UCAS GUIDE

UCAS PREPARING FOR UNI

Going through the clearing process and advice on getting ready for starting at university.

1. CONDITIONS

The first step is securing your place. Apart from waiting for your exam results, check whether you need to do anything else to get your place.
Your uni or college might have given you other conditions, like health or financial requirements, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks.

2. CLEARING

Clearing matches applicants to university places that are yet to be filled. It’s available to anyone who has made a UCAS Undergraduate application and doesn’t hold any offers. Running from 5 July to 18 October, you’ll be eligible for Clearing if:

you’re applying after 30 June
you didn’t receive any offers (or none you wanted to accept)
you didn’t meet the conditions of your offers
you’ve declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in your application.

If you find yourself in Clearing, UCAS will personally match you to courses you may be interested in, using what we know about you from your application, and what universities and colleges are looking for.

If you’re unplaced or have started a new application, a button will appear in your application called ‘My matches’. This will take you to your top 50 course matches. You’ll then be able to tell universities and colleges you’re ‘interested’ in their courses. If they still have vacancies and you meet their entry requirements, they may call you.

Don’t worry, if you want to apply for something different, you can still find courses available in Clearing using the search tool.

MONEY MATTERS

If you have a student loan or funding, check that all the details are sorted. Before you can be paid your first loan instalment, make sure:

You've submitted your application and all the correct supporting evidence.
Your uni or college and course details are up to date (they may have changed since you originally applied) - use your online account to update these if you need to.
Your bank details are correct on your application – check your online account.
You've signed and returned your declaration form.
You've registered at your uni or college.
Your uni or college has confirmed your attendance to the Student Loans Company (SLC).
You’ve allowed a few working days for the funds to be paid into your bank account.

Many students also choose to open a student account with a bank or building society. These sometimes come with freebies and other useful features like student overdrafts.

Going through Clearing could affect how much student finance you can get – find out what you need to do now.

Find out more about managing money at uni

STUDYING

Studying at uni is different than at school or college. It’s a different type of learning which is more independently led.

UCAS has worked with the National Extension College (NEC) to produce a set of study skills guides to help you get ready for studying. You might also want to:

check resources on the uni website to see what support they have for new students
ask the uni about study skills sessions and workshops that can help with any knowledge or skills gaps
check if there’s a pre-reading list for your course that you can get ahead with or any research you need to do before you start

ACCOMMODATION

Finding somewhere you'll be happy to live is an important consideration when you're deciding where you want to study. There are lots of options, from halls to shared houses. To help you make the right choice, use our accommodation search to research your options and find both uni and private student accommodation.

Use UCAS accommodation search tool >

You also need to think about insurance, bills, and other supplies.

Look at the uni’s website or get in touch with them to discuss accommodation. Even if you’re waiting for exam results, it’s best to check where you could live if you do get the place.

SETTLING IN

It’s important to keep yourself safe wherever you are, but especially when you’re somewhere new, like at university. Stay one step ahead and always protect yourself and your stuff.

Here are some curated videos from UCAS on settling in to uni life.

Plan your future!

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