18 | THE VOICE AUGUST 17 - 23, 2017
EDUCATION
AUGUST 17 - 23, 2017 THE VOICE | 19
@thevoicenews subjects, at universities and colleges right across the UK. Start your search on ucas.com and draw up a shortlist of options. If there’s a specific university or college you really want to go to, check out what other courses they’re offering.
THE WAIT IS OVER… Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
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08:00. If you haven’t, Track will oday is the day when understood part of their lives. students find out if In this article the Universi- give you a Clearing number to their scholastic ef- ties and Colleges Admissions use. If you’ve been accepted by forts throughout the Service (UCAS) outlines the your insurance choice and deacademic year have paid off. main facts and de mystifies the cide you don’t want the place, For some this day brings ‘clearing’ process. you’ll need to contact them to relief and they look forward How to use Clearing: five ask to be released into Clearing. to claiming their chosen place steps to follow on A level at University, but for others results day 2. If you’re certain you want it’s a time of uncertainty and 1. Find out if you’ve got a to go to university this year, the term ‘Clearing’ becomes a place at university or college there will be plenty of courses 8068bused Clearing - Post ad 170x132.qxp_Layout 13:12from Page 1available, in a huge range of much and sometimes mis- by signing1 in11/8/17 to Track,
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3. Ask for advice from those who know you, or speak to a UCAS adviser on Twitter @ ucas_advisers or Facebook. Careers advisers are also available to talk to on the Department for Education’s Exam Results Helpline – 0808 100 8000. ucas.com has plenty of information, including videos and case studies. 4. Phone the admissions teams at the universities and colleges on your shortlist. You’ll need to tell them your qualifications, grades, and Clearing number,
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and they’ll ask why you’re interested in their course. You’ll have questions for them too – now is the time to gather all the information you need about the course, the university or college, and accommodation.
ing the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. They’ll be able to offer you personal support, including advice about resits, apprenticeship opportunities, volunteering, or employment.
5. Consider your offers carefully. If you can, try to visit the university or college before you make a decision. Many have open days over the coming weekend. Once you’ve made up your mind, sign in to Track and add your Clearing choice. You can do this from 15:00 on A level results day, and many students are placed by the following Monday. Not sure? Take a rain check If you’re not sure what you want to do, take a look at alternatives to university on the UCAS website, or speak to an experienced careers adviser us-
6. I’ve done better than expected. Can I change my decision? If you have done better than you expected, you may want to reassess your decision and think about other options. UCAS provides an Adjustment service, which allows you to hang on to your place, while also looking at other universities and courses, for five days. Before you change your mind, make sure you think about the practical things like accommodation and travel, as well as the course and university. There’s more information on ucas.com.
IF YOU HAVEN’T PUT IN AN APPLICATION YET If you haven’t put in an application yet, there’s still time to apply for this year. You need to complete an application online at ucas.com. It’s a good idea to check ucas.com for course vacancies and have a chat with the University of your Choice first. DID YOU KNOW…? TEN FACTS ABOUT CLEARING • Almost 65,000 people found their university or college place through Clearing in 2016. • This means one in eight students who got in used clearing. • 15,000 people applied after they got their exam results. • It’s likely that universities and colleges will have around 40,000 courses with vacancies across a huge range of subjects listed in Clearing, so they’ll be keen to hear from you. • Most universities now recruit students through Clearing for some of their courses, including those with the highest entry requirements. • Students from outside the UK can use Clearing too – last year, almost 6,000 EU and international applicants got in through Clearing. • 89% of students who used Clearing last year said they found the service useful. • Close to half of those using Clearing will be placed by the Monday after A level results day. • Clearing vacancies can be found on ucas.com from July to the end of September. • For the undecided, or those who don’t receive a place they wish to take up, there’s always next year. Around half of 18 year olds who don’t get into university apply again – and 85% get in the second time.
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CLEARING THE WAY TO STUDENT FINANCE
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he Clearing process helps students whose grades are different than they might have expected after results day. Whether their grades are different than expected, or they’re just applying a bit later for a course, Clearing lets prospective students apply for courses at UK universities and colleges that still have places left. UCAS doesn’t inform Student Finance England (SFE) about any changes to a student’s course details, so prospective students whose course details, university or college change, need to let Student Finance England (SFE) know to make sure they receive their student finance. I’ve applied for student finance already but my course is changing. What should I do? If you’ve already applied for student finance but decided to change your course, university or college through Clearing, you need to let SFE know as soon as possible as the change might affect the student finance you’re entitled to. It’s easy to change your course, university or college details online; you can do this by logging into your account at www.gov.uk/studentfinance
then: Your Account > Change Your Application > University/ College and Course Before you login, make sure that you have all the information to hand that you’ll need to change your application: • New University/College name • New course name • New course duration • New fee amount • New year of study Any changes that you make will mean that we’ll reassess your application to ensure you receive the correct finance and most changes take around 6 weeks to process, however some will be processed within 48 hours – check your online account for updates. We’ll contact you by post once your changes have been approved. I’m applying for a course through Clearing but I haven’t applied for student finance yet The quickest way to apply is by creating an online account at: www.gov.uk/studentfinance When applying make sure you have the following information to hand to prevent any delays in your
application being processed: • Your course and university or college details • National Insurance Number • Valid UK Passport details • UK bank details Applications take at least six weeks to be processed, but we’ll do an initial assessment so you have some money as close to the start of your course start as possible. Don’t forget – the sooner you apply the better! Not from England? If you’re from Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland then you should either apply or change your application details with Student Finance Wales (SFW), Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) or the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) If you’re a student from an EU country and haven’t been in the UK for five years or more then you will need to either apply using a paper EU17N form or update your existing application using a paper EUCO1 form. For more information on EU finance visit:www.gov.uk/ student-finance/eu-students
EDUCATION