Students spend just one hour deciding future in university clearing process

Ahead of A-Level results day (17 August), a new study by London South Bank University (LSBU) has today revealed that more than two-thirds of students (67%) who went through the clearing process found the experience stressful, with 59% claiming they made a snap decision when choosing their university or course.

The survey of 500 students, all of whom have been through clearing in the last four years, showed that more than a third (37%) decide on their university place in under an hour and over two-thirds (69%) in less than two hours. The same proportion of students (69%) suggested that more should be done to make the clearing process easier for young people.

The survey also showed that students from the South West felt the most stressed about the clearing process – which gives applicants who do not hold an offer another chance of finding a university place – closely followed by those in the North East and Wales.

London South Bank University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor David Phoenix, said: “These results underline just how stressful the clearing process can be for students and the impact it is having on their ability to make informed decisions, which will in turn affect their future career paths or job prospects.

“With fifty-four per cent of students citing that their school did not provide them with enough information about clearing, it is evident that far more needs to be done to educate and reassure pupils in advance of results day.”

LSBU is challenging the idea that the clearing process needs to be stressful by leading the way in helping prospective university students calmly plan and prepare so they can tackle A-Level results day head on.

LSBU, which is the number one London Modern University for graduate prospects, was the first university to offer a 24-hour clearing helpline in 2016. This year, the helpline will be open for 36 hours straight, from 7am on 17 August until 7pm on 18 August. The survey showed that 81% of students would have found a 24-hour helpline useful during the clearing process.

The University is currently taking clearing applications and making offers to prospective students who wish to begin study in September. To see the full list of clearing courses, please click here.