FAQs | Mybigcareer Results

1. The student has missed the required grades to get into both university choices. (Students will have a clearing number when they log into UCAS Track).

The student can apply for another course available through Clearing.

Sympathise with the student. They may be upset and emotional.
Look on the UCAS website for a suitable course that meets student needs and for which the grade expectations are realistic.
Make a list of these courses, along with contact numbers for each of the universities.
Support the student to call these universities and try to secure a place for the student. We suggest students try to secure as many places as possible for themselves to maximise their options.
Be sure to obtain documentation/evidence from any university that offers the student a place. This is most often in the form of a confirmation email. Ensure the student has this information when they depart.

N.B. Some universities may need the student to send official documents off before he/she can be officially accepted and the student may even have to visit the university for an interview.

2. The student has achieved grades above their expectations - higher than what was required to get them into first choice university.

If the applicant’s exam results turn out better than expected and they not only meet but exceed the conditions of their conditional firm offer, they can decline their place and apply through Clearing.

Congratulate the student. It is a considerable achievement to be in this situation.
NB - Before the student uses the ‘Decline my place’ option (also referred to as ‘Self Release’), always check and receive assurances from other universities and courses that an alternative place in Clearing is available (as outlined in the steps in Scenario 1).
Follow the steps outlined in Scenario 1.

3. The student has failed to meet the requirements for their first choice university, but has significantly overachieved against those required for their insurance choice.

They may wish to consider applying to a different university and course through Clearing. This means they have the opportunity to consider other options – much the same as in the case of the previous example, where students need to call up universities and try to gain an informal offer.

Look at the UCAS website for suitable courses for the student.
Support the student to call these universities and try to secure a place. We suggest students try to secure as many places as possible for themselves to maximise their options. Follow the steps outlined in Scenario 1.
If the student decides to select a new university they must now Self Release and ‘Decline my place’.

4. The student has failed to meet requirements for their first choice university but has significantly overachieved against those required for their insurance and doesn’t want to go to their second choice ‘insurance’ university.

In this case, UCAS will assume that the student is taking up the second offer. Sometimes students have not seriously contemplated this second choice and would rather look for other options than enrol on this course. In these cases it is best to seek another course /university that they are happier with, then help the student to ‘Self Release’ themselves into Clearing using the ‘Decline my place’ button.

Before choosing the ‘Decline my place’ option, discuss with the student why they don’t want to accept their second choice and what a ‘better’ choice would look like.
If the student wants to look at other options, help find a place for the student at another university using clearing. Follow the steps outlined in Scenario 1.
Once you have a new offer confirmed, the student is now able to leave their second choice university. To do this, the student will need to click the ‘Decline my place’ button.
Once the Student has forced themselves into Clearing through Self Release, they can input their new university/course choice into UCAS website from 1pm.

6. A student has not met the conditions of either of their offers and tells you that they’re going to apply for an apprenticeship.

If students don’t get into either of their university choices, they may have second thoughts about whether university is the place for them and an apprenticeship or degree apprenticeship is a better route. We firstly want to make sure that we support them in that and don’t try and encourage them down a certain path.

With that, they will be going through mixed emotions and so they may make decisions in the moment that they could change their mind on later.

Take some time to explain the benefits of clearing to the student and that they could obtain a university place today and then spend some time applying for apprenticeships. If you have time you could support them to research some apprenticeships, or employers that they may be interested in working for, to keep their options open.

For more information on apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships, please refer to the appendix section of the handbook.

What if UCAS is frozen?

What if UCAS is frozen? If a student logs into UCAS and their UCAS Track screen is frozen this will usually mean that, although a student has missed their grades, a university is still considering whether or not to accept them. This could be the Firm or Insurance choice or both. Track freezing normally happens when a student has missed their Conditional offer by a grade, e.g. if the offer was AAB, and the student achieved ABB. It is really important that the student immediately call the universities, establish which university is still considering them and fight for their place*. The earlier the student calls the higher the likelihood the university will accept them. In this case, Track will unfreeze and UCAS will show that the student has achieved their place; if the university decides against accepting the student, Track will unfreeze and the student will automatically be entered into Clearing. *To help a student ‘fight’ for their place, bare in mind the following: They need to have their Ucas ID, Clearing number and grades close to hand. You can find their Clearing number in Ucas Hub. Research the universities they’re interested in calling/have some knowledge of them Keep their notes with what they want to say and their list of numbers nearby. Have some points written down from their personal statement, so they can refer to that too. Get names, emails and direct phone numbers in case they have to re-connect or follow up. Help them to sell themselves – why should the tutor give you a place on the course? Think of some questions they can ask - ‘Do you have any scholarships or bursaries that Clearing students are eligible for? Are there any spaces left in halls? For more information on how they can prepare for their calls, follow this link.
What if a student asks about student finance?

