Clearing FAQs

Clearing is a process managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). It gives university applicants the opportunity to gain a university place if they haven’t yet managed to secure one.  

If you haven't yet applied to university, you’ve decided you’d like to study something different, or your circumstances have changed, then you can apply through Clearing to find alternative courses to study, including courses that start in September 2021.

If you have any questions prior to accepting your Clearing verbal offer, call our Clearing team on 0116 257 7000 for further guidance.

Verbal offers before 5 July 2021

There's no need to wait until UCAS Clearing opens in July, apply using UCAS Extra and make DMU your firm choice to accept your offer with us before 5 July if you are holding no other offers.

Alternatively, you can hold your offer with us while you're deciding, go to your UCAS Track when Clearing opens on 5 July and add DMU as your Clearing choice if you are holding no other offers – we will then confirm your offer. If you have an offer from another institution, you'll have to release yourselves on UCAS before adding our offer to your UCAS Track.

Verbal offers before 10 August 2021

Go to your UCAS Track when Clearing opens 5 July and add DMU as your Clearing choice if you are holding no other offers, we will then confirm your offer. If you have an offer from another institution, you’ll need to log onto your UCAS Track to release yourself from this institution before you are able to add your verbal offer from DMU.

Verbal offers from 10 August 2021

1. Login or register onto UCAS Track
2. Add ‘Clearing Choice’ – enter DMU campus code D26 and course code
3. UCAS will notify DMU you have applied
4. Your acceptance will be displayed in the choices section
5. Shortly after, UCAS will send confirmation that your place is confirmed and add DMU

If you have an offer from another institution, you'll have to release yourself from this institution on your UCAS Track before you can add your verbal offer from DMU.

Yes, if you haven’t been accepted by either your firm and insurance choice, you’ll be placed into Clearing by UCAS – you’ll be able to check this status via UCAS Track.

All UK/EU students wanting to study an undergraduate degree course must apply via UCAS. If you are an international student you can apply directly to DMU via the application portal.

Adjustment is a UCAS process that allows applicants to consider alternative options if they’ve met and exceeded the conditions of their firm offer. More information is available on the UCAS website.

Our Clearing lines are open 9am-5pm BST during weekdays. On results day (10 August) they will be open from 6am-8pm, and 8am-6pm the remainder of the week.

For information about which courses are available and entry requirements you can call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000. You can also view our full list of courses available through Clearing on our website.

We are happy to talk to you to discuss your options and provide further information. You can get in touch by calling us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

To find out more and apply through Clearing, you can call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

If you are holding a firm unconditional place, you can use online self-release into Clearing, by using the ‘decline your place’ button in Track. Please note that seeking a release from your current unconditional firm choice will mean that you are placed into Clearing. A release from your unconditional firm offer will not automatically allow you to go to your insurance choice.

We are happy to discuss your options with you and offer you guidance on the next steps. You can get in touch by calling us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

You won't usually be able to reapply for a course where you have been unsuccessful within the same academic cycle, unless any of the information you have previously provided to us has since changed.

However, you are welcome to contact us and apply to study a different course – you can view our full list of courses available through Clearing here.

Due to data protection purposes, we are only able to discuss general information with someone other than an applicant. The exception to this is if you have a nominated person included on your UCAS application and they contact us on your behalf. If you think you’ll need to enquire about a Clearing place, you are strongly advised to be available to do this.

You can get a feel for life at DMU by taking a virtual tour of campus, chat to current students through Unibuddy, or join our Applying to DMU 2021 Facebook group to connect with other DMU applicants. Alternatively, you can join us at one of our upcoming Open Days.

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the government department that regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England. Ofqual is taking steps to remove as much stress and uncertainty for students as possible, and has decided that the best way to do this is to award grades on the basis of what teachers submitted.

The switch to centre assessment grades (CAGs) will apply to both AS and A-levels and GCSE results. Ofqual has therefore decided that students will be awarded their centre assessment grade this summer.

To find out about your CAGs we recommend contacting your school or college directly, as these are the only institutions that can tell you your teacher assessment grade, but please rest assured that your grade will not go down. UCAS will only share revised grades that are higher than the grades they received on results day. 

It’s important for you to be aware that offers will not automatically change in Track. When revised grades are issued, applicants will not automatically be confirmed at their original firm choice and so you will need to contact us so that we can advise you on what to do next. 

