It comes amid mounting financial pressure across the higher education sector, with several universities axing courses, closing departments, and making widespread staff redundancies in a battle to stay solvent.
Thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will open A-level, T-level, Btec and other level-three results on Thursday. Students in Scotland received their Highers results this week.
Even some of the most prestigious universities are expected to offer courses in clearing for lower-than-expected grades this year, according to Nick Hillman, the director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank.
“Universities want to be big and successful institutions. They don’t want to be closing courses and making staff redundant. But if you can’t fill your course, that’s where you end up,” Hillman added.
“If you can’t fill the places, your courses aren’t viable. You have to make staff redundant, and in one or two instances, you have to go and talk to the banks to whom you owe money. Life gets harder,” Hillman said.
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But a spokesperson said there will still be “plenty of choice”, with around 27,000 courses available via clearing. The system works by matching students without a university place with institutions looking to fill gaps.
While the financial situation at UEA is “fairly stable”, universities across the country have been “struggling financially” due to the Government freezing the cap on tuition fees since 2017, despite inflation rising, he said. The fee cap is set to increase in September 2025, rising by 3.1 per cent from £9,250 to £9,535 per year.
At the time of writing, the University of Kent was offering undergraduate courses in subjects including Accounting and Finance BSc and Biochemistry BSc at reduced grades via clearing.
The university has been in a regular cycle of cuts to staff, courses, and restructures, which it says is in response to a sector-wide fall in international recruitment across the UK, leading to greater competition from home students.
The university has also faced financial difficulties, with initial proposals to cut 400 jobs and close some subject areas, including music, modern languages, and nursing.
Cardiff University has offered knock-down grades in clearing following financial troubles (Photo: Judith Williams/Getty/iStock Editorial)
Other universities have attempted to entice students with cash handouts and freebies.
The University of East London (UEL) is offering a £500 “clearing support package” to students who accept their place via clearing and enrol in September.
Universities ‘very keen’ to take on UK students
Professor Lee Elliot Major, a professor of social mobility at Exeter University, said institutions are increasingly offering financial incentives, but urged students to focus on the education provided when choosing where to go.
Professor Major also said this year’s clearing is likely to be a “buyer’s market”, meaning students are “more empowered to make choices” due to the dire financial situation across the sector.
“There has been a lot of volatility around international students, and tuition fees are essentially frozen. Universities are in a really hard place, so they are very keen to take on home student numbers.”
A spokesperson said: “We expect that everyone with the potential to succeed should find a place at a university this year, whether they get their first choice or decide to explore courses available in clearing.”
“When offer-making is high, this typically translates into more acceptances, meaning there may be slightly fewer courses in clearing come results day compared to last year,” a Ucas spokesperson said.
However, because the total number of 18-year-olds in the UK has also grown, those applicants make up a slightly smaller proportion of the total 18-year-old population than last year (41.2 per cent).
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