Clearing allows you to explore alternative courses and institutions that still have vacancies. This can be especially helpful if you decide you want to take a gap year but haven’t yet confirmed a place.
By applying through Clearing for deferred entry, you can secure your university spot early while still having time to travel, work, or gain experience before starting your course. It also reduces the stress of reapplying the following year, as you already have a confirmed offer in place. Additionally, Clearing often opens up opportunities at universities you may not have previously considered, broadening your options. Overall, it provides reassurance, flexibility, and control over your academic future while allowing you to plan ahead with confidence.
If you’re already using UCAS and apply through Clearing to Kent, everything is automatically set up for the current admissions cycle. That means any application you make will be for a September start in the same year (for example, applying this summer means applying for September 2026). At this stage of your application, there isn’t an option to choose deferred entry, so any offer you receive from Kent will also be for that immediate start date.
However, there’s still a simple way to defer. When you go into your UCAS Hub to add Kent as your official Clearing choice, you’ll have the option to select a different entry year. By choosing the next year at that point, you can switch your application to deferred entry. Kent will then process it for a later start, giving you the flexibility to take a gap year while still securing your place.
If you are not in UCAS and applying directly to Kent, you can choose the entry year of your choice.
Apply to Kent via Clearing and you'll receive an offer for a September 2026 start. However when you add Kent as your official choice on UCAS Hub you'll have the option to select a different start year. Kent will then process your offer for that later year e.g. September 2027.
If you have not already applied via UCAS and are applying directly to Kent, you will be able to choose the year you would like to begin your course.
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