Having a last minute change of heart? How to change your course after results day
Note: this post was published on 15th August 2023, just prior to A-level results day that year. The “What has been happening this year?” Section refers to 2023, not the current year.
A-level results come out on Thursday, and alongside the results, UCAS Clearing will get into full swing. Clearing, as you’ll doubtless be aware, is the process by which applicants without a university place can quickly secure a place on one of the many courses still available.
You might be surprised, however, to know that Clearing is not just for those who didn’t make their grades. Last year around 20,000 students made the decision to go into Clearing themselves, declining their firm choice place and finding a new course. Not because they had to, but because they wanted to. That’s 8,000 more than those who found a place in Clearing because they had to.
So while pretty much all the articles and information available about Clearing will focus on those who missed their first choice, I’m instead going to focus this article on those of you who are planning to change course and find a new option on results day. If this is you, read on to find out how to do this, and some of the risks and pitfalls you might want to consider.
What has been happening this year, and how might it affect you?
OK. This is a bit complicated, but summarising from articles I’ve read in the BBC, The Guardian and HEPI, here are the headlines:
Ofqual (who regulate qualifications in the UK), have promised lower grades this year, returning the grade distributions closer to pre-pandemic levels. This is because the government is concerned about grade inflation (which is when grades get higher and higher each year).
The likelihood of lower grades means many universities have made more offers than usual, because they are confident they won’t be oversubscribed by unexpectedly high results.
This also means that more of you applicants have received offers from your top choices, and more of you have accepted your first choices.
All good so far, however:
The downside is that more students than usual will miss the entry grades to their first choice, and so the universities will have to decide whether to accept these students anyway, or to open the places into Clearing. My suspicion is that they will generally offer places to students who narrowly miss the offer, rather than open the places for Clearing.
This means that there could well be fewer places in Clearing than usual, especially at the most competitive universities.
Clare Marchant, Director of UCAS, agrees. She has warned that getting places might be tougher this year:
“It’s getting more competitive, which means places are filled up quicker, and therefore there are slightly fewer in Clearing and the competitive stuff that is in Clearing is likely to go faster.”
What does all this mean for you? Well, if you are keen to get a place in Clearing on a high demand course, then you need to be prepared and ready to act quickly on results day. Popular courses will fill up fast.
What happens on results day?
At 8.00am you’ll be able to log into UCAS Track and check your application status. UCAS will have updated all the decisions made by universities, and so almost all of you will be able to see if you have been accepted into your firm choice course.
Let’s assume that you have now got a place, but you are now considering changing it to another course. Perhaps you’ve had a change of circumstances at home. Perhaps you’ve done way better in your exams than you thought. Perhaps over the summer you simply had a change of heart, and have realised that the course you chose nine months ago was a mistake. There are a number of reasons why you might want to change direction, and you now have an opportunity to do this.
The process to change course
The process to change course is surprisingly simple. The decision, however, is not.
To enter Clearing voluntarily, you can simply click ‘Decline my place’ in UCAS Track. This will immediately enter you into Clearing. UCAS say you should do this before you call universities to secure a new place. I say, you should secure your new place first. Only once you have an offer for a new course should you click ‘Decline my place’ and enter Clearing.
Start by checking what’s available in Clearing on UCAS
Log in to your UCAS Hub page, and check out the course vacancies. If you find something you are interested in, note it down. Then check the info on the university's website, and write down the Clearing phone number for the university. You should also note down other ways to contact the university about Clearing, such as email, WhatsApp or Messenger (if they have these options).
Be super-prepared when you ring up your chosen universities
If you have found a course you’d like to do, then you’ll need to pick up the phone and call them. This is for you to do, not your parents or your teachers (unless, of course, you have a particular circumstance which means you can’t call yourself).
It may feel pretty intimidating, but there really is no need to be nervous. Just make sure you have the following information ready when you call:
Your UCAS number
Your A-level grades AND your GCSE grades (or other qualifications)
The specific course you are interested in, plus any second/third choices (in case your first choice is already full).
You should also have a line or two prepared on why you want to change course, so if you are put through to an admissions tutor who asks you “Why do you want to change to this course?” you’ll know exactly what to say!
Some universities will ask you for your Clearing number. If you haven’t clicked on “Decline my place” you won’t have this. Simply explain to the university that you are looking to secure a new place before you decline your current offer. They should understand.
If they have a place available for you they will make you a verbal offer. They will also normally have a system in place to send you an email confirmation of this, and they will give you a deadline by which you need to accept.
Formally confirm your place through UCAS
Once you have an offer you are happy with (verbal or in writing), you should go into UCAS, click “Decline my place”, and then apply for the new course in Clearing.
The university will see this, will match the application up with the verbal offer they made to you, and assuming everything is correct, they will confirm the place with you. You’ll be notified through the UCAS Hub, and the university will contact you directly by email.
A few things you should consider
Be aware that places at the most competitive courses will be extremely limited
Courses at the most competitive universities (think Imperial, LSE, UCL, Edinburgh etc.) will be very limited. Even if you have three A*s, you’ll need to be extremely lucky to secure a place at these places.
High demand courses in the health disciplines (such as Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy etc.) will also be very hard to come by, as the universities have strict number limits. Don’t expect many options here.
Popular subjects such as Economics or Computer Science may have some places available, but the more competitive the university is, the smaller the number of places they’ll have available, and the sooner they’ll go.
Beyond these choices, however, I would expect there to be a really wide range of courses available, and with over 140 different universities to choose from, there should be plenty of subjects and places to choose from.
Check out Springpod for short video-based courses on your potential new subject
Changing subject at this stage is risky, simply because you are committing quickly to study a new subject for three or four years. This should not be done on a whim. While sticking with an offer for a subject you don’t want to study is clearly a bad idea, jumping to a new one without enough thought could be just as bad. While time is very limited, now is the time to really do your research. I can think of no better place to check out whether you might enjoy your new subject than Springpod Subject Spotlights.
Check for places within your existing university
Perhaps the change you want to make is not all that huge. e.g. Maybe you just want to change from economics to history? So why not stick with your existing choice of university? After all, you’ve probably visited it, and liked it, and may even have your accommodation booked there. In this case, you may not need to use Clearing at all. Just ring up your firm choice and ask if it is possible to change course. They may well be happy to do this, and they’ll sort all the paperwork themselves without the need to bother with UCAS.
Check for places at your other previous choices
Again, these previous choices are universities you have already researched and felt were a good fit. They will also have your application on file, and so would be a good option for a change of course.
Check about accommodation availability for late applicants
When you are looking at your options, and applying for courses through Clearing, ask about the availability of accommodation for Clearing applicants. At some universities there will be no guarantees of accommodation, and so you could find yourself in the least popular residences, or worse still, with nowhere to stay at all.
There may still be time to visit
Many universities will hold special events for Clearing applicants. Some of these may even be timed so that you can visit before you confirm your choice. If you are about to accept a place at a university that you have not visited before, then I’d strongly suggest visiting now!
Consider taking a year out
If you can’t find a course you like through Clearing, or you remain unsure about whether you have chosen the right course, I recommend considering a year out. It is far better to take the time to make the right decision, than to rush into the wrong choice. Going to university should be an amazing experience, so the decision is not one to be taken lightly. Deciding not to go this year might feel at first like failure, especially if all your friends are going, but honestly, in 30 years of working in Higher Education I have never met a single person who regretted taking a year out!
Check out what good university clearing information looks like
I may be biased, as I used to work there, but you should check out the University of Leicester Clearing Hub. It is stacked with useful information: https://le.ac.uk/clearing.*
Once you have secured your place, why not check out some useful info about preparing for university?
You can find a bunch of useful information about preparing to go to university at: www.fromhighschooltouni.com (there is lots of free stuff, or a paid membership with extras).*
And finally, why not chat to some actual current students about preparing for life at their university?
You can chat to students at most universities through an app called Unibuddy**. You’ll find it embedded in the websites of most universities! This can be really helpful if you have simple questions that you are looking for a prompt answer to.
* For the purposes of clarity, I have no affiliation or financial interest in these organisations, I just like what they do!
** For Unibuddy, however, I was involved in the company from an early stage, and I do have a financial interest in their success!
