It’s that time of year when many of you are making the all-important decisions about your future.

If you’re looking to go to university but didn’t quite meet the 30 June UCAS deadline, or you didn’t receive any offers from your initial university choices, or perhaps your exam results weren’t as you’d expected, then Clearing might just help you to secure your place in higher education.

Clearing gives you the opportunity to apply to universities and colleges that still have places available on their courses. Be mindful though, it’s not a free-for-all service, there are still entry requirements that you will need to meet.

So here’s how it works: the Clearing service is open from mid July-September so for those of you who didn’t receive any offers and already have your exam results, you can begin your search now! If you’re due to receive your exam results in August or early September, the option to apply through Clearing will still be available to you and in the meantime you can register your interest with BU to keep up to date with all the latest Clearing news.

Going to university is a big step, so you shouldn’t feel pressured into making any quick decisions, take the time to research your options and make the choice that’s right for YOU. Follow these simple steps and remember to keep calm, we’re here to help.

1. Find courses in Clearing on individual university websites, you can find our courses here, on the UCAS website or in the national press
2. If you are eligible for Clearing an ‘Add a Clearing Choice’ button will appear on your Track ‘choices’ page on UCAS, as well as your personal Clearing number. Jot the number down along with your UCAS Track number
3. Make a list of all of your qualifications and their UCAS tariff points value. If you’re unsure you can use the BU tariff table
4. Make a short list of the courses you’re interested in, the university they are offered at and the telephone number you need to call
5. Pick up the phone and dial; universities want to speak to you personally. It’s not just a chance for us to find out about you, it’s the perfect opportunity for you to find out if it’s somewhere you want to spend the next few years of your life, so ask away and remember to make notes!
6. Once you’ve decided which university and course you want to study and been given a verbal offer over the phone, click the ‘Add a Clearing Choice’ button on your UCAS Track ‘choices’ page and enter the institution code and course details
7. UCAS will let the university or college know that you have entered their details on Track. If the university or college accepts you, it will be displayed in the ‘choices’ section of Track and you’ll receive a letter to confirm this. Don’t panic if it doesn’t appear straight away it’s a super busy time for everyone

We have designed a Clearing tool kit to help guide you through this process and this can be downloaded from here.

Top tip: Make sure you know what qualifications you have and a list of what you got for your GCSEs ready before calling universities, it’s amazing what you can forget in two short years.

So what’s left I hear you asking? Well, follow the university’s next steps and see if there’s a chance to visit the campus before September. Breathe and then celebrate!