Thousands hit phones to secure Clearing places

Thousands of calls have been made to De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) by people eager to secure a place through Clearing.

Students across the country have been receiving their A-level results, with many taking advantage of Clearing opportunities to find the right course for them.

From the Clearing headquarters in the Greenhouse building, a team of over 200 staff and student volunteers have been manning hundreds of phone lines, with other colleagues responding to enquiries through Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

And for the first time, offers have been made using messaging service WhatsApp, after DMU became one of the first universities to adopt the platform for Clearing.

WhatsApp is a messaging service which allows users to chat directly or as a group, sharing text, video, audio and pictures. Globally it is used by 1.3 billion people, connected across the planet.

Using the service for Clearing allows students from around the world to contact DMU and staff manning desktop computers have been engaging with prospective students, discussing grades, giving advice and making offers.

The number to use to connect to DMU through WhatsApp is 07960 086 989.

Throughout A-Level results day, social media content created by DMU to help students engage through Clearing reached hundreds of thousands of people on a range of channels, with live videos taking viewers inside the call centre, on campus tours and giving interviews with staff and students answering phones.

There are still places left to secure through Clearing, with phone lines and social media platforms open through the next few days. Anyone looking for a place can:

• Call 0116 257 7000 and speak to an advisor. Phone lines are open until 8pm Thursday and 8am to 6pm Friday, then 9pm to 4pm Saturday.
• Contact us via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat
• Use our WhatsApp service on 07960 086 989.
• Come direct to the campus Visitor Centre in Hawthorn Building to organise a campus tour, look at accommodation, speak to academics and potentially secure a place face-to-face
• Visit www.dmu.ac.uk/clearing for up-to-the-minute details of courses available and the number of points required to secure a place.

Karla Juerges, Schools and Colleges Recruitment Manager for DMU, said: “Places are still available. Take your time, do not panic but do try to call sooner rather than later.

“The call centre set-up is the biggest we have ever had and it is working incredibly well. Everything is fluid and we are answering a huge number of calls. So we are confident your queries will be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.”