Fun fact: the current school leavers are the last lot who had exams disrupted by Covid. They sat their GSCEs in 2022, when lockdown was a recent memory but masks were still encouraged, and seeing them off to uni really does signal the end of an era.
These kids may have slightly unusual origin stories, but that hasn’t hurt their prospects. It’s looking like more students than usual will be headed off to top universities this September, as 18 of the 24 Russell Group universities have announced they will still have spaces available in clearing.
Clearing allows students who missed the grades they needed, or who have decided they want to study something different, a second chance. They can apply for courses whose spaces are not yet full on reduced offers, and every year more than 50,000 people gain a place at uni this way. This time, according to the Press Association, there are nearly 4,000 spots available through clearing at top universities, meaning your chances of being accepted into a programme at one of these institutions has nearly doubled from a measly 2000 spots last year.
But you know what they say, every extra clearing spot has its equal opposite lowered grade. On results day, which is this Thursday (August 15) for students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, it’s expected that fewer students will receive top grades than did last year, so more will end up seeking alternative paths to higher education.
The list of Russell Group unis which have advertised clearing spaces includes, in no particular order:
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- Newcastle University
- Loughborough University
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Glasgow
- University of Warwick
- University of Birmingham
- University of Exeter
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Bristol
- University of York
- University of Sheffield
- University of Liverpool
- University of Southampton
- Queen Mary University of London
- Queen’s University Belfast
King’s College London has also said that it doesn’t yet know if it will have clearing spaces, but that it will announce on Thursday morning, so keep an eye on the website here for further info. There will also be loads of other universities, probably populated by considerably more chilled out people, also eager for your mind, and you can discover them all by calling the clearing hotline as soon as you have your grades – more info on that here.
No matter where you end up this September, we hope you find something you enjoy and don’t get stuck doing three years of maths because your aunt thought it would be a good idea. Good luck! See all the UK’s best universities (according to the most respected rankings) here.
Time Out and Britain’s universities
Choosing where you go to uni is a big, big decision – and we at Time Out can certainly help you out with it. Here are some of the latest editions of the planet’s most respected uni rankings: QS World University Rankings, Complete University Guide and StudentCrowd.
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