26th July 2024
The wait for results day can be nail-biting.
You probably feel like everything has been leading up to that moment, and in some ways, it has. A-Level Results Day is not only the day you find out what your A-Level results are but also, more importantly, whether you have secured your place at medical school.
For some, the day will be joyous, but for others, it can be a tense wait for answers.
In this guide, we take you through how UCAS Clearing can help you secure a place at university if you don’t achieve the results you were expecting and what you can do to best prepare for the occasion. Remember, if you don’t get into medical school this time, there’s always next year!
UCAS Clearing is an online portal students can use to find a place at university if they have either missed the entry requirements for their confirmed choice or are looking for a new course.
This process allows students the option to still go to university even if they have not achieved the grades they were hoping for.
The UCAS Clearing portal will open in July to allow students to see what courses are available to apply to if they do not meet the entry requirements for their first and second choices on results day. The list of available courses will change as universities slowly begin to add their courses to the site. You should check the portal on results day to see the most up-to-date list.
You will not be able to apply to any of the courses until Results Day, as you need your A-Level results.
If Results Day rolls around and you find yourself in UCAS Clearing, there’s no need to panic! There will be plenty of courses available to apply to on the UCAS Clearing site. However, there may not be a lot of medicine courses available as universities don’t normally have any spaces left. You could instead apply for other similar degrees, such as Biomedicine, Biochemistry, or Biosciences.
Remember, you can always apply for medicine the following year or as a graduate!
Here are the steps you should follow if you are applying for a course through UCAS Clearing:
Students who have not met the entry requirements for their first and second choice universities will be automatically entered into UCAS Clearing. Any students who no longer wish to go to a particular university or want to change their course can self-release themselves into Clearing to see what options they have available to them.
However, if you self-release into Clearing, you will lose your medicine school place and will most likely not find another medicine course available in Clearing, so you must think through your options before releasing your current offers.
Adjustment is similar to Clearing, but it is just for the students who have achieved higher grades than they were expecting and, as a result, have exceeded the entry requirements for their current offers. UCAS Adjustment is optional but can be useful for students who wish to change courses.
Unlike Clearing, you will not have to release your current offers before taking a look at the courses available through Adjustment. It must be noted that medicine courses are very rare in UCAS Adjustment.
Medicine courses rarely appear in UCAS Clearing. However, it is not impossible to find them. In recent years, some universities have advertised spaces for their medicine courses through Clearing. Additionally, other universities have offered medicine course interviews through direct phone calls.
Medical courses through Clearing are usually very popular, so you should get in contact with the university as soon as possible. The admissions tutor will then let you know whether you will be invited for an interview or if they no longer have spaces left. If you are successful in securing an interview, prepare yourself for the potential interview questions you will be asked.
Don’t forget, although there may not be medicine courses available through Clearing, you can find spaces on other related courses such as Biosciences, Biomedical Science, Biochemistry and other degrees in medical fields!
A handful of universities offered places on medicine courses through Clearing in 2023, including:
Some universities choose not to advertise their remaining spaces for medicine through UCAS Clearing. Here is a list of universities that have previously offered interviews for medicine courses through channels other than Clearing:
Result’s Day can be a very stressful day, especially if you find out you haven’t secured your place at university. To ease your stress levels, it is a good idea to take a few minutes in the week leading up to Result’s Day to prepare yourself for whatever might happen. Here are a few tips to help you prepare to secure a place at university through UCAS Clearing:
If you don’t secure a place at medical school through UCAS Clearing, don’t worry! You can still start your career in the medical field by:
No matter what happens on Result’s Day, you should be proud of yourself for getting this far! Plus, it’s not over just yet. There are plenty of ways you can still get into med school, even if you don’t make it this time round.
If you are looking to enhance your med school application, whether that be for your first application or your second, we are here to help. At PreMed, we offer in-person and online medical work experience for students applying to medical school to elevate their applications and give them unforgettable experiences. Take a look at our courses today and secure your place!
UCAS Clearing allows students who have not met the entry requirements for their first- and second-choice universities to apply for other courses with spaces available. This allows students to secure a place at university even if they have missed their initial offers.
If you find yourself in Clearing on Result’s Day, there are a few steps you can take to secure a place at university:
There are not a lot of universities that offer medicine in Clearing. This will depend on the number of spaces they have and whether they use alternative means, such as a direct phone call over Clearing. Here are some medical schools that used Clearing in 2023:
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