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Clearing Jargon Buster

RETURN TO CLEARING HUB

Key terms and their definitions.

If you’re thinking of applying for university through UCAS Clearing, you may encounter some new terminology along the way.

To keep things simple, Northumbria University has put together a list of terms and their definitions to make your Clearing application that bit easier.

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UCAS CLEARING PROCESS

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW →

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MY CLEARING STORY

So, let’s start with Clearing...

CLEARING

Clearing is another service you can use to look for alternative courses. If you didn’t get a place on a course – whether you didn’t receive offers, declined your offers, or didn’t get the grades you needed – Clearing allows you to apply for courses that still have vacancies.

 

If you’ve already made a UCAS application, you may have...

A UCAS ID

A 10-digit number, used to identify students on UCAS. It is can also be referred to as a Personal ID. This, however, is different to your Clearing ID number.

A FIRM CHOICE

Applicants can select one university course based on a conditional offer as their firm choice. If the conditions are met, everything will be confirmed, and your place will be secured. If you don’t meet the conditions, you’ll move to your insurance choice, which will be confirmed if you meet those conditions.

AN INSURANCE CHOICE

This is a secondary choice which you'll move to if you don’t meet the conditions of your Firm choice. If you meet the conditions of your insurance offer then this will be confirmed. If you don’t meet the conditions of your firm or insurance choices you will be entered into clearing.

 

So, if you do not meet the conditions of either your firm or insurance offer you will be entered into clearing. Or, if you’ve changed your mind, and no longer wish to study your firm or insurance choice, you can decline both offers and chose to go through Clearing. You should however always ensure you have a clearing offer in writing before you decline any existing offers.

You’ll then have access to...

YOUR CLEARING ID NUMBER

If you’re eligible for UCAS Clearing, your Clearing ID number will show on your UCAS Hub welcome page. This number is different to your UCAS personal ID.

CLEARING PLUS

If your initial UCAS application is unsuccessful or you’re applying for the first time through Clearing, you may wish to use the Clearing Plus service. Here, UCAS use what they know about you, including your previous choices, your grades, and your preferences to give you suggestions of other universities which have available spaces and suit your needs.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to remember them all. Our Clearing support advisers will be just a phone call away if you have any questions and they will be ready to guide you through the process.

 

Find more information about Clearing on our Clearing Hub.

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