In 2012 the Telegraph's university clearing listings — to be published this year from A-Level results day, August 15 — showed more than 25,000 courses with places on results day. And 17 of the 24 top Russell Group universities advertised places through clearing in 2012, some doing so for the first time in years.
The arcane terminology and constantly changing rules don't help much, either. For instance, analysing the impact of new ABB caps might sound like something from next summer's further maths exam, but it could be key to determining how many university places are available on the day.
That's because this year, for the first time, English universities will be free to recruit as many students who have gained an A and two Bs (or higher) at A-level as they wish (last year, the cap was AAB). Strict caps on the number of places available at each university will only apply to students with lower grades. (Until last year, universities were restricted to a set number of candidates with good grades, to ensure that places were also awarded to students with poorer grades).
So, what will the impact be? Andrea Robertson, who is in charge of clearing for Ucas (the university admissions service), is optimistic that this year will be another good one for clearing and, importantly, more straightforward than the past few. "Last year was so unpredictable because it was the first year with the new controls," she says. "This year, having gone through that process once, universities and colleges are used to that factor."
But unfortunately, the changes to admissions caps don't necessarily mean universities will take more students through clearing; if a top university does plan to take advantage of the new rules by admitting extra students, it may have already done so by handing out more initial offers, rather than dipping into the clearing pool.
"When it comes to A-level results day, universities who have the physical capacity to take on extra students will have a choice," explains Robertson. "Either admit students with existing offers who have just missed their grades, or look in clearing. If a student who's missed their offer has shown commitment by attending open days and contacting tutors, universities might show leniency. But there will be some students in clearing with very good grades for the universities to consider too."
Another factor is the parallel admissions process of "adjustment", which has been expanding over the past few years. Ucas Adjustment enables students who have obtained better grades than expected to "trade up" to courses at more competitive institutions.
Introduced following the Government's 2004 Schwartz Report into fairness for university applicants, adjustment was originally devised for students who – whether due to a lack of good advice from their teachers or a sudden, unexpected improvement in the classroom – went for more conservative, less aspirational choices in their initial applications.
"Last year we had a huge increase in Adjustment, but still small numbers overall," says Robertson. "It's good for those who get better grades than they expected, because it means they can hold on to their original offer while looking around for better places."
Indeed, 1,334 pupils found places through adjustment at top institutions, a near threefold increase on the year before. This year the University of Edinburgh is just one of the top institutions that says it "may have a small number of places available through adjustment for very well-qualified applicants".
Other issues affecting clearing are less predictable. Will A-level grade averages drop again, causing thousands to miss their targets and increasing competition, or will grade inflation return? And will students considering going into clearing be put off or encouraged by the mixed graduate job news?
One element of the admissions process Robertson expects to remain consistent is the pace at which clearing places are snapped up. Although the clearing window technically runs until October 22 (or August 31 for adjustment), most places still go in the first few days.
"Even though we had our highest number of applicants last year, it was pretty much the same timescale," says Robertson. "Courses in Scotland start at the beginning of September, and in most other places mid-September, so there's a drive from both sides to move quickly. Having said that, we're always very keen to point out that you need to take time to think about decisions being made. We advise students to take time but not hang around. It's a three or four-year decision you're making, so don't decide in 10 minutes. It's a family decision, perhaps."
With that in mind, the best thing for students and parents to do in the next 12 days is to make sure they know the options available to them. Remember that students living in Scotland, and those who took the International Baccalaureate, will have already received their results before August 15, and may even have begun making initial inquiries weeks before A-level results day.
Some universities have even begun advertising clearing places, although bear in mind you can't formally apply for one on Ucas Track until about 5pm on results day. Birmingham City University plans to go into local schools and colleges on results day to make students on-the-spot offers. "It's something a couple of sixth-form colleges we work with have requested," says Lyn Holder, who heads up the university's clearing. "It's a much more personal way of getting to students and offering them places, and it helps us to meet our admissions targets. Obviously everyone's going to be looking at different ways of recruiting students this year." Now it is down to would-be students to put the same effort into their searches.
nnew3670ed 06 Aug, 2013
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Source: http://www.educationnews.com/2013/08/06/clearing-2013-will-it-be-a-good-year-for-clearing/
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