UCAS CLEARING

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UCAS CLEARING
How does it work?

• Who is it for?

Roger Gould Lancaster University
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This information should be used in addition to
the UCAS website information on Clearing and
Extra, and not as a replacement for it.
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AN OVERVIEW OF CLEARING (and Extra) for
teachers and students
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WHAT IS CLEARING?

• A system for matching candidates with no place
  and HE courses with last-minute vacancies in
  August
• Clearing takes place from the day the Advanced
  results are released in August
• Clearing can last from a few minutes to a few
  weeks depending on how quickly the places are
  filled

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HOW DO STUDENTS END UP IN CLEARING?

• Student has made application to universities via
  UCAS
• Universities have made offers or rejected
  applicant
• If student is made offers, final 2 offers held
  as
• CF (conditional FIRM) 1st
  choice, or
• CI (conditional INSURANCE) 2nd choice

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HOW DO STUDENTS END UP IN CLEARING?

• By definition, its harder to get an offer for a
  popular course thats why the grades are high!
  You might not receive an offer
• Applicants with NO offers can use UCAS Extra from
  March and if this proves unsuccessful, Clearing
  is the final option
• In addition, applicants with CF CI offers who
  do not achieve the required grades will be able
  to use Clearing

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WHAT IS CLEARING? Negatives

• A decision is made on the basis of a short phone
  call
• Likelihood of dropping out might be marginally
  increased

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WHAT IS CLEARING? Positives

• Students can feel successful and move o
• Little evidence to show a strong relationship
  between entry grades and degree outcome for any
  student
• Universities treat students who arrive through
  Clearing exactly the same as any student, once
  there

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Options before Clearing

• If you do not receive any offers you can use UCAS
  
• Extra from March - June

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UCAS EXTRA How does it work?
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EXTRA

• A system for giving candidates with no offers
• additional choices without waiting for Clearing
• Candidates are eligible when
• they have used all 5 choices
• they hold no offers - rejected or declined by
  candidate
• Extra starts in March and continues until June

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EXTRA

• Extra is available from mid-March
• UCAS will put an Extra button on the Track screen
  if applicant is eligible.
• Extra needs careful consideration, flexibility
  and advice!
• If original application was for very competitive
  courses, now might consider applying for
  something less over-subscribed.

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HOW DOES EXTRA WORK?

• Candidate chooses 1 course from the Course Search
  list, using the Extra button on the Track screen
• If made a conditional offer, can accept or
  decline it
• If accepted, it effectively becomes CF and Extra
• ends. If declined, you get another choice (if
  there is time)
• If candidate then misses grades, Clearing is
  automatic

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EXTRA NEEDS CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, FLEXIBILITY
AND ADVICE!
Many universities are willing to have contact
with candidates before they are made an Extra
choice. Candidates could ask a university to look
at a paper copy of the UCAS application, and to
indicate the likelihood of being made an offer
via Extra. This can speed the process, and save
the candidate from having to wait to be
considered by a university which then rejects
them Once an applicant has an Extra offer, it is
CF so the place can be confirmed when exam
results are published.
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CLEARING HOW DO CANDIDATES END UP THERE?

• Candidate ends up with no offers (having used
  Extra)
• Candidate declines offers in original cycle
• Candidate fails to achieve CF or CI grades
• Entry to Clearing is automatic. UCAS will send
  CEF (Clearing Entry Form) through the post.

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CLEARING HOW DO CANDIDATES END UP THERE?

• Candidate gets results, assumes rejection, looks
  on UCAS or in national newspapers and starts
  dialling - and Clearing hotlines go into
  meltdown, just confirming places on the actual
  grades achieved
• Candidate can access decisions on UCAS Track.
  Easiest way to confirm Unconditional Firm or
  Rejection

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CLEARING HOW DO UNIVERSITIES DECIDE?

• Results arrive a few days before
  publication/school
• CF careful confirmation process happens course
  asks for ABB, but if too few CF candidates
  achieve ABB, will the university then confirm
  candidates with BBB? BBC?
• CI institutions notified of results and they
  confirm to UCAS if possible same deadline for
  decisions
• 
  

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CLEARING HOW DO UNIVERSITIES DECIDE?

• Applicant sees results, assumes rejection from CF
  and probably from CI and starts dialling
• Applicant can access decisions on Track. Easiest
  way to confirm UF or R

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WHAT CAUSES DELAYS IN DECISION-MAKING?

• Waiting for a result e.g. GCSE or a grade from
  exam board
• Combined offers grades are good for one half
  but not the other (e.g. Business French ABB.
  You got BCC. French might take you Business
  wont.)
• CF (or CI) might make a changed course offer
  (e.g. Single Hons French, which asks for BBC but
  will look in Clearing for BCC applicants)

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WHAT CAUSES DELAYS IN DECISION-MAKING?

• Institutions understand it is a stressful time
  and try to move quickly but by definition the
  problem cases take longer to resolve.
• While applicant is still being considered,
  theres hope.

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WHY WONT THE CF UNIVERSITY REJECT APPLICANT SO
THEY CAN GO TO THE CI CHOICE?

• the CF institution is entirely in the driving
  seat may be reluctant to reject a good candidate
  who just missed the grades
• better to choose 10 missed-grade CFs (who made
  you 1st choice) or CIs than take 10 Clearing
  applicants who put you neither 1st nor 2nd
• - we know CF applicant would like to come to
  us!

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CHOOSING SOME CAUSES OF DELAYS

• CI will make its decision on academic basis
  but this wont be communicated to applicant
  unless/until CF rejects
• Candidate telephone frustration but theyve
  told me Ive definitely been rejected by my CF
  !
• (Have they looked at Track? Might show CF /
  UI)
• Updated by UCAS mid-morning keep checking

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CHOOSING SOME CAUSES OF DELAYS

• University says you can hold a provisional offer
  from us but we cannot confirm in writing until
• the applicants UCAS form arrives from UCAS (on
  screen)
• the applicants CEF arrives (original not a
  copy) from applicant

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CLEARING WHEN SHOULD TEACHER INTERVENE?

• Candidate is too distraught to ring
• You have useful (new) 3rd party knowledge e.g.
  domestic
• You have knowledge of candidates strengths
• You have a good relationship with
  university/course
• There is a special case to be argued

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CLEARING WHEN SHOULD TEACHER INTERVENE?

• But
• University quite likely to ask for details in
  writing
• Might not speed up process much - but could
  pacify parents!
• Can be useful to develop a relationship with
  Admissions Tutor beforehand, to avoid Clearing
  hotlines where possible

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SO YOURE GOING TO NEED CLEARING QA for
students and basic advice
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USING THE CLEARING SYSTEM THE DONT PANIC! GUIDE
TO A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME 

• Clearing is a system that starts when your
  results are published. It aims to let
  universities fill last-minute vacancies with
  students who might have missed the grades or
  points required by their CF/CI choices.
• ADVICE The only guaranteed way of getting
  your place on the course youve chosen, at the
  university you most want to attend and, in
  fact, the easiest way, is to attain the grades
  youve been asked to get.

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USING THE CLEARING SYSTEM THE DONT PANIC! GUIDE
TO A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME 

• Clearing is a stressful and potentially
  unreliable method for finding a course to study
  and if you can avoid Clearing by doing the work
  to get the grades, you should!
• ADVICE Clearing lasts about one week but many
  universities are out of clearing within hours or
  a day or so as soon as they have filled their
  vacancies. You will need to be well-organised to
  be successful in Clearing.  

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WHY DO UNIVERSITIES NEED CLEARING?

• Universities make their decisions about who to
  accept and who to reject when viewing the August
  results. They will post their decisions on each
  candidates Track space on www.ucas.com - look
  there first.
• UF means you have got your first- choice place
• UI means your insurance choice will accept you.

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WHY DO UNIVERSITIES NEED CLEARING?

• If you get the grades required by your CF
  institution, they will accept you.
• If you miss the grades, they are likely to
  reject you, in which case your CI will accept
  you, unless your final results are too far below
  this institutions requirements too.

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WHY DO UNIVERSITIES NEED CLEARING?

