Clearing offers an opportunity for your learner to apply for a place at LSBU for courses starting this September.

Your learner

• may not have applied yet and has decided that they want to go to university this year
• may not be holding any offers or have not been given an offer for the course they want
• may not receive the grades they expect
• have simply changed their mind about where or what they want to study

Whatever the reason – LSBU is here to help you support them

LSBU has a great track record of helping applicants get onto the right course. We know it is an important time for you and your learner – that’s why we ensure we have the right people on hand to help.

How we make decisions

At LSBU we take a well-rounded holistic view when it comes to making offers – we firmly believe in looking at the applicant rather than just what is on an application. This ensures we accept students not only on the grades they get but also on their potential to be successful on their chosen course.

When making a decision we look at

• All qualifications achieved including A-Levels, BTECS, GCSEs and anything equivalent or deemed to be non-standard
• Personal statements, performance at interview or audition as well as any portfolios of work
• We also review any previous skills, knowledge or experience you have gained outside of your education and are happy to talk through any extenuating circumstances you feel relevant.

Plan ahead and touch base with us

1. If your learner is waiting for results in August, it is always useful to understand what options are out there just in case plans change. Lots of applicants are already researching and our Clearing team will be on hand to offer any advice needed.
2. Make sure they know - the subjects they are interested in, if we are offering it and what the entry requirements are. You can view our courses at our course finder.
3. Ask them to register for our Priority Clearing. We can do the hard work and call your learner back on results day to talk them through their options and take their application – if they are ready to apply before results day we may be able to get them their place early.
4. Think about the other things needed to study at LSBU – have they applied for Student Finance? Look at the accommodation options and travel time.
5. Collate all the information they will need if they want to apply through Clearing on results day, including: their UCAS Personal ID number, any previous exam results such as GCSEs or equivalent, as well as any other information that might support their application such as evidence of any work experience or any skills they have. This saves you having to find everything on results day, which can be very busy.

LSBU is here to help.

1. Our advice is to take a breath, relax and stay calm. Your learner will need you to offer reassurance and guidance, particularly if their results aren't what they expected.
2. Help them get organised. Make sure they note the name of the course they want to apply to and have an idea of any others that they may be interested in.
3. It will help if they know their UCAS Personal ID number and have it to hand.
4. Make sure they have details of any results, including their GCSEs or equivalent, as well as any extra information they think helpful, such as work experience or any skills they have developed. It all helps us make a decision.
5. They can apply easily on our website and get a decision on their application within 5-10 minutes, or they can give our team a call (during the peak periods we will be receiving a high number of calls but will get to them as fast as we can) – please note universities can only talk to the student who is applying. In exceptional circumstances you might be able to act as their representative, with their consent, but your learner would need to speak to our staff about their application if possible.
6. If they are already registered for our Priority Clearing, we will give them a call back at our earliest opportunity – if they are unable to answer we will keep trying, we know it is an extremely busy day.