WHEN Rachel Hogg collected her A-level results she was disappointed.

“I needed three Bs but I got three Cs,” she says. Despite the setback, she was determined to apply for another route into her chosen profession as a dental hygienist.

At first she did not consider going through the university clearing process. For students who don't get the grades they need for the course to which they are applying, clearing is an opportunity to find a place on a similar, or possibly different, course either at the same university or another one.

Says Rachel: “I wasn’t going to go through clearing - I was going to apply for a diploma course instead. However, my parents mentioned that I should have a look anyway, just in case.”

Rachel, from Norfolk, came across a course in medical engineering at the University of Bradford.

“I hadn’t even considered engineering as a profession - at school it was mainly for boys - but I liked the medical side to the course and I had originally wanted to work in the healthcare sector.”

She called the clearing hotline. “It put me in contact with the course leaders who offered me a place on the five-year master’s course with a year in industry after going to see the course leader in Bradford that week.

With family in Leeds, Rachel had visited Bradford on a handful of occasions. “Although I didn’t know that Bradford had a University,” she says.

She attended a clearing open day and liked what she saw. “It definitely put me at ease and I knew I would be happy there. I had been to many open days. Some places I liked and some I couldn’t wait to leave. Bradford was definitely my favourite.”

Rachel thoroughly enjoyed her degree and is now working as an engineer in Germany. “I never considered engineering as an option but going through clearing was the best decision I have ever made, and has given me so many varied career paths I can follow.”

Open from early July until the end of September and Managed by UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service - clearing allows universities to fill up any vacant spots on their courses.

Students are eligible to apply if they are not already holding an offer of a place, they want to change their choice of university or they haven’t already applied to university and have received all their qualification results.

Almost 65,000 students found a university place through clearing last year - more than a tenth of all university acceptances. At the University of Bradford 650 students applied through clearing in 2016, although there were many more enquiries.

The university sets up base rooms for each faculty and uses a mixture of staff and student ambassadors as call handlers. Experienced admissions staff are available to answer any queries and academics chat to the students to clarify any issues.

Some courses, particularly funded ones, reach maximum capacity during main cycle so these would be excluded from clearing, however there are alternatives.

Post-results day can be an emotional time. “Some students are upset when they call but we try to calm them down and, where possible, offer an alternative course,” says Claire Pryke, Associate Director (Recruitment Operations) at the University of Bradford.

“We have academics on hand to provide further information on other courses and also to answer any questions the student may have.”

Questions can include whether it is possible to register on another course and transfer to the original choice at the end of the first year - on some courses it is - and the possibility of a foundation year. “We have foundation years that lead onto courses within engineering & informatics, management and law, and social sciences for students who don’t meet the entry requirements for their degree programme,” says Claire.

Clearing does not only apply to students who failed to achieve their grades - some do better than expected. “Some may have exceeded their expectations and are eligible for adjustment which means they can look for an alternative course whilst still holding their original firm offer,” says Claire.

“Others may already be holding us as their insurance choice but have now decided they want Bradford to be their firm choice. We also receive applications from students who have not yet applied but they may have had a change of circumstance.”

The university invites prospective students to visit its campus from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 August, giving students the chance to chat with an academic, tour the campus and look at accommodation with a current student.

It also has a virtual experience which is available to view on its website.

As Rachel Hogg stresses, failing to get the results you need is not the end of the world. “There’s always a solution and sometimes a better path, even if it doesn’t feel like it at that moment. Read the course description thoroughly. Just because it’s the same course title does not mean that you’ll learn the same things.

“You want to be engaged and happy for at least three years and not just doing a course for the sake of it. Also, be open-minded, there are so many courses that you haven’t considered out there that could quite possibly be more your thing than your original choice.”

*To discuss courses the University of Bradford has available in clearing visit bradford.ac.uk/undergraduate/clearing or call 0800 073 1225.