Clearing FAQ and next steps

Clearing is a great way to secure a place at university.

If you want to go to university this September, and don't have a place on a course for whatever reason, or have changed your mind about where or what you want to study, Clearing is for you.

Clearing officially starts on the 5 July, however the 17 August is when most applicants will receive their results and is the main event during Clearing. This is when universities will make known their course vacancies and entry requirements for late applicants. This is also the day that most courses will fill up, so if you want to get a place at university for September, act quickly.

The process is incredibly straightforward; however these steps can help you plan ahead:

1. Keep checking your UCAS application for updates on your application. It is here that you will be notified if you are have been accepted onto your course or have been referred into Clearing
   
   
2. To find course vacancies for September you can check UCAS and search our courses
   
   
3. Search our Clearing courses for vacancies at Liverpool John Moores University
   
   
4. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy when making your calls to take notes; you will need to supply details of your examination results, contact details and your UCAS ID. Our Online Clearing Application form is available 24/7 for you to get an instant offer or you can call 0151 231 5090
   
   
5. If you are made a verbal offer or are expecting to be called back, please ensure you take the name and direct phone number of the member of staff you are speaking to
   
   
6. When looking for a course don't call universities randomly. Be aware that admissions staff may want to interview you over the phone, so try to make your calls from a quiet spot
   
   
7. Don't just accept the first course offered to you but give some consideration to what the course entails and your own ambitions i.e. if you want to become a teacher look for courses relating to this field with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or that can lead to a PGDE (Postgraduate Diploma in Education)
   
   
8. Seek advice – our Confirmation Line +44(0)151 231 5090 can offer guidance (international students please call +44 151 904 6499)
   
   
9. Make sure to research the university and the city, not just the course. Liverpool is a lively and vibrant place with a lot to offer its students.
   
   
10. Remember to contact the Student Loans Company as soon as your offer of a place is confirmed. Our Student Advice and Wellbeing team can offer advice – call 0151 231 3153/0151 231 3154 or email moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk
    
    
11. Once you have your place, it's time to sort out your accommodation. LJMU guarantees accommodation to all new students, including those who apply through Clearing. Please visit our Accommodation section to view your options and apply online

Yes, entry requirements can both increase and decrease during the Clearing period, so it’s best to call our vacancy hotline for the latest information. The LJMU course pages will also reflect what courses have vacancies and what a typical Clearing offer will look like in terms of points.

You are eligible to apply through Clearing if you:

• do not hold any offers from any institutions
• have failed to achieve the grades required and have therefore been unsuccessful with both your firm and insurance choice institutions
• you are making a late application (after 30 June)
• from 5 July, if you are holding a firm unconditional place, you can release yourself into Clearing, by using the 'Decline your place' button in your UCAS application. This is available until 7 September 2023

If you meet the above criteria you will be notified by UCAS that you are eligible for Clearing and an 'add Clearing choice' button will appear on your 'choices' page. We would encourage you to regularly check the status of your application in UCAS.

No, you do not need to have applied during the normal cycle to get a place in Clearing. However, to accept your offer, you will need to register* with UCAS – but this can be done after you have found a place.

*Please note a registration fee of £22 will apply.

If a university decides that you meet the requirements of your chosen course they will make you a verbal offer. It is important to take time to consider the course offer and find out additional information about the course, the location and accommodation available. 

Students will be asked if they hold an offer elsewhere, and providing you are not holding a place at another institution you can accept the offer. The final step is to enter the university's details on your UCAS account. At LJMU we ask all students who are made verbal offers to reply to us within five days to confirm they wish to take up the place. Once all the necessary procedures are completed by the University, UCAS Track will be updated which officially confirms your place.

To accept your offer, log onto to your UCAS account and ‘add Clearing choice’. You will have received an email from LJMU detailing the course and our institution code (L51). If you have a Clearing offer but haven’t applied yet through UCAS, you will need to register with UCAS first before you are able to accept – this costs £6 paid directly to UCAS. If you have any problems at all with this process, UCAS have lots of resources online to guide you: 

• Clearing: What you need to know
• Clearing: FAQs

All late applicants are guaranteed a room in LJMU-approved student accommodation. Vacancies are filled on a first come, first served basis and as soon as you have accepted an offer from LJMU, you can request a room via our applicant area.

Going to university is a life-changing step, so we understand that this is not an easy decision. LJMU On Demand will also provide the perfect opportunity to get a feel for what we’re about, and what you can expect from studying with us.

Our experienced staff are available to help you on 0151 231 5090.

All A level results are released each year on results day.

At this time, all institutions will have made decisions to confirm the position of every student's application (unless additional examination results are still not known and are necessary to make a decision, e.g. GCSE Maths). If you have met the conditions of a conditional offer the University is committed to accepting you on this course.

