Group of students chatting in the Atrium

Helping a student navigate Clearing

Helping a student navigate Clearing

Whether you’re a parent, guardian or teacher, we’re here to help you support your dependant as they navigate a potentially stressful and confusing time. 

So, whether your dependant hasn’t got the grades they need, has done better than predicted, has changed their mind about where or what they want to study or is making an application to university for the first time, it’s important they have someone who can support them during this process. 

Clearing officially opens from the 5 July, however most people wait to see what their exam results are before using the system. For 2025, results are issued for level 3 qualifications, such as A Levels, BTECs and Access programmes, on the 14 of August at 8am. Places can fill up quickly, so encourage your dependant to call us on 0330 123 2023, or message us on , , and WhatsApp on results day once they have their exam results from their school or college so they can find a course and university that’s right for them.

Please note that Clearing applications should be made by the student themselves rather than a parent or guardian. Applicants who wish to have their information discussed with a third party must give written consent to Buckinghamshire New University, stating the third party’s name and contact details (as well as the applicant’s UCAS ID number). In accordance with UCAS procedures, the University will discuss application details with the authorised contact listed on a UCAS application form. See our policy.

How to help

Prepare a plan – prior to results day we suggest doing some research with your dependant and making a plan of action. As courses fill up quickly during Clearing, it’s good to know you options and potential courses that could be the right fit. 

Have an open conversation – it’s important to have an open conversation with your dependant. What do they need from a university? University is often about more than just the degree so it’s a good idea to look at the university webpages in detail. What support do they offer? Do they have the society or club your young person is interested in? What’s the accommodation like?

Stay positive – whilst this can be an extremely stressful time, it is your young person whose study plans have potentially been disrupted. Reassure them that it will be okay and support them through the process. 

Get your questions ready – encourage your dependant to write down any questions they might want to ask before contacting us about a Clearing place, so they don’t forget anything.

Lastly, remind them to stay calm – chances are there will be options open to them, so if they have their heart set on going to university, it’s likely that can still happen. And let’s not forget, your dependant could have exceeded their predicted grades, and there could be even more opportunities open for courses with higher requirements.

You’ll find a list of course vacancies on the . They’re also listed on most university websites. Why not take a look at what we offer? We publish our Clearing vacancies on our site from July onwards each year.

Once the Clearing vacancies are published, spend some time with your dependant going through the available options, and seeing what’s on offer that might appeal to their career goals, interests and skills.

They’ll need to check they have enough UCAS points to do a particular course. They can do this by making a list of their qualifications and grades, and working out how many UCAS points they hold using a .

If they don’t meet the stated entry criteria, don’t worry. Not meeting the exact offer doesn’t always mean they won’t get accepted – if their application is strong, we may still be able to offer a place.

On many of our undergraduate courses, we also offer a Foundation Year, helping to give them the best start at university and build their skills and confidence.

Once they find a course they’re interested in, the next step is to apply to the university or college directly to see if they’ll offer them a place.

Once Clearing opens, they can contact us by calling 0330 123 2023, or apply to us through social media if they prefer.

If they haven’t already gone through UCAS, they can apply for a course with us directly – online, by phone or social media. The only exception to this is for our BSc (Hons) Nursing, BSc (Hons) Social Work, or one of our BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practitioner programmes. If they want to apply directly for those, that needs to happen .

We’ll need their Level 3 exam results (A-levels / BTECs etc or equivalent), as well as their Maths and English GCSE results (or equivalent), when they contact us.

See our student Clearing page for more information on applying through Clearing. There’s also useful information on the .

If your dependant is registered with UCAS, once they receive a verbal offer (or an offer through social media) of a Clearing place from us, they can add us as a Clearing choice on UCAS Track. They can do this after 13:00 (UK time) on results day.

If they apply to us directly, we’ll email to let them know what they need to do next.