A student might be concerned that changes to their university destinations might affect the status of their student finance. Tell them not to worry; it is very easy to get in contact with student finance and the people on the other end of the line are always very helpful. It takes a very short amount of time to change any of their details, including accommodation information, bank account details, university info, etc. It is important that the student does not change any of their student finance details until they have definitely been accepted into an alternative university. Student Finance England - 0300 100 0607 If a student hasn’t yet applied for student finance and they are going to university in September they should start immediately. https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/
How do I contact UCAS?

UCAS teachers line (only for volunteers and teachers) 03451238001* UCAS student helpline (for pupils) 03714680468* *YOU MUST HAVE THE STUDENT’S UCAS ID TO HAND BEFORE CALLING UCAS Clearing https://www.ucas.com/clearing-launch https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing https://www.ucas.com/advisers/managing-applications/supporting-you-through-confirmation-and-clearing/confirmation-and-clearing-essentials-2023#clearing Universities that are offering places in clearing will be advertised to students via the UCAS Hub and if they register with “Clearing Plus”. However, always have a look at individual university websites as these are more up to date and also just phone! Remember, not all universities DO go into clearing but all universities CAN go into clearing.
How do I contact MyBigCareer?

LOGISTICAL AND SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT Laura Littlehales, Chief Executive Laura@mybigcareer.org 07399302710 LOGISTICAL AND SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT Sophia Westbury, Volunteer Manager, Staff D&I Champion sophia@mybigcareer.org 07399302707 LOGISTICAL AND SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT Jayne Lyell, Programme Manager Jayne@mybigcareer.org 07940924310
How can I access the registration form?

We require all students to provide some personal information before we can support them. HERE is a short registration form which you can print off, replicate, or complete online for yourself. PLEASE SEND US A PHOTO OF EACH OF THESE COMPLETED FORMS ONCE YOU HAVE LEFT THE SCHOOL.
General Clearing Advice links

Clearing General Advice https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/clearing-results-day/results-day-university-clearing-back-up-plan https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/clearing-results-day/the-survivors-guide-to-clearing https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/clearing-results-day/ucas-clearing-how-to-call-universities https://www.whatuni.com/advice/clearing/ https://www.whatuni.com/advice/clearing/university-clearing-complete-guide/41459/ For Medicine and Dentistry applicants https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/ucas/a-guide-to-medicine-clearing/ https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/dentistry/a-guide-to-dentistry-clearing/ Places at Med School overseas - https://www.medicaldoorway.com/clearing-2023-medicine-dentistry/ For Law applicants https://www.thelawyerportal.com/study-law/applying-to-university/law-clearing/
Apprenticeships

In essence, an apprenticeship is a job. Apprentices spend 80% of the working week at their place of employment, and 20% at their place of study. They earn a salary and their course fees will be covered by their employer and the government. There are many different apprenticeships across a broad range of different industries. They vary significantly in their qualification requirements, levels of support and application processes. It is really important that young people understand that apprenticeships are very competitive (more competitive than a university place) and that if someone wants to obtain an apprenticeship it will take a significant amount of time researching and applying - arguably more than applying to university through UCAS. More information can be found here. Apprenticeship vacancies appear throughout the year – each will give a deadline for applications, and start dates. Applicants shouldn’t wait until the deadline to make an application – some companies close their recruitment as soon as they have a sufficient number of suitable candidates. Vacancies with larger firms often start appearing from September but most start to be advertised from January or February onwards. Smaller businesses might start recruiting a month or two before the job starts, so if a young person hopes to start work in August or September they should start looking from March/April onwards. If they’re interested in working for a particular employer, take a look at their website – most have a page on careers, apprenticeships, or vacancies. If they are interested in a particular apprenticeship job role, they can filter their search for these on the vacancy listing at https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/. You (and the young person) can watch an information video on this page or read this website.
What is a T Level?

T Levels are new 2-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent in size to 3 A Levels. Launched in September 2020, these courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or related technical study through further or higher education. T Levels offer students practical and knowledge-based learning at a school or college and on-the-job experience through an industry placement of at least 315 hours – approximately 45 days. You can find more information about T Levels by following this link. The courses are available at selected colleges, schools and other providers across England.
UCAS Tariff Points

To calculate the tariff points of a student’s results, or if you encounter a qualification not listed below you can calculate UCAS Tariff Points here and scroll down to find the calculator. Below is a table to summarise the points for the most popular qualifications in separate tables. When using the Tariff calculator, you can use the search function by clicking on ‘Please select a qualification’ to find the student’s exact qualification. You can also find more information about all UK qualifications by downloading a copy of the 2024 tariff points from that page. BTEC [‘D’ stands for ‘Distinction’, ‘M’ stands for ‘Merit’, and ‘P’ stands for ‘Pass’] To calculate the tariff points of a student’s results, or if you encounter a qualification not listed below you can calculate UCAS Tariff Points here and scroll down to find the calculator. Below is a table to summarise the points for the most popular qualifications in separate tables. When using the Tariff calculator, you can use the search function by clicking on ‘Please select a qualification’ to find the student’s exact qualification. You can also find more information about all UK qualifications by downloading a copy of the 2024 tariff points from that page. International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma