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 2020.

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.

For information about which courses are available and entry requirements you can call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000 or chat to us via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800. 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 or via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

To find out more and apply through Clearing, you can call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000 or chat to us via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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 or chat to us via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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 Unibuddies, or join our Applying to DMU 2020 Facebook group to connect with other DMU applicants.

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.

As students did not sit exams this year because of the coronavirus lockdown, the government had originally used the grading algorithm to provide AS, A-level and GCSE results, instead of relying on teachers’ assessments. 

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. Please rest assured that if the grade you were originally awarded from the grading algorithm is still higher than your CAGs, you will be awarded the highest grade and won’t be marked down. 

These revised grades will be what your school or college estimated was the grade you would have most likely achieved in your exam or the moderated grade, whichever is higher. You can find more information and all the latest updates on the Ofqual website.

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 or message us on WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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 or message us on WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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

GCSE results were released on Thursday 20 August as planned. These will be graded by teachers based on homework, mocks and coursework, as GCSE exams were also cancelled due to the UK lockdown.

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.

If you have already been accepted onto a course then please rest assured that your place is secure, even if your A-level grades have changed based on your CAGs.

If you have not yet had confirmation of your final acceptance onto a course then your place may not yet be confirmed, even if you do receive a higher grade based on your teachers’ assessments. We would advise you to contact us directly to discuss your application.

If you applied for a place to study on a course and were unsuccessful with your previous grades, but now think that you meet the requirements with your revised grades, or you are looking to apply to us directly through Clearing, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss further and see if we can make you an offer on your chosen course.

If you are unsure or have any questions we recommend contacting us to discuss this in more detail. You can get in touch by calling +44 (0) 116 257 7000 or messaging us on WhatsApp on 07970 655 800

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 or messaging us on WhatsApp on 07970 655 800

Yes, we can make you a verbal offer based on your predicted grades or CAGs. We can then accept you on to a course once we receive your CAGs or awarded grades. To discuss this with us please call our Clearing team on +44 (0) 116 257 7000 or message us on WhatsApp on 07970 655 800 and we could make you an offer.

The appeals process that was suggested as part of the previous ‘triple lock’ plan no longer exists. However, if you’re not satisfied with the outcome of your results then it is still possible to appeal your grades, or you can ask your school to get a result looked at again, which is called ‘requesting a review’. To do this, your school or college should contact Ofqual on your behalf – to find out more about this visit the Ofqual website. At the moment it’s not clear how long this will take, as Ofqual and exam boards don’t yet know how many appeals there might be.

If you aren’t happy with your marks, you will also have the opportunity to sit your exams in October instead. If you decide to do this then you won’t have to worry about getting results lower than your predicted marks, as the highest grade of the two will be your final result.

The deadline to apply for sitting the autumn exams is Friday 4 September 2020.

We're offering guaranteed accommodation for Clearing 2020 students. We aim to provide university-sourced guaranteed accommodation for all new UK, EU and international students who request it and offer a wide choice of rooms, which means you'll get the chance to meet lots of new people.

Our dedicated accommodation team are on hand during the entire Clearing period to offer you advice and support in finding accommodation to suit your needs. To find out more and read the full terms and conditions visit our accommodation page.

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.

We’re committed to offering you the best and most up-to-date answers we can, so you can secure the uni place you’ve worked so hard for. To find out about this in more detail and discuss your options please call us on +44 (0) 116 257 7000 (lines are open 9am to 5pm BST) or send us a WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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.

Students who were due to complete their Access to HE Diploma by 31 July 2020 will receive calculated grades for all remaining assessments with submission dates after 20 March 2020. For more detailed information about this, please visit the Access to HE website.

Results should have been released by AVAs to your providers on Monday 13 July 2020. Course providers will then release the results to you. If you have not yet received your results, please contact your provider for details.

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 2 50 60 70 or via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800 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 2020 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.

If you’re already studying at DMU: If you are already enrolled on a course at DMU, you will need to speak to your faculty student advice centre for further advice and guidance. 

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 or via WhatsApp on 07970 655 800.

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.