Clearing Top Tips

Once you have received your offer of a place you will need to confirm your acceptance.

If you are in UCAS you do this by referring yourself to us on UCAS apply via the Add clearing choice box and entering G74 for GSM London and the course code as given in your offer.

Once we have received your UCAS application we will confirm your place and UCAS track will update to show that you are holding an Unconditional Firm place at GSM London.

If you are not already in the UCAS system you will need to complete and return to us a Record of Prior Acceptance (RPA) which we will use to confirm your acceptance with UCAS. The RPA should be provided in your offer pack, or it can be completed via Web-link on UCAS

By completing and returning the RPA you confirm that you are accepting the offer of a place and that you are not holding an offer with any other institution.

After we have received and processed your acceptance you will receive a confirmation letter from UCAS which formally confirms your place with us.

You will then receive enrolment information giving details of induction activities arranged for your course and when you will formally enrol with us. We will also send you a pack of useful information about starting with us, term dates and key documents to bring with you for registration

Think of Clearing as an opportunity.

You have just not yet found the course that is right for you and this is an exciting opportunity for you to start studying the degree for your future this October.

Get organised and don’t panic.

Each year thousands of students go through Clearing and gain a university place on a course they love. This year demand for places will be even higher, so it is more important than ever to be prepared.

Be flexible

The more flexible you are in your choice of course, the greater your chances of success in securing an offer. However, don’t pick a subject just because you’ve got the required grades - think about your wider academic interests and the subjects you have studied at school. Choose a course you think you’ll enjoy and do well in and will get you the job you want when you graduate.

Don't delay

Many places on popular courses are filled by mid-morning on results day, so don’t delay. Write down all the questions you want to ask before phoning. Admissions officers are more likely to be impressed if you have thought about what you want to study. Make a few notes after each call, so that you do not get confused about what is available where and then phone the same institution twice.

Keep trying

Keep trying if you don’t get through first time. GSM London has a team of clearing staff waiting to speak to applicants looking for places, our clearing hotline is 020 3583 2100.

Try to visit the university you are considering

Many institutions offer campus tours after A-level results are published. If you are seriously thinking of accepting an offer through Clearing, it is recommended that you attend one of these if you can. At GSM London you can drop in for a campus tour every day from Thursday 15^th August at 10am, 12noon, 2pm and 4pm at both Greenford and Greenwich campuses. If you have already received your results, you can drop in as of now and speak to our advisors about your course of interest and making an application.

Don’t rush or feel pressured

Once you have received an offer, take some time to think it over. Our Admissions officers will hold your offer for up to 24 hours, which gives you time to come and visit, have a tour of the campus and make sure that we are the right institution for you. Our website provides details on the course that you have been offered, the type of learning you can expect and the type of career graduates on that course have gone on to.

A fresh start

Just because you came through Clearing does not mean that you will be treated any differently by either your institution or your fellow students. Everyone, regardless of their entry route, will receive the same standard of academic teaching and learning and student support.

Relax

Once your decision is made, don’t forget to confirm your acceptance of the offer with UCAS, and then relax. The vast majority of people, whatever their final choice of course or where they will study, say that their experience at university was the best time of their life.