How Clearing works

Clearing is how universities and colleges fill places they have remaining on their courses. It's an ideal way for you to find another course, if you do not meet the conditions of your offers.

It is also used by applicants who originally applied to one university but have since decided they want to study at a different one, or who decide that they would like to apply to study at a university after the 30 June UCAS deadline.

• Clearing is available from July to September each year.
• If you have applied through UCAS and you think you may need Clearing, you can do this once you have your exam results. UCAS Hub will also state if you are eligible.
• Clearing officially opens at UCAS on Wednesday 5 July 2023.
• UCAS Clearing closes at the end of September; however, each university will close to Clearing when all its spaces have been filled.

• IB results are released on 5 July 2023
• A level results day is Thursday 17 August 2023
• GCSE results are released on Thursday 24 August 2023

You can apply as soon as you have your results.

• Once Clearing opens, details of programmes available through Clearing will be listed on our Vacancies page. Universities will constantly update their list of Clearing places through July and August.
• The UCAS website contains lists of course vacancies and will be continuously updated.
• National UK papers like The Guardian and The Telegraph will also list Clearing places on the morning of results day for some institutions.

• Check websites for the universities or colleges you are most interested in. These should show you whether they have places available and the grade requirements for each programme. Websites will have the most up-to-date information and will be quicker than waiting for a response to an email enquiry. To view programmes with places available at the University of Exeter please visit our Clearing website.
• Once you have your grades we would suggest that you start looking at what programmes are available in Clearing as soon as you can as places go very quickly
• Research details of specific courses online - our undergraduate study site has detailed course descriptions (and lots more information about the University)
• Each university is operated slightly differently, some may be able to advise you by phone whether your grades are a good fit and some will offer you a place on the phone (a verbal offer); others will ask you to email or fill out an online application form.
• At the University of Exeter, you need to apply using our online form to be considered for a Clearing offer. Our online form is quick and easy to complete and is the quickest way to receive a decision.
• Universities and colleges will advise you what you need to do next.
• If you receive an offer from your preferred Clearing choice university, you will need to add this as your choice through UCAS Hub. This is the only way to get an official and formal Clearing offer.

• If we have vacancies for the programme you are enquiring about and you meet the entrance requirements then we would be able to consider you for a place through Clearing.
• Please visit our Clearing homepage for full details of all vacancies and the grade requirements required to be considered.
• However, in order to accept a Clearing offer via your UCAS Hub you will need to release yourself from your current university.

We have an outstanding reputation for student experience and carefully manage our student numbers as part of this. We have separate targets for International and UK students, reflecting the strategies we have in place for their support academically and in terms of the overall student experience for all. Although this varies by programme, we usually fill our UK places earlier in the admissions cycle than those for International students. All applications are considered carefully and on an individual basis.

The majority of our programmes do not require applicants to attend an interview. The only programmes which require an interview through Clearing are Medicine, Medical Imaging, Nursing, and Applied Psychology, if vacancies are available.

During the Clearing period we receive a high volume of Clearing applications. Our Admissions team will be working hard to process decisions as quickly as possible. Please keep checking your emails (including your spam folder) as a decision will be sent to you via email. You should have received an acknowledgement email to confirm your application has been submitted.

No, you do not need to apply through Clearing. If you are already holding a place at Exeter and now want to be considered for an alternative course, please contact our Admissions team at: ug-ad@exeter.ac.uk (putting 'Request to change course' in the email subject). We will consider your request and if approved we will process a change of course decision to UCAS. 

Clearing plus is a matching service for any applicants who are unplaced and eligible for Clearing. If you find yourself in Clearing this year, UCAS will match you to courses you may be interested in, using what they know about you from your application, and what universities and colleges are looking for in a student.

If you’re unplaced or have started a new application, a button will appear in your Hub – ‘My matches’. This will take you to your top 50 course matches. You’ll then be able to tell universities and colleges if you’re ‘interested’ in their courses. If they still have vacancies and you meet their entry requirements, they may contact you.

Don’t worry, if you want to apply for something different you can still find courses available in Clearing using the UCAS search tool.

If you receive an offer you will be sent confirmation via email. This email will confirm the following steps which you need to take to accept the offer.

• You need to add the University of Exeter (E84) as your Clearing choice via UCAS Hub. If your programme does not have vacancies published on the UCAS website you will need to type the institution code (E84) within 'course code' and select 'other'. A new box will appear where you can enter the relevant course code, example M111 into the relevant fields on UCAS Hub when adding the choice. If your programme does have vacancies listed with UCAS you will be able to select the programme using the drop-down lists.
• Email Admissions at ug-ad@exeter.ac.uk (putting 'Accepting my clearing offer' in the email subject) to confirm that you wish to accept our offer.

Your offer email will give you a deadline by which you need to accept and refer your application to us via UCAS Hub.

If you are holding a place at another university you will need to get released before you can refer your application. Applicants are able to self-release via UCAS Hub.

Yes, you can email our admissions team at: ug-ad@exeter.ac.uk (putting 'Extension to my clearing offer' in the email subject), they will then advise whether this is possible and if applicable what your new deadline date is.

• Your offer letter will indicate if we are able to guarantee you an offer of accommodation and how to apply
• Think about the costs of accommodation and travel before you make your final decision
• See our website for more information on applying for accommodation in Exeter or accommodation in Penryn as a Clearing student

• We will be in touch regularly before you come to University.
• In the meantime: Relax, celebrate, and enjoy the moment. You’re going to university. Congratulations!

The University has had a successful admissions round for 2023 with higher firm acceptance rates than last year. We manage the total number of places available on our courses carefully to ensure the best possible experience for all our students.

After reviewing the recruitment position for this year, we have decided we are now in a position to make more places available for undergraduate 'home' (UK) students than originally planned and so have entered a number of courses into Clearing. This decision relates to our overall strategy for postgraduate as well as undergraduate education.

We can’t guarantee this because we don’t know exactly how many current offer-holders will achieve results meeting our requirements. But we will be fair to offer-holders whose grades match our currently advertised Clearing grades – their places will be confirmed ahead of any further Clearing recruitment.

If we do have further summer Clearing spaces available after that, we may decide to allocate these according to your grades, starting with the strongest and working through. Summer Clearing is a first-come-first-served process and places can run out at any point on A-Level results day (Thursday 17 August).

When we processed your application, we made our decision based on the number of places available on your chosen programme at that moment in time. As the University has now released more places, we can provide more flexibility in giving offers to students with a wider range of grades.

If you have already achieved the grades we are asking for in Clearing, you are not currently holding any offers or wish to discuss your situation as you still wish to come to Exeter, we would encourage you to apply through Clearing.

If you have not yet secured your results, please check our Clearing homepage on results day for our current position.

We manage the total number of places available on our courses carefully to ensure the best possible experience for all our students. We have separate targets for International and UK students, reflecting the strategies we have in place for their support academically and to encourage a vibrant and inclusive learning environment.

Although this varies by programme, we usually fill our UK places earlier in the admissions cycle than those for International. International students often have to manage factors such as visas, travel arrangements and currency fluctuations which may delay or prevent their arrival. This is why you often see International places available when UK places are already filled. All applications are considered carefully and on an individual basis. 

We have separate target numbers for 'home' (UK) and international students. Typically, we fill our home places more quickly than our international numbers, and there is more uncertainty as to whether overseas students can arrive at Exeter. We therefore go on making offers a little longer for international, including across the summer period, when UK recruitment is already finished.

UK and international students both have to meet our challenging entry requirements and we never admit any student without every reasonable prospect that they will succeed on their course. We monitor the success of our entrants to make sure they are progressing well. 

We make offers across a range to both UK and International students and the same academic standards apply to both. If you consider the contextual offer levels set out alongside the standard offers in our Prospectus, you will see that UK students, as well as International students, benefit from flexibility.

This is also about timing. We finalise International and UK student recruitment at different points in the cycle. This can sometimes lead to differences between the cohorts in the grades advertised through Clearing.

Clearing is simply a later element of the UCAS application cycle. Clearing is when we advertise the places we have left to those students who find themselves unplaced, either out of choice or because they did not receive or accept any offers. It runs from the beginning of July until the end of September but is busiest around A level results day in August.

It can be a little daunting but with some pre-planning and organisation it is proven to provide students with successful places at university every year.

Research and preparation are key. If your student decides to change their mind, or they think they might not get the grades they need in the summer, start to think about alternative universities or courses now. Go to websites, call admissions offices and think about the types of questions they will need to ask. You can do this before the formal processes start even though it may not be possible to submit an application.

Remember that in Clearing, entry requirements might change. Universities may accept students with several grades below the entry requirements published in their prospectuses. Call ahead and ask what the chances look like, call hotlines early in the morning on results day and check websites on the day itself.

On a practical level students will need a pen and notepad, UCAS ID number, details of their qualification results and log in details for UCAS Hub. It’s really helpful to have the internet open on a device other than the phone being used to make the calls.

Many universities will encourage students to call in on a dedicated phone number. The University of Exeter advises applicants to complete our online clearing form, this is the quickest way to get a decision.  Applicants will also be able to speak with a member of our admissions team through online live chat.

We are only able to discuss an application with a third party if they are recorded as the ‘nominated contact’ in the applicant’s UCAS Track. School Counsellors can access more information about Confirmation, Clearing and Adjustment via the UCAS Advisors Toolkit.

We understand how important it is for you to learn as much as possible about us, from the subjects we offer through to information about student life. The best way to do this is to speak to our staff and students. If you’re not in the UK yet and can’t visit in person, our virtual campus tours and online chats are the next best thing. See our visiting us section for details.

If a Clearing applicant receives an offer they will be sent confirmation via email. This email will confirm the following steps which they need to take in order to accept the offer.

• They need to add the University of Exeter (E84) as their Clearing choice via UCAS Hub. If this programme does not have vacancies published on the UCAS website they will need to type the institution code (E84) within 'course code' and select 'other'. A new box will appear where they can enter the relevant course code, example M111, into the relevant fields on UCAS Hub when adding the choice. If this programme does have vacancies listed with UCAS they will be able to select the programme using the drop-down lists.
• Email Admissions at ug-ad@exeter.ac.uk (putting 'Accepting my clearing offer' in the email subject) to confirm that they wish to accept our offer.

They will be given a deadline within their offer email, by which they need to accept and refer their application to us via UCAS Hub.

If they are holding a place at another university they will need to get released before they can refer their application. Applicants are able to self-release via UCAS Hub.

Our offer letter will indicate if we are able to guarantee an offer of accommodation and explain the next steps. In the meantime our webpages provide further information about our accommodation in Exeter or accommodation in Penryn for applicants applying after 1 August.