There are three ways to check that you have been accepted:

1. Call our Confirmation Helpline +44(0)151 231 5090 and speak to an advisor


2. Check your phone; if you have a mobile number registered with UCAS you will have received a confirmation text from LJMU


3. Log on to your UCAS account with your personal UCAS ID number.

If you have not met all the conditions of your chosen course the University may still be able to offer you an alternative programme. This will be indicated on Track by the symbol UCC and you are under no obligation to accept this alternative offer. UCAS will send you a Confirmation Change letter via Track outlining all the options available to you.

If you have been unsuccessful with both your CF and CI offers, you may also consider finding an alternative course through Clearing.

Note: you can expect to see confirmation of your place via your UCAS account and will receive a Confirmation letter in UCAS Track five to seven days after your place is confirmed. If you have received this confirmation it is not necessary to contact the institution as your place is confirmed.

If you have sat for examinations other than A levels then your results are likely to be published on different dates. Although the Clearing process will remain the same for everyone who does not hold a confirmed offer, there are a number of qualifications for which we do not receive the results directly. If this applies to you please advise us by providing evidence of your qualifications as soon as you receive them, enabling us to confirm your place.

If your qualifications are being reviewed by Ofqual we will hold your offer until 2 September (UCAS’ advisory deadline for applicants to meet academic offer conditions).

If you need help and advice about how to apply for your grants or loans or have any questions about student funding you can call the Student Advice Team on 0151 231 3153 or 0151 231 3154 or email moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk.

For detailed information about fees, bursaries and scholarships, please visit our fees and funding section.

I have already applied for student finance, what do I need to do?

If you are from England and have already applied for student finance but now need to change the course or university on your student finance application, you can update your application by logging onto Student Finance section of GOV.UK.

If you go into My Account you can update your course and/or university online.

If you are from Wales, you should visit the Student Finance Wales website.

If you are from Northern Ireland, you should visit the Student Finance Northern Ireland website. 

You should do this as soon as possible if you want the money for the start of term. This is also a good opportunity to check over your application to make sure everything else is correct and if you have anything outstanding on your ‘to do’ list.

I haven't yet applied for student finance, what do I need to do?

If you have applied to go to university late or via Clearing and have not yet applied for your student finance, it is not too late to do so. You should log on to the student finance website and apply now. The website you need to use depends on where in the UK you normally live (not where you are going to study) .

If you normally live in England, apply on the Student Finance section of GOV.UK.

If you live in Northern Ireland, apply on the Student Finance Northern Ireland website.

If you normally live in Wales apply on the Student Finance Wales website.

After you have accepted your place to study at LJMU you will be sent further information, either in the post (or via email if you are an international student) on what you need to do before you arrive at the University to start your degree. This will include:

• Activating your LJMU computer account 
• Uploading a photo for your student ID card 
• Completing your online registration 
• Planning for your Induction Week 

The University’s Welcome to LJMU pages has all the guidance you need to complete these successfully and tips on getting ready for university life.

The good news is that all students who secure a place at LJMU during the Clearing period are guaranteed a room in one of our approved halls. This applies if you receive an offer via our Clearing hotline but it also applies if LJMU was originally your insurance choice university - and also you were always coming to LJMU but have not requested accommodation yet. Over 90% of our available rooms have private en-suite bathrooms and therefore we can usually offer you one if you want it, but we also have cheaper rooms in flats with shared bathrooms.

As soon as you have accepted an offer from LJMU, you can request a room via our applicant area. You will need your UCAS ID and registered email address to access the applicant area. You will not be able to request accommodation until we have received notification from UCAS that you have Firmly accepted an offer. If LJMU was your Insurance choice university but you are rejected by your Firm choice, you will be able to request accommodation from 8.30 am on Thursday 18 August.

If you have received a verbal offer from the LJMU Clearing hotline, you will need to refer yourself on UCAS Track and accept the offer before you can access the applicant area and request accommodation. Please note that there is a delay of around one hour between accepting an offer on UCAS Track and being able to send an accommodation request. The Accommodation Office cannot accept requests via any other method and cannot override this delay, so please be patient and go back to the applicant area later.

The accommodation request form within the applicant area asks you to choose a hall from a list of those that currently have rooms available. However, this does not guarantee that you will be offered a room in that hall. The request form and website are kept as up to date as possible but the Clearing period is extremely busy and halls may become full before we can update the information. If no room is available in your requested hall, we may allocate you a room in another hall that is similar in type, price and location.

Once we have received your request, we will allocate you a room in a hall and transfer your details to the owner of that hall. You will receive an email confirmation from us when that happens and shortly afterwards, the hall owner will contact you by email. They will send you details of your room and explain what you need to do to complete the booking. It is important that you follow those instructions and respond to the hall owner within 48 hours in order to secure the room booking.

For further information see our accommodation section.

Induction Week marks the start of your life as a student at LJMU. Please check back soon as we'll outline what you can expect from your Induction Week.