We know that 2020 has already been a stressful year for many students with exams being cancelled and the news that they would get calculated grades instead. You’ll already have been a great support to your teen but we understand that results day could be a trying time for everyone! The main thing is for you and your teen not to panic. Our Clearing advice will help you to support your teen to find the right university place for them.

Top Tips for supporting your teen through Clearing

How does Clearing work?

Clearing is a UCAS application process that matches applicants to unfilled university places. It’s now a common way of applying to university and can be a positive opportunity for your teen to explore new options.

Students can use Clearing to find a place at university if they:

• didn’t receive any offers
• have changed their mind and declined the offers they did receive
• didn’t meet the criteria for their conditional offers
• exceeded their expected grades
• applied after 30 June
• want to change university or course

Important Clearing dates

Clearing opens on 6 July 2020 but your teen will only be able to start the process once they have their results – 4 August for Scottish Highers and 13 August for A-levels.

Prepare for results day

Doing some preparation and research with your teen will help to make the process go a lot more smoothly. So first of all make sure you know all about the Clearing process – read our simple guide to Clearing.

Work with your teen to identify possible universities and courses that interest them so they have time to think about alternative options.

For the universities that your teen is interested in, get them to register their interest on the university’s Clearing website. It’s a good way of receiving up-to-date information from the universities. Register now for Clearing information at the University of Stirling.

We publish Clearing vacancies from 6 July so there’s plenty of time to see our options on our Clearing webpages before results day.

In addition, most universities also set-up Clearing phone lines where your teen can discuss their options with an expert adviser. So note down all the university phone numbers your teen might want to contact.

Be prepared for emotions and nerves

Make sure you’re available on the day for your teen as it can be an emotional and long day. Be prepared for difficult conversations, but above all stay calm and positive. Remember that your teen will hopefully have plenty of options available to them through Clearing.

What to do on Results Day

Start early! As soon as your teen’s results are available, get them to log into UCAS track so they can see if they’re eligible for Clearing.

Your teen should start calling the universities as soon as they know their results. However, please note that we can only speak to the applicant directly and can’t discuss your teen’s application with you.

Make sure your teen has the following information ready for their calls:

• UCAS personal ID
• UCAS Clearing number
• details of all their qualifications
• results

The university may ask questions about their choices; why they want to study on a particular choice or go to a certain university. So make sure your teen can discuss their UCAS personal statement and can deal with these questions. It might even be worthwhile having a couple of practice runs.

Get them to make a list of any questions they want to ask about the university, the courses they’re interested in, or any aspect of student life such as accommodation, travel and support services.

Finally, make sure all the phones are fully charged!

What happens next?

Once your teen has got an offer over the phone they’ll be able to go onto UCAS track to formally accept the offer. They’ll then be able to start an application for accommodation as well as student funding.

Maybe have a little celebration first!

Hear from other students

Listen to our students talk about their positive Clearing experiences with the University of Stirling.