Find out how to apply for a place at Kent through Clearing.

Clearing opens on 5 July and ends on 18 October. If you’re taking your A level exams, you’ll be able to use Clearing from results day.

Eligibility

You’re eligible to use Clearing if:

• you applied through UCAS but didn’t receive any offers by 30 June
• you’ve received unexpected exam results and need to look for alternative courses
  
• you’ve had a change of heart since you applied to UCAS and want to explore other options
  
• you didn’t meet the conditions of your firm or insurance choice
  
• you haven’t applied through UCAS before.

Clearing isn’t complicated, but don’t leave it until results day to discover that. If you prepare in advance, you’ll feel calmer on the day and be ready to make your decision.   

When can you apply?

You’ll be able to browse courses on our site when Clearing opens on 5 July, but you won’t be able to apply until you receive your results. If you deferred by a year or your examining bodies have already released your results, you can apply straightaway on 5 July. 

How will you know if you’re in Clearing?

If you can use Clearing, an ‘add Clearing choice’ option will appear on your UCAS Hub (formerly UCAS Track). If you want to enter Clearing, but you’re confirmed at another university, you can self-release on your Hub by selecting ‘decline my place’. Find out more in our FAQs.

Direct applications

You can make a direct application to a university if you have your results and have not applied via UCAS during this admissions cycle. If you want to apply directly to Kent, we ask you to complete a simple form which will be available from 5 July. We will review your application and get back to you with our decision as soon as possible. It’s that easy!

Make a note of when hotlines open

Every university will have different hotline hours during Clearing. Most will stay open for extended periods on results day, but make it part of your research to check their timings. 

Visit our contact page for more information on our hotline opening hours.

Check course vacancies regularly

Course availability will change quickly during Clearing, especially on results day. Universities will update their course vacancies in real time on their websites, so make them your first port of call. Bear in mind that popular courses fill quickly; which is why it’s a good idea to have other options in the bag.

Apply to universities and receive offers

Once you’ve checked your eligibility for a course, you can apply online or speak to one of our hotline operators. If you chose to call us, we’ll need to check that you meet the required grades for your chosen course. If you do, we’ll go ahead and take you through our Clearing application form and advise if you are eligible for an offer, or whether your application requires further review. If we can make you an offer via telephone, we will send you confirmation of this via email. 

Tip: keep track of your offers and don’t overwhelm yourself. Although there’s no limit to the number of offers you can hold in Clearing, applying to loads of courses will make shortlisting even harder. 

Accept your offer on UCAS Hub

You’ll usually have 24 hours to accept a Clearing offer. So, once you’ve decided which one you’d like to accept, head to your UCAS Hub. Go to the ‘next steps’ section, select ‘add a Clearing choice’ and input the course details. By adding the course as a Clearing choice, you are accepting your offer.

If you change your mind, you’ll need to contact the university whose offer you accepted and ask them to cancel your place. You’ll have to wait until you’ve been released before you can accept another offer and add it as a Clearing choice on your Hub.

Apply for accommodation

Kent takes the pressure off finding a room in Clearing. Rather than send you to another hotline, we ask if you need accommodation as part of our Clearing application form. Select ‘yes’, and our accommodation team will get in touch with advice about the best option for you. There's more advice on this helpful blog about how to apply for accommodation in Clearing.