• Universities need to fill their places.
• So, for example, if a particular subject asks for
  BBB they may find that not enough applicants
  attained BBB to fill every place.
• They may decide to accept some applicants with
  BBC grades in order to fill the last few places,
  rather than go into Clearing.
• If they still have places after all their BBC
  students have been accepted, they may look at
  applicants who have BCC or they may choose to
  put those final places into Clearing, in the hope
  of finding candidates with BBB grades.

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WHY DO UNIVERSITIES NEED CLEARING?

• ADVICE
• Dont rely on a subject accepting you if your
  grades are close to, but below the offer youre
  holding.
• Universities are generally good at making the
  right number of offers for the number of students
  they wish to admit.

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HOW DO I END UP IN CLEARING?

• By your grades or points being too far below the
  offers you have been made, and by being rejected
  by both your CF and your CI institutions.
• If you have been rejected through the UCAS
  system, you will automatically enter Clearing.

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HOW WILL I KNOW?

• By looking at UCAS Track.
• Universities pass their decisions electronically
  to
• UCAS, and UCAS posts them on its
• website.
• ADVICE The UCAS website is updated from mid-
• morning every day, so if Track is not complete it
  will be
• because a university has not yet made its
  decision on
• you. Keep checking.

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HOW WILL I KNOW?

• Once both institutions have rejected you, you are
  in
• Clearing and will be sent a Clearing Entry Form
  (CEF)
• by post from UCAS.
• ADVICE You will need your CEF later, but you
  should
• not wait for it to arrive before finding a place
  through
• Clearing.

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IF I DONT AGREE WITH THEIR DECISION TO REJECT
ME, CAN I APPEAL TO AN INSTITUTION TO THINK
AGAIN?

• Admissions staff think very carefully about
  each decision they will only reject you if they
  are definitely unable to accept your grades.
• Realistically, it is very unlikely that a
  department will change its decision (and it might
  already have considered offering you an
  alternative course and decided not to). The
  chances are, its full anyway.

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IF I DONT AGREE WITH THEIR DECISION TO REJECT
ME, CAN I APPEAL TO AN INSTITUTION TO THINK
AGAIN?

• Any new and different information you have
  for them to consider should have been forwarded
  before results come out.
• Ask yourself if your time is not better spent
  trying to find a suitable Clearing place.

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SO DO I NEED TO RING TO CONFIRM THAT IM ACCEPTED
AT MY CF OR CI?

• No!
• Clearing is for students who know that they
  have been rejected! Dont assume youve been
  rejected, whatever grades you get. The UCAS
  Track confirmation is the way to see decisions on
  you, and to avoid frustrating hours on the phone

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IF I AM OFFERED AN ALTERNATIVE COURSE AT A
UNIVERSITY I APPLIED TO, DO I HAVE TO ACCEPT IT?

• No. It is up to you to decide whether a changed
  course offer is acceptable.
• Remember to look at their prospectus again.
• Some institutions are very flexible about how you
  can combine subjects once at university but
  dont bank on this without doing the essential
  research other universities are absolutely rigid
  in their courses.

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WHAT IF IM APPEALING AGAINST ONE OF MY RESULTS
OR HAVING A PAPER RE-MARKED?

• Universities can only make their decisions on the
  basis of the results you hold when they are
  published.
• Waiting until an appeal has gone through or a
  paper re-marked is only possible if you pay for
  the very fast remark service your examination
  board will have details.

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WHAT IF I WAS ILL DURING ONE OF MY EXAMS?

• Schools and colleges are asked to notify
  universities of any applicant who suffered from
  any circumstance that might affect the outcome of
  their examinations, so this paperwork should be
  with the university before results are published
  and it will have been taken into account before
  making their decision.
• However, your teacher should know of anything
  that might have affected your grade during exams,
  and will know how to act on your behalf directly.

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HOW DOES CLEARING WORK?

• Once you know for certain you have been rejected
  by both your CF and your CI, you should look at
  UCAS, The Independent or the Daily Mirror, or
  individual universities websites to see which
  courses are available in Clearing.
• Some universities will tell you the grades they
  require, or any conditions e.g. you must have a
  foreign language at grade C, or Maths, or a
  particular GCSE grade in addition to their
  general Clearing requirements. Others might
  simply list subject areas where they have
  vacancies, and will discuss grades when you
  ring. 

