Be prepared is the advice from the University of Essex in advance of results day on Thursday 18 August.

Students who achieve their required grades will obtain places on the University courses they have already selected. However there is a back-up system, called clearing, for those who miss out, which lists all university vacancies and helps more than 30,000 students every year find a higher education course.

The University of Essex expects to have some vacancies to offer through clearing and will publish details on its website (www.essex.ac.uk) on Thursday (18 August). The website already features a comprehensive guide to working your way through the clearing system which provides useful advice in advance of results day. The University is one of the UK's leading academic institutions with a reputation for top quality teaching and research. It is rated 16th in England for student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2010) and 9th out of 159 universities and colleges according to the last national assessment of research quality.

Head of Admissions, Joanne Tallentire, offered the following advice: “Be prepared, just in case you don’t get the grades you need. Do your research now. It’s really important that you don’t make a snap decision at clearing.

“Think out of the box. Dig a bit deeper into subjects you might not have considered before. You may find that it is just what you are looking for.”

There are lots of ways to check available places at different institutions, including websites and newspaper listings. The UCAS website lists all the available courses and links to useful websites.

Students do not have to make an instant decision when offered a place at clearing and Joanne recommends making time to visit your preferred university campus before confirming your offer.

The Colchester Campus is holding an open day for clearing applicants on Monday 22 August from midday to 4pm and the Southend Campus will be hosting a similar event on Tuesday 23 August from 1pm to 4pm. There will also be campus tours at Colchester on Saturday 20 August and Sunday 21 August.

Joanne said: “Don’t feel there is additional pressure to accept a place this year because of the changes in fees for 2012. As is the case now, undergraduate students will not have to pay their tuition fees up front. The Government will provide UK and EU students with a tuition fee loan which students will only start to repay after graduation and once they are earning over £21,000.”

The University of Essex, in line with other universities, is committed from 2012, to providing extensive financial support for students from lower income families.

The University of Essex’s Clearing Hotline 01206 873666 opens at 8am on Thursday 18 August.

Useful links:
www.essex.ac.uk/clearing
www.essex.ac.uk/funding
www.ucas.co.uk

Notes to editors
For further information or to interview Joanne Tallentire please contact the University of Essex communications team on 01206 872400 or e-mail comms@essex.ac.uk.