A Guide to Medicine Clearing

If you didn’t receive your medical school offers, you may be considering UCAS’ Clearing option, so we’ve written a guide to medicine Clearing to prepare you for results day! You can use Clearing to find a place at medical school if you didn’t receive your offers, declined the offers you did receive or didn’t get the grades to meet your offers.

Read on to find out which medical schools offer Clearing places, how to apply through Clearing – and what to do if you can’t get a place this way.

Why do universities offer Medicine Clearing?

UCAS Clearing allows medical schools to fill the spaces on their courses – this means they can open these spaces to students who may have the grades required to gain a place but may not have received offers at other universities.

Which universities offer Medicine Clearing?

In the past, medical schools such as St George’s have offered places through Clearing. For 2017 entry, Liverpool have also announced Medicine spaces available via Clearing. However, the universities offering these places will differ from year to year. 

It’s important to note that, due to the competitive nature of Medicine, limited places are available through Clearing, so don’t be disheartened if you can’t gain a place this way. Many students choose to take a gap year to reapply to medicine next year. You can read more about how to do this on our Reapplying to Medical School page.

How do I make an application for Medicine through Clearing?

Applying through Clearing is relatively straightforward. You can also find out more about Clearing on the UCAS website.

1. Use the UCAS search function to search for Medicine course vacancies. These will be snapped up fast, so the quicker you contact them the better!
2. Contact the universities you’re interested in asking them if they will accept you.
3. If the university will accept you, you then upload the details of the course under ‘Your choices’ and then ‘Add a Clearing choice’ in Track.

If I’m thinking of applying through Medicine Clearing, what should I do before Results Day?

1. Make sure you have your Clearing number and UCAS Personal ID number (these can be found on your UCAS Track under ‘Your Choices’, so make a note of this beforehand), your A-Level exam results to hand, your Personal Statement and your GCSE results. You could print these out if necessary.
2. Bring a pen and paper to jot things down while on the phone.
3. If you have an idea of the universities you might like to contact, make sure you research them before you call them – you may be asked why you want to attend that particular medical school on the phone, so make sure you have an answer!
4. Remember to charge your phone before results day – you’ll need it to call the universities!

What should I do if I can’t get a place through Clearing?

Don’t panic! Gaining a place for Medicine through Clearing is very competitive. Many students choose to then take a gap year to strengthen their application, and reapply next year.

A gap year is a great opportunity to gain more work experience, boost your UKCAT or BMAT score or improve your interview technique – and many medical schools look favourably on re-applications as it demonstrates commitment to Medicine.

If you’re unsure of your next steps, why not book a General Advice Session so our team of experts can advise you on the best route to take next?

Some helpful resources:

• Reapplying to Medical School
• Didn’t Get an Offer? Take a Medicine Gap Year