Question: What happens if you don't get into one of the universities you applied to?

James Pope answered on 13 Mar 2015:

Hi Kat,

Ok, as an example, you have applied to and recieved offeres from Edinburgh (A, A, A) and Durham (A, A, B) for your course of choice.

Sadly, your A Level results are A, B, B. You haven’t quite met the expectations of your University choice. At this point one of two things happens.

1) One of your university choices goes, “Hey Kat, we think your awesome, we are accpeting you with those grades”. Whoop off to Edinburgh or Durham you go.

2) Both Edinburgh and Durham inform you they will not be accepting you with those grades. You are then put into Clearing.

Clearing is like a big mixing pot, Universities throws in all the course spaces they have, which may be only 1 or 2, or 50 places. Any student without a University place can jump into this mixing pot and see what fits them. When you see something good, you can then apply for this course. The university already knows your results and will say yes or no very quickly.

Alternatively, you could withdraw your application and re-apply again the following year with your A-Level results already known.

For what it is worth, it is a very stressful time worrying about getting into your Uni of choice. I ended up missing my targets, but was lucky that Edinburgh took me in, my sister ended up in clearing, but her clearing choice ended up being a better fit for her and she stayed on for a masters there and then did a second masters, she has done really well despite going into clearing and thinking she had messed up at the time.

My advice would be to just give it your best shot, work hard and have no regrets and you’ll be fine. A Scottish proverb is that what is for you, will not go past you, I’m sure University won’t go past you.

James