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HOW DOES CLEARING WORK?

• You will also see listed the Clearing phone
  numbers for each institution. These are the only
  numbers through to each universitys Clearing
  system. If you ring others youll just be
  referred back (but not put through) to the
  official Clearing lines.
• ADVICE Dont start ringing round until you
  have checked on the UCAS website to be certain
  you have been rejected by both your CF AND your
  CI. Universities will ask you if you know you
  are in Clearing before they discuss any courses
  with you.

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WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO BEFORE I RING?

• You should think carefully about the subject you
  wish to study at university. Just because you
  might have the grades required in Clearing, it
  doesnt make it is the right course for you. And
  even if the subject is right, is the university?
  
• These are such important decisions, affecting the
  next 3 or 4 years of your life (at least!) that
  you should do some careful (but quick) thinking
  and planning ahead of telephoning. You should
  also talk through your situation with staff in
  your school or college, if possible.

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WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO BEFORE I RING?

• ADVICE find the relevant up-to-date prospectus.
  If the university is one you dont know, skim
  through the general information to see if you
  would fit in, that its in the right location
  etc. Then read carefully the detailed
  information about the subject or course you are
  interested in. Does it appeal to you? Remember
  course content can vary from uni to uni, even
  when the course titles are identical!
• Recent research shows that the biggest single
  reason students drop out of higher education is
  choosing the wrong course. The second biggest is
  choosing the wrong institution.

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WHAT INFORMATION WILL I BE ASKED FOR WHEN I RING?

• Before you ring, you should have your UCAS number
  to hand so that the person dealing with you can
  call up your application on a computer screen.
  They will see where else you have applied to and
  for what. It is also useful to have your results
  slip to hand.
• You are also likely to be asked to provide a
  piece of evidence to prove that you are who you
  say you are, so expect to give some personal
  details that youve provided in your UCAS
  application.

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WILL THE PERSON WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE KNOW ABOUT
MY APPLICATION?

• No.
• Each university organises how it handles
  Clearing enquiries, so you might get to talk
  directly to an Admissions Tutor, or a member of
  the general administrative staff, or possibly
  even a current student. They will be trained in
  dealing with you, and will have a series of
  questions to ask you.
• Every university will treat your call in the
  same way as every other enquirers.

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WILL THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW I MESSED UP MY EXAMS
(OR WHY ITS NOT MY FAULT)?

• No! The conversation will be about what subject
  youre interested in, what Advanced subjects you
  have taken, and the grades or points you
  achieved.
• If you are in Clearing and you have the grades /
  points required for the place you are interested
  in, you can be made an offer on the basis of the
  information youve provided on the phone. This
  will be held for you while you send your Clearing
  Entry Form (CEF) to that university. They will
  want the original form.
• ADVICE If the university is relatively local,
  you could ask if you can take your CEF
  personally, rather than use the post.

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WHAT IF I CANT GET THROUGH ON THE PHONE IF
ITS ALWAYS ENGAGED?

• Keep trying and be patient!
• Universities deal with each enquiry as quickly as
  possible, and they are aware that there are lots
  of people trying to get through so its
  important that you are well prepared before you
  ring and that you keep your cool when you finally
  get through. 

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WOULDNT IT BE BETTER IF ONE OF MY PARENTS RANG?
OR MY TEACHER?

• No! The university wants to talk to you e.g. if
  the course you want is already full, they may be
  able to offer you an alternative you need to
  take your own decision about your future.
•  If there is a specific reason why your teacher
  or careers adviser should talk to a university on
  your behalf in your presence then you will be
  advised of this in your school or college.
• ADVICE It is important that you do not go on
  holiday on results day your future will depend
  on you!

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WHAT IF THE UCAS SITE SHOWS THAT MY CI
INSTITUTION IS STILL CONSIDERING ME, BUT I KNOW I
DONT REALLY WANT TO GO THERE?

• CAN I RING SOMEWHERE ELSE?
• No-one can stop you ringing speculatively, but
  you must remember that a university cannot make
  you a formal offer through Clearing until you
  have been rejected by BOTH your CF AND your CI
  and you have sent your CEF to them.

