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Clearing 2024
Students sitting in Kingsgate Bar

Staff Blog: What to expect from Clearing

Admissions Coordinator Kirsty Robb explains how Clearing works and what to expect on the day.

What is Clearing?

In simple terms, Clearing is how universities fill places they have available on the courses that they offer.

From early July through to October, applicants can apply for a course in Clearing, if:

  1. They aren’t already holding an offer for another institution
  2. And the course has places still available.

Clearing is also an opportunity! For those without an offer, it’s a chance to find a place on a course. For those who’ve changed their mind, it offers the freedom to switch courses and universities, especially if they’ve done better than expected.

Not all courses have spaces available, but any courses that do can be applied to through Clearing.

Who can apply through Clearing?

  • Anyone applying after Sunday 30 June 2024
  • Anyone who does not hold an offer (whether you declined your offer, missed your offer conditions, or didn’t receive an offer).

If you already hold an offer but you decide that you want to apply through Clearing, get in touch and see if Durham has places available for the programme you’re interested in. We’ll let you know whether it’s possible for you to apply through Clearing. Bear in mind that you’ll be giving up your place at your Firm or Insurance choice, so make sure that this is definitely the right choice for you, and that you have written confirmation of an offer from us!

Another important thing to consider before applying through Clearing is the grade requirements for the course(s) you’re interested in. The grade requirements for all courses are listed on our website.

If you already have an offer from Durham University and want to request a change of course or year of entry before Thursday 15 August 2024, you don’t need to go through our Clearing process. Get in touch with us and we’ll start this process for you.

If you want to request a change of course or year of entry on A-level results day (Thursday 15 August 2024), then you need to contact us through our Clearing and Confirmation phone line. You’ll select Confirmation as your reason for calling. Alternatively, you can complete the form available on our website on the day. Please don’t submit a response on our Clearing form!

If you want to request a change of course or year of entry after A-level results day (Thursday 15 August 2024), use the form available on our website after results day.

How do I apply through Clearing?

There’ll be two ways you can apply through Clearing at Durham, and you only need to complete one of them:

  1. You’ll complete our form available on our Clearing Opportunities pages
  2. Or you can ring our Clearing phone line for our staff to fill the form in for you, which will be open 8am – 6pm (BST/GMT+1) on Thursday 15 August 2024.

What’s the structure of Results Day?

  • You’ll receive your results and responses from your Firm and Insurance universities after 8am (BST/GMT+1).
  • If you don’t hold an offer through UCAS, you can phone our Clearing phone line (open 8am - 6pm (BST/GMT+1) on Thursday 15 August 2024) to find out if we have places available on the course you’re interested in.
  • If there’s space on the course, we’ll ask you for your achieved A-level grades (or equivalent qualifications) and English Language qualifications if you’re not a native English Language speaker.
  • If you meet the course requirements, we’ll fill in a form with your information.
  • Our advisers won’t make offers for Clearing places over the phone – we’re just taking the information we need to make the decision later.
  • Our Admissions team will review Clearing 2024 applications and get back to you with an outcome as soon as possible.

What information will Durham ask for?

When you ring the Clearing phone line or complete our Clearing online form, have the following information ready:

How can I explore Durham?

Want to explore more about Durham whilst you wait for your decision? Why not check out the following pages: