Chemistry and Physics among 90 UoB courses offered through Clearing

By Teddy Coward, Investigations Editor

In addition to offering Chemistry, Physics, and Classics, the University of Bristol listed every language subject and around 90 courses in total through Clearing, either on a single or dual honours programme.

Alicia O’Grady, Director of External Relations, said: ‘Our phone lines have been extremely busy today due to a high level of interest and we’ve been able to offer places to a number of high-calibre applicants through Clearing.’

‘The number of applications in the main UCAS cycle was up on last year, with more than 50,000 applications for more than 6,000 undergraduate places available across the full range of subjects.’

‘We are delighted that so many candidates want to be part of the Bristol community, and we look forward to welcoming all our new students in September.’

For students searching through Clearing wanting to study at UoB with a year abroad, the option to do so was also available – either with Childhood Studies or Religion and Theology.

This was the first year students could decide to opt-out of their first-choice University offer themselves on UCAS and enter Clearing. It was also the first year, the University of Cambridge entered clearing, with places reserved for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Last year, 60,000 students were accepted onto a university course through clearing – a figure that is expected to rise to 80,000 this year. Clearing opened on the 30 June and closes on 22 October.

In today’s A-Level results, the proportion of students receiving an ‘A’ grade or higher has fallen to its lowest-level in more than a decade, which may further increase the number of students searching for degree courses through Clearing.

Yesterday, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner, announced her Party’s plans to scrap the ‘deeply unfair’ procedure of Universities offering places through predicted grades.

Instead, Rayner said ‘radical action’ would be taken by a Labour government to make Universities more accessible to students from poorer backgrounds, with a system of post-qualification admissions – a suggestion backed by The University and Colleges Union.

However, the proposition has faced scepticism from other senior figures, such as the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Geoff Barton, who says such a change ‘would represent a significant and complex change to our current admissions system.’

Does extra Clearing places give students a more informed choice for higher education?