We are able to make a verbal offer for a course based on your revised grades, and once we have the confirmed grade we can then accept you. To find out more and discuss your options, please call our Clearing team on +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

The government’s decision to use centre assessed grades for GCSEs and A-levels led to the awarding organisations for BTECs and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQ) to also reconsider their decisions. Pearson, the organisation that awards BTECs, re-graded all its results in order to deliver fair outcomes for BTEC students in relation to A-levels and GCSEs and to ensure that no student is disadvantaged.

All eligible BTEC results and Cambridge National results should now be available, but we understand that many will still have questions about the next step and we want you to know that we’re very much here to help.

If you are looking to apply through Clearing we are still able to make offers and will be as flexible and supportive as we can to make sure we help you in securing your chosen course. If you do have any concerns please don’t hesitate to call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

For further information on the government’s latest update please visit the Ofqual website.

GCSE results were released on Thursday 12 August. These will be graded by teachers based on homework, mocks and coursework, as GCSE exams were also cancelled.

While we will do all we can to be flexible, there may be courses that we are unable to offer places on for certain reasons. If you are considering studying with us we would encourage you contact us to review your options.

We recommend contacting us to discuss this and we will be able to offer you further support and advice. You can get in touch by calling +44 (0) 116 257 7000.

We will be honouring places for all applicants who have received confirmation of their offer to study at DMU and who now hold an unconditional firm place.

If you are a conditional firm holder and we are still waiting outstanding results or information, or have an offer from us based on CAGs or predicted grades, we will still need to receive confirmation that your results meet the offer requirements before we can confirm your place.

We will be working hard to try and confirm your place as soon as we receive your results.

DMU already has access to your UCAS predicted grades. We are working closely with UCAS on the process for revised grades and responding to the latest updates from the UK government and Ofqual.

No, international applicants will not be affected – the government’s announcement only applies to UK regulated qualifications and therefore only impacts UK applicants.

It might be that you are currently unable to provide all of the documents we have asked for as part of your application, such as transcripts, references or certificates. If this is the case, we recommend contacting our enquiry team by calling ++44 (0) 116 257 7000 to discuss this further.

If you've received a verbal offer over the phone, we will then follow this up with a confirmation email. Please ensure you check your inbox, including your junk folder, as it includes very important information. 

The confirmation email will detail the next steps you will need to take and timeframes for when you need to do this by. This will usually include providing proof of any qualifications you mentioned over the phone and selecting DMU and the relevant course as your Clearing choice through UCAS Track. 

In some instances, there may be other conditions attached, such as submission of an electronic portfolio – you will be advised of this in your phone conversation and it will also be detailed in the email you receive from us.

After you are given a verbal offer to study at DMU, you will receive an email with what steps you’ll need to take next. For your offer to be fulfilled, you must complete these steps before the deadline mentioned in the email.

There is no limit to how many universities you can contact or hold verbal offers with, but each one will have a limited time in which you need to accept it, and you’ll only be able to accept one of them through UCAS.

If you haven’t yet started at DMU: If you’ve secured a place at DMU starting in September 2021 and would like to change your course, please contact us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000 so we can look into this. If you meet the relevant entry requirements and there are still places available, our admissions team will advise on how to switch your course.

Your application is very important to us and we will be sure to update it as soon as we can. If it hasn’t been updated on UCAS Track yet, there could be a few reasons for this. If you have gained qualifications other than A levels or BTECs, we may not have received confirmation of your results which means you will need to send a copy of them to us.

It is also useful to check the conditions of your offer, which will be detailed on UCAS Track. It may be that there are other outstanding conditions you still need to meet. If you are concerned then please get in touch with us by calling +44 (0) 116 2 50 60 70.

Once you have accepted your offer to study with us, if a DBS check is required as part of your chosen course then we will send the form and relevant instructions to you.

You can still apply for accommodation, although there may be limited options available. For the most up-to-date information and advice, please email accommodation@dmu.ac.uk.

No, but it’s recommended you contact Student Finance direct to inform a member of the team about this change to avoid any delays in receiving your funding.

For more information about scholarships and what you may be eligible for, please visit the fees and funding section of our website.

If you are care experienced, the university will consider a reduced offer. Please note that you will need to provide evidence of your time in care. This can be a letter from the local authority where you were looked after confirming the period of time spent in care. For more advice, please contact transitions@dmu.ac.uk.

We have an engaging plan in place to ensure that your experience with DMU is exciting and effective this academic year, focusing on ensuring a consistent, high-quality student experience which maximises face-to-face and on-campus activities where possible. More detail can be found on our applicant pages.