Clearing

Clearing is a system that matches applicants to university places that haven’t been filled yet.

If you have made a UCAS Undergraduate application that doesn’t hold any offers, you are able to apply for Clearing.

Clearing is a great opportunity for many applicants for a number of reasons. You may not have met the terms of your conditional offers. You may have decided at the last minute that you would like to apply for university. Or you may feel that you want to change your course or original university choice.

Find out more about Clearing at ARU.

You can check ARU’s Clearing course list from 1 July. We also accept Clearing applications from 1 July. Clearing typically runs through to September, but we recommend applying early to avoid disappointment.

Definitely! If it’s been a few years since you took your last exam, that’s no problem. No matter what you’ve been doing since you were last at school, you can always apply through Clearing to kickstart your education career again. If you already know your results, you’ve got a head-start. Simply find your course on our Clearing course list and apply online from 1 July. We’ll get back to you before A-level results day, so you can start preparing for your exciting new chapter.

During Clearing some universities may give you an offer that is lower than the one listed on their prospectus. However, this really depends on the demand that each university and course is receiving, as well as how high the grades are of the other students who are also applying through Clearing.

If you want to know for sure if your grades are going to be an issue, enquire directly to the universities you are interested in.

If you want find out more about the Clearing process at ARU, feel free to contact us.

If you are applying through Clearing, there is a chance that you won’t be offered a place on the course you originally applied for. This could be because the courses are full, or it might be that you aren’t eligible, as this can change from university to university. You may be offered an alternative course instead, which can also be a fantastic opportunity. It’s important to make sure that you consider any offer you are made carefully and do some research to find out if an alternative course might be a great choice for you.

We won’t be able to guarantee accommodation if you apply during Clearing, but we usually have more than enough accommodation available for our Clearing applicants across all of our campuses. If you are applying to ARU via Clearing, make sure you have taken a look at our accommodation options and read through our frequently asked questions.

If you are interested in transferring from your current university, Clearing could be an opportune time and ARU will happily accept your application. You can apply online, directly to us, from 1 July. Simply indicate on the application form that you're applying for admission with prior learning, and let us know which year you'd like to join (for example, Year 2).

When we're reviewing your application, we'll ask to see a transcript from your current university or college. This is a record of the modules you've studied so far and the grades you've achieved. You can apply first and send the transcript to us later; we'll email you to ask for a copy.