Blog post

Fast track to Clearing – what does it really mean?

As exam season is upon us and results day is starting to creep into the back of everyone’s minds ‘Clearing’ is a term you might start hearing more and more.

By Antonia Fox - 4 June 2018

For most people Clearing is an opportunity for a change of mind on a course or a way of looking for other options if results day doesn’t go as planned. Fast track to Clearing is our way of giving you a chance to skip the phone lines on results day itself and a secure a place for September.

From Tuesday 5 June you can fast track to Clearing by registering with the University beforehand. So while everyone else is on the phone on results day, you can relax and celebrate, knowing that your place at university is sorted.

Who is fast track to Clearing available to?

Fast track to Clearing is available to lots of people in varying situations:

Applied to Derby but worried about your results?

If you have already applied to study with us and have been offered a place, don’t worry. While you can’t fast track to Clearing, you won’t have to apply again through Clearing if your results don’t quite come back as you were hoping.

Try not to worry if you’re concerned you will not meet your predicted grades or the conditions of your offer – you never know what results you will get. We will re-assess your offer on results day if you do not quite make your grades. This means that if you miss your offer by one grade, our team will review your application again in full. Yes, your grades are important, but we also take into consideration all of your qualifications, experience, personal statement and reference.

If we are unable to accept you on the course you have applied for we will try to offer you an alternative course where possible. We have a huge range of courses so as well as the most common three-year bachelor’s degrees we also offer a four year route which includes an integrated foundation year. Our with foundation year degrees are a great opportunity to prepare for the main degree in a university setting, giving you the chance to get to know the city, campus and lecturers before continuing onto your full bachelor’s degree.

We also offer Foundation Degrees and HNDs (Higher National Diplomas) which are the equivalent to the first two years of a degree. After completing this type of course you can progress on to the final stage of a degree in the same subject, meaning you can still complete the bachelor’s degree programme in three years – a little known secret!

Applied to Derby but want to change your course?

It might be that you have already applied to us and accepted an offer but now want to be considered for another course, in this instance you don’t need to fast track to Clearing. A quick call to our Admissions team so that we can discuss your options for changing courses on your application is all that you need to do.

What do I need to do before I fast track to Clearing?

Before you fast track make sure you take the time to research the courses we have to offer. Now is the perfect time to look at course content, how the course is taught and any details about placements, trips and other experience opportunities. Check to see if the course requires an interview or portfolio – as you may need to complete this before we can make you an offer.

Once you have found the course you’re interested in, take a look at the course entry requirements. We will assess each application during Clearing on a case by case basis, but entry requirements will still apply. Some courses require a particular subject at A-level or BTEC, so make a note of these. Register for Clearing, if we can’t offer you the course of your interest we’ll look to offer you an alternative course.

The same goes for spaces, as more and more people will begin registering for Clearing we can only offer a place on a course if we still have space. But don’t let this put you off, you can always speak to our Clearing team who’ll be able to tell you which places are available and suggest similar alternatives if your first choice is full.

How do I register for Clearing?

You can fast track to Clearing up until Thursday 16 August by completing the form on our website, or by speaking to our dedicated Clearing team on live web chat.
You will need:

If you have completed the form online, a member of our team will call you to discuss your application and, if possible, we may be able to make you a provisional offer there and then. If not, we will discuss the alternative courses we can offer you. If you register on our live chat, we may be able to make you a provisional offer whilst chatting.

What do I need to do after I’ve been made an offer?

If we’re able to accept you on the course we’ll send you a provisional offer letter via email. We will provide you with the instructions you’ll need to refer yourself and secure your place. The offer is provisional until you complete this referral and provide evidence of your qualifications. We ask you to do this within 24 hours to ensure you secure your place whilst spaces are still available.

If you’ve already completed your qualifications we may make you a provisional unconditional offer, which means your offer will be secured once you refer yourself.

If you are yet to receive the results for the qualifications, we may make you a provisional conditional offer based on your predicted grades.

Whatever your feelings about Clearing (excited, nervous or anything in between), have a chat to our Clearing team and make sure your results day is spent celebrating!

About the author

Antonia Fox
Senior Admissions Administrator

I work within Admissions supporting Enquiry Management and operations within the team. Having supported Clearing last year, I now have a good understanding of what it's like to go through Clearing and my experiences as a student help me understand the process from that point of view.

Email
a.fox@derby.ac.uk