1. Supporting students through Clearing and Adjustment
Philip Dalby, Head of Admissions
Morag McIvor, Senior Widening Participation Officer

2. Overview What is Clearing and Adjustment?
How it fits into the UCAS cycle
Changes to perception of Clearing
The process at Leicester
What students need to know/do before Clearing
What students need to know/do after Clearing
What you can do to help them
Clearing from a student perspective

3. What is Clearing and Adjustment?
Period from early July onwards
Automatically in Clearing if rejected by Firm and Insurance choice institutions
Applicant adds their Clearing choice to their Clearing profile on Track
Applicants putting themselves into Clearing - poaching
Successful applicants trading up
Adjustment
Ability to shop around, while holding onto the Firm choice offer
Must have exceeded Firm choice offer to be eligible
Applicants register for Adjustment on UCAS Track for a five day period
Period opens on A level results day
The HEI uses UCAS weblink to ‘claim’ the applicant

4. Clearing danger…
Making offers to applicants holding offers elsewhere is risky
Offers are time limited
Applicant may not be released before offer expires
Risk of losing both places
Adjustment?
Potential this year for applicants to call UCAS to be released

5. Changes to perception of Clearing
Traditionally, a way to fill any remaining vacancies
Government fee policy changing the landscape
Introduction of the £9,000 tuition fee
Removal of the student number control
Applicants are becoming more savvy and discerning
Universities are more commercialised
Clearing now as a vital revenue stream: not just for ‘recruiting’ universities
Number of students placed through Clearing in 2016:
Leicester: increased to 998

6. The process at Leicester: A level results
Fri 11 Aug: results for 4,500 applicants received from UCAS
Three stage process:
Sat 12 Aug: accept status allocated to each applicant’s record
Sun 13 Aug: Admissions Office check each decision for accuracy and send to UCAS ready for results day
Sun 13 Aug: Admissions Tutors rank near miss applicants
Mon 14 Aug: first senior management meeting
Decisions on near miss applicants are made
Wed 16 Aug: letters posted to applicants
Thu 17 Aug: s are sent to applicants

7. Leicester’s Clearing call centre
Central call centre making Clearing offers
1,000 places required 10,000 calls: 8,000 on Thursday alone
120 call handlers from across the University

8. Leicester’s Clearing arrangements
Trained to make one-stop offers
Entry requirements clearly listed online
Admissions Tutors undertake follow up calls
Various teams, mostly inbound, some outbound
UCAS Direct Contact service
Most courses go into Clearing: entry requirements can fluctuate according to demand

9. Clearing at Leicester Opening hours 2017: www.le.ac.uk/Clearing:
Thursday from 6:30am-7pm
Friday from 6:30am – 6pm
Through the weekend
for display of vacancies from 1 July 2017
Telephone:

10. What students should know before Results Day
Be realistic about grades – no AS grades to go on
Think carefully about the firm and insurance choices – not the same grades as their firm
Research universities above and below predicted grades
Have a standby shortlist
Make sure Student Finance application has been sent

11. On Results Day Be in the country - not on holiday!
Have their UCAS number ready
Dig out their shortlist
Have their phone handy
Try to speak to the universities themselves

12. After Clearing
Accepting an offer – follow the University’s instructions and reply promptly
Open Day
Accommodation
Registration
Student Finance – kicks in on registration

13. What you can do to help Realism of grades – uncertainty this year
Do a bit of prep the day before
What were borderline students’ other choices?
What are these other universities offering?
Encourage students to speak to universities themselves
Stay calm
It will all work out in the end!

14. Clearing from a student perspective