Clearing can be a stressful time not only for students but for parents too - and we're here to guide parents through the process.
1. Don’t panic
Clearing is already a stressful time for students, so it’s important for parents and guardians to remain calm and helpful. Whether your child is already planning on going into Clearing or if it comes as a surprise on the day - be prepared to support them by taking a look over the following points.
Photo by Carlos Alberto Gómez Iñiguez / Unsplash
2. Know what Clearing is used for
Students can use Clearing for a number of reasons (and not just for the traditional reason of not meeting their predicted grades);
- They did better than expected and would like to go through ‘Adjustment’ in order to apply to somewhere else
- They’ve changed their mind about where or what they’ve applied for and would like to go somewhere else or study a different course
- They hadn’t applied to university but have now decided they’d like to go
3. Know the facts
When does Clearing open? Clearing opened at the start of July
When does Clearing close? It's slightly different for every instituion, but usually early September
How many courses can you apply for? You can one Clearing choice at a time (and you should only do this after speaking to the university)
How will I know if I’m eligible for Clearing? In UCAS Track, your status will say 'in Clearing'
4. What to have ready on the day
If your son or daughter is calling up universities on results day, they'll need to provide some information to the advisors on the phone which is usually:
- Their name
- Their address
- A contact number
- Their UCAS ID
- Their Clearing number
- Their A-Level or BTEC results (or equivalent)
- Their GCSE results
- The course you want to apply for
Remember - if there's a queue you are more than welcome to hold a place on the telephone line for your child, but only they will be allowed to provide the information above and speak to the tutors and advisors
5. Be prepared for a short interview
For courses at Pearson Business School, your child will be required to take part in a short telephone interview with one of our friendly tutors. It’s a good idea to have them practice (or be prepared to answer questions similar to):
- Why do they want to study that chosen course
- Why do they want to study at Pearson College London
- Awareness of what’s happening in the news/media in regards to the industry they’re applying for (business/marketing/law/finance)
- Examples of their strengths and key skills
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa / Unsplash
6. Plan for what happens when they’ve found somewhere
Pearson Business School
Depending on their predicted grades, after a telephone interivew Pearson Business School applicants may be offered a place on the degree. They will also be invited to a Professional Workshop where they can achieve a tuition fee waiver, which will reduce their fees to £6165 per year.
If they don't meet our entry tariff, they'll need to attend the Professional Workshop before receiving an offer.
Escape Studios
Escape Studios applicants will need to attend a Creative Workshop before being made an offer, as our tutors will need to assess their Creative Portfolio and applicants also need to take part in a group activity.
If they pass the day, they will also be granted the tuition fee waiver.
Once they have their offer, it’s time to arrange student finance and accommodation.
Student Finance
New application
The main Student Finance application deadline was in May, but you can still submit a late application. What this means is your payment dates (for your tuition fee loan and maintenance loan) may be a little later coming in.
All applications must go through the gov.uk website where they'll need to:
- Set up an account
- Complete the application form
- Enter their household income information
- Send in proof of identity
Changing an application
If you’re a full-time student you can tell Student Finance England that you’ve changed your course or university using your online account. After your course starts you can contact your university or college to change your course or your Tuition Fee Loan.
Accommodation
Although we don’t have our own halls of residence, we work really closely with IQ Student Accommodation and have many students living at [Tufnell House] (http://www.iqstudentaccommodation.com/student-accommodation/london/tufnell-house) which is located a 30 minute tube journey away in leafy North London. Rooms are limited at this time of year so we recommended calling them up to check availability first (020 3930 5022).
You can also search for rooms using Mystudenthalls.com
Tufnell House is our preferred student accommodation as it has been inspected by our admissions team to ensure that it is safe and secure. We do understand however that it is quite expensive. For this reason, we do have a have lists of other accommodation providers which we can email over upon request. Please note however, we highly recommend you visit the accommodation before booking as well as reading reviews as they have not been inspected by our admissions team.
