If your son or daughter has applied through UCAS, used all five choices and they aren't holding any offers, they might be able to apply through UCAS Extra for another course.

In UCAS Extra, they can apply for any course with vacancies. UCAS Extra is open between the end of February and early July.

To use Extra they need to have:

• already made five choices
• received decisions from all these choices, and
• either had no offers or declined all the offers they have received.

Please note: If they decline their offers and add a UCAS Extra choice, they will not be able to accept any of their original choices later.

The application deadlines below specify the dates when UCAS need to receive your son or daughter's application. If they are applying through a school or college, the school or college may set an earlier deadline to allow time to check applications and complete references.

Full details of all important dates can be found on the UCAS website.

Yes. If they send their application to us by 30 June, we will send it to their chosen universities and colleges. If we receive their application after this date, they will be entered into Clearing.

The University is bound by the Data Protection Act and by other legalisation in relation to confidentiality and disclosure of information. Staff are unable to give any information about a student applying for a place at the University to a third party (including parents), without that student's expressed permission.

Waiting for results day is difficult for everyone and, if all doesn't go according to plan, stressful. Your role is to be positive, no matter what the outcome and take the lead in suggesting practical next steps.

If your son or daughter decides to enter Clearing, doing a bit of preliminary research beforehand will pay dividends as you will have an understanding of the process and be able to offer practical as well as emotional support. Have a look at Kent's Clearing advice pages or have a look at the next FAQ which will explain the process.

Practical tips:

• Find out which courses have vacancies. Official vacancy lists are published on the UCAS website and in The Telegraph newspaper. Yor son or daughter doesn't have to stick to the subject choices they made originally - there may be other areas which might suit them better.
• Make a Clearing shortlist and contact the universities as soon as possible on results day
• Write down questions before phoning. Admissions officers are more likely to be impressed if your son or daughter has thought about what they want to study.
• Keep trying if you don’t get through first time. The University of Kent Clearing team normally receives several thousand calls on the Thursday morning following the publication of the A level results. Many universities, like Kent, also have an online application process so if phone lines are busy then get ahead of the queue by applying online.
• Try to visit the university. Many institutions offer campus tours/open days after results are published. If your son or daughter is seriously thinking of accepting an offer through Clearing, it is recommended that they attend one of these if they can
• Applying through Clearing does not mean that your son or daughter will be treated as ‘second class’ by either their institution or their fellow students. Everyone, regardless of their entry route, starts university with a clean slate.
• Don't be afraid to talk about results day; either before or after the event
• Emphasise the effort they have put in and how hard they have tried. It probably won't make them feel any differently, but knowing that they have your support will mean a lot.

Clearing is a service that helps applicants who have not secured a place at university (for whatever reason) to find vacancies on higher education courses. It is available between July and September, but for most people it is used immediately after the exam results are published.

Clearing is for anyone who finds themselves without a place at university after their exam results have been received. It can also be used for applicants who only decide after 30 June that they wish to apply for university or college.

Why are places available through Clearing?

Universities or colleges may have places available through Clearing for a number of reasons; it may be a subject for which there is a shortage of applicants nationally, additional places may have been allocated to the course late in the application cycle or it may be a new course which has only recently started recruiting.

Have a look at our Clearing advice pages or the UCAS website for further information.

New full-time undergraduate students who select Kent as their first choice University and who apply before 31 July in the year of entry will be offered University accommodation

Canterbury campus: There are over 4,700 rooms at the Canterbury campus

Medway campus:There are 545 rooms at Liberty Quays. The University is currently building an additional 600 rooms at Liberty Quays which will be ready for September 2013.

Please click on the links below for what is provided in the accommodation at each campus:

• Canterbury campus
• Medway campus

Your son or daughter can apply for accommodation when they have received an offer letter from the University of Kent, (or seen on UCAS Track that they are going to receive an offer letter). They do not have to wait until they have made their university choice

No. All students who live in University accommodation are guaranteed single rooms.

Accommodation offers for undergraduate students are emailed during the week after publication of the A level results. You then need to view and accept or decline the offer of accommodation within seven days of receiving the accommodation offer

The National Scholarship Programme (NSP) has been established by the government and universities in order to provide financial support to students whose household incomes are £25,000 (or less) and who satisfy a range of other socio-economic criteria. Types of support that make up the NSP include non-repayable fee waivers and cash bursaries.

If your son or daughter applies to Kent and fulfils the eligibility criteria, they will automatically be considered for the NSP award. They will be notified by the Financial Aid Office in late September if they have secured NSP financial support.

For full details of the support Kent is offering and the eligibility criteria, see our Funding web pages.

Your son or daughter can apply online for financial support from Student Finance England* from early 2013.

• Tuition fee loan
• Living cost loan
• Living cost grant

See our Loans and grants page for more detailed information.

*Students who normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will receive financial support from the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive (as appropriate).