Clearing becoming route of choice for university applicants

Record numbers of students are waiting for their A-level grades to apply, bypassing Ucas’s January deadline

Growing numbers of school-leavers are waiting until they have their grades before applying to university at the last minute, through clearing.

In the past, students typically submitted their applications by the January deadline set by Ucas, the admissions agency. But last year a record 17,520 students applied through clearing instead of using the normal process – an 18% increase on 2016. More appear to be choosing the clearing system as a preference, rather than falling back on it because of disappointing results.