).

Once a place has been accepted it is time to put into place final arrangements, including securing accommodation and notifying Student Finance that the university destination has changed.