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EVEN IF IVE ALREADY BEEN TOLD OVER THE TELEPHONE
THAT MY CI IS REJECTING ME?

• If you have been told this, then their decision
  will be amended on UCAS Track at the next update
  and youll be eligible for Clearing and any
  offers.

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BUT ILL BE MISSING OUT ON CLEARING PLACES

• If you ring institutions while you are still
  technically holding a UCAS offer elsewhere, you
  cannot also hold Clearing offers. However, a
  Clearing place can sometimes be held
  provisionally upon your being rejected elsewhere
  and actually going into Clearing. It is only
  yours when the University has your CEF.
•  
• ADVICE You can ask your CF or CI institution to
  release you, but this is not automatic.
  Provisional Clearing offers remain available for
  a limited time.

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WHATS TO STOP ME HOLDING SEVERAL CLEARING PLACES
AND PICKING THE BEST ONE LATER?

• It is possible to do this, but think carefully
  it suggests you havent done the necessary
  research to be sure the offer you are holding is
  the RIGHT one for you this is not a sensible
  way of making such a critical decision, and such
  insecurity means you need to think again about
  what you really want.
• Also you might be making it difficult for others
  to be made offers for places that you know you
  will not take up. How would you feel if this
  happened to you?
• Limit the offers you provisionally hold to only
  ones you are seriously likely to accept

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WHY CANT I JUST TELL THEM IVE GOT 3 Es, AND
CHOOSE FROM WHAT THEYVE GOT ON OFFER FOR THOSE
GRADES?

• Clearing is not a form of bargain-hunt! You
  should be looking for the same or a similar
  subject area you initially applied for, or a
  cognate one in other words, a related course
  using largely the same skills and abilities and
  background you have.
• Without this, how do you know that you are able
  to sustain degree level study?
• Or that you will enjoy it?

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WHATS TO STOP ME HOLDING SEVERAL CLEARING PLACES
AND PICKING THE BEST ONE LATER?

• It is possible to do this, but think carefully
  it suggests you havent done the necessary
  research to be sure the offer you are holding is
  the RIGHT one for you.
• Also you might be making it difficult for others
  to be made offers for places that you know you
  will not take up. How would you feel if this
  happened to you?
• Limit the offers you provisionally hold to only
  ones you are seriously likely to accept

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WHAT ABOUT TRADING UP IF MY RESULTS ARE BETTER
THAN ANTICIPATED?

• Again, you need to think about the risks. You are
  expected to attend the CF or CI you have accepted
  offers from the UCAS process forms the basis of
  a contract. You shouldnt expect a university
  automatically to release without asking serious
  questions.
• For gaining a handful of extra points or a couple
  of grades, you are considering putting aside the
  universities you have researched over several
  months, visited, met students and staff, seen
  halls of residence and replacing this with a
  course you perhaps know little about, in a place
  youve never seen.
• All on the basis of a 3-minute phone call

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MY CF IS RECEIVED?

• Youll get formal confirmation of your place,
  and detailed instructions about joining the
  university.
• There will be paperwork to complete, and
  information about accommodation, booklists,
  starting dates, and so on

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MY CF IS RECEIVED?

• Youll get formal confirmation of your place, and
  detailed instructions about joining the
  university.
• There will be paperwork to complete, and
  information about accommodation, booklists,
  starting dates, and so on

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THE REALLY GOOD NEWS

• If you get your place through the Clearing
  system, youll be a legitimate member of that
  university, studying on the same course as people
  who applied for it and got there in the
  traditional way. You wont be seen as
  different or less capable and no-one will be
  interested in the grades you got (or didnt
  get!), or the reasons why, or the route you used
  to get into that university, once youre there.
• More importantly, youll have exactly the same
  opportunity as every other 1st year. Over
  35,000 students now in Higher Education gained
  their places through Clearing last year.

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THE REALLY GOOD NEWS

• FINAL ADVICE
• The outcome of your degree will be entirely based
  on what you do while youre at university, so do
  the best work you can, have a great university
  experience, and be confident that you can achieve
  a good degree.

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Good luck in your exams, with your results in
August and in your Higher education course!