Hopefully at the end of the Clearing process you should have received an unconditional offer from a university. However, although Clearing is there for the students to use to secure places at uni, it can’t possibly cater for everyone. In fact, each year there are many students who can’t find their perfect course, but if this is you, don't panic, your dreams of further study aren't over.

In fact, far from it. So if you didn't get a place through Clearing this year, don't worry. There are so many different options ahead of you, and you'll still be able to develop your knowledge at the same time...

Take a gap year

Just because you couldn’t find a course through Clearing doesn’t mean that there isn’t a perfect programme of study for you. There are only a limited number of places and programmes available through clearing so if nothing appeals it might be worth waiting a little and spending a year gaining some experience and apply for courses once UCAS opens for 2025 applications instead.

Think about it, by doing this you'll have an added advantage over some of the other applicants. You'll already have your grades, so you only need to apply for courses where you meet the entry requirements. Then your additional work experience will help tip the scales in your favour and – if you do get an offer – it will probably be unconditional.

Take some re-sits

If you narrowly missed your grades and are determined to study at your first or second choice of university, you can re-sit your A-level exams and then reapply through UCAS. Many students do this successfully each year, although it is worth noting that even if you reapply to the same university, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be given the same offer.

The vocational route

If you were looking to study on a more vocational course such as engineering, IT or graphic design then there are a number of more practical courses that you can take which can lead on to a bachelors degree. There are a number of qualifications you can do, including:

HND (Higher National Diploma) or a foundation degree

HNDs are a work-related programme provided by many further education colleges. The teaching tends to be more practical in terms of its focus and can be followed by an extra year of study to convert it to a fully-fledged Bachelor's degree if required at a later date. Foundation degrees are equivalent to studying the first two years of a Bachelor's degree and can also be topped up with a further year of study at a later date.

HNC (Higher National Certificate) 

This equates to the first year of a university degree. Again, this qualification can be converted to a degree following an extra two years of study and can be gained through an apprenticeship or at a further education college.

Access courses

There are a number of different access courses available if you don’t have the appropriate A-levels for your choice of university. Many institutions will accept students with strong Access qualifications, although this will depend on where you are looking to study.

Premedical courses

If you didn’t quite make the grades to study a medicine or bio-medical related course there are a number of pre-medical courses available, particularly if you have strong A-level grades but in the wrong subjects. This is an intensive 30 week course which then allows you to apply for a medical degree

Apprenticeships 

This is very much a 'earn while you learn’ means of furthering your knowledge, although the pay is significantly lower than current minimum wage. When looking for an apprenticeship you should be careful as while some lead to foundation degrees or HNC level qualifications, others may lead to lower qualifications than you already have.

One of the great things about all of the above qualifications is that while they may build up towards a degree, they do so in smaller bite-size chunks. So if you don’t like the subject, or simply change your mind after a year or two, then you still leave with a qualification.

You will also acquire a number of practical skills that will enhance your CV, which you may have struggled to learn while studying on a more conventional academic-focussed course.

While we understand how scary it can be not having a secure offer, remember that you still do have a number of different options. They may not be in line with your original plans, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take you where you need to be!

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