Frequently asked questions about Clearing

On this page you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked Clearing questions.

What is your question about?

Accommodation – Foundation/Extended
Accommodation- general
Alternative/drop-down offers
Application status
Course change
Clearing courses list
Deferral
Fees and living costs
GCSE equivalents
Holidays during Clearing
Insurance/First choice switch
Joining instructions
Message receipt
No GCSE English Language or Maths
Open days during Clearing
Qualifications received
Rejection error
Term dates
Timetable request

Accommodation - Foundation/Extended

Q: I'm about to start a Foundation/Extended degree, how can I apply for accommodation?

Our Foundation/Extended degrees are taught at an Associate College campus so we are not able to offer University of Hertfordshire campus accommodation to Foundation/Extended degree students.

Contact your college directly. They will be able to advise you on how to find accommodation locally.

How can I get in touch with my College?

West Herts College: +44 (0)1923 812000
Oaklands College: +44 (0)1727 737080
North Hertfordshire College: +44 (0)1462 424242
Hertford Regional College: +44 (0)1992 411400

Accommodation – general

Q: I am about to start studying for a degree at the University, how can I apply for accommodation?

As soon as you have an offer from the University you should apply for your accommodation if you would like to live on campus. The application process is carried out online. Read more about how to apply for accommodation.

Please email accommodation@herts.ac.uk if you have any queries about your accommodation application.

Alternative/drop-down offers

Q: The course I've been accepted on is not the same as the course I was offered, is that a mistake?

No, sometimes if you didn't get the grades required for your original course we will accept you on to an alternative course, more suited to the grades you achieved.

If you don't want to accept the place on the alternative course, just let UCAS know by declining the offer on your Track account.

Application status

Q: I haven't had a response from the University yet, what is the status of my application?

There could be several reasons why you haven't heard from us yet so don't panic! Read on to find out what to do next.

Before 22 August 2013 - Please be patient. This is a really busy time of year for the University. We are processing around 30,000 applications at the moment and there may be minor delays for some people. You can check the status of your application via UCAS Track and we will be in touch with more information as soon as we can.
After 22 August 2013 - If you sat your GCSE exam or took other Qualifications this year, you need to make sure you have submitted your certificates and transcripts as we don't receive these from UCAS.

Course change

Q: I would like to change courses, is it possible to do that?

If there is space on the course you want to change to and you meet the entry criteria then we will be happy to transfer your application. Email us with your request and make sure you include:

Full name
UCAS ID
Date of birth
UCAS code of the course you would like to change to

Please be aware that we won't do any course changes before the 22 August so don't send in your request until after that date.

Clearing courses

Q: Which University of Hertfordshire courses are available in Clearing?

We will have a complete list of the courses available in Clearing on our website. If you wish to apply for a course through Clearing, please go to the homepage and use the contact details there to get in touch with us. We only have places available in the listed courses.

Deferral

Q: Can I defer my place?

If you have an unconditional offer, you can defer your place until September 2014. Simply email defer@herts.ac.uk telling us:

Your UCAS ID
Full Name
Date of birth

Please be aware that you will be charged the fees for 2014/15 if you defer your place.

Can I defer to 2015/16?

You can't defer your place for more than one year. If you want to defer for longer then you need to withdraw your application and reapply nearer the time.

Fees and living costs

Q: What will my fees and living costs be?

All fees for undergraduate courses are listed on our website.

Q: Will there be any additional study and living costs?

You may need to buy some books and study materials for your course, not covered by your fees. You also need to plan for your living expenses, food, socialising, travel etc. More general advice and finance tips can be found on our website.

GCSE equivalents

Q: What equivalents will the University accept for GCSE in English Language, Maths and Science?

The University of Hertfordshire will only accept the below courses as GCSE equivalents:

English Language

GCSE English Language/English Studies at grade C or above
GCSE English (first or second language at grade C or above)
Key Skills Level 2 Communications
Functional Skills Level 2 English
Open University Pass in A or D prefixed courses
Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Communication
Level 2 Essential Skills Northern Ireland Communication
IBMid Grade 4 or above in English

Please note: We do not accept GCSE English Literature or Adult Literacy.

Maths

GCSE Mathematics at grade C or above
iGCSE Mathematics at grade C or above
Key Skills Level 2 Application of Number
Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
AQA Level 2 Certificate Use of Mathematics
Open University Pass in M or T prefixed courses
Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Application of Number
Level 2 Essential Skills Northern Ireland Application of Number
IBMid Grade 4 or above in Maths

Please note: We do not accept Adult Numeracy.

Science

GCSE Science/Applied Science/Additional Science/an individual science (e.g. Biology/Chemistry/Physics) at grade C or above
Open University pass in S prefixed course
OCR National Certificate in Science
For Foundation degrees only: Edexcel BTEC level 2 certificate in Applied Science (3 mandatory units only)

Please note: GCSE P.E. is not accepted as a Science for Sport courses.

What to do next

If you haven't sent us your certificates, please scan them and email them to results@herts.ac.uk or pop them in the post as soon as possible. Our address is:

Standard Admissions,

University of Hertfordshire,

College lane,

Hatfield,

Herts,

AL10 9AB
UK

If you have sent your certificates to us, we will be working through your application and will be in touch as soon as possible. If you don't hear from us within five days, get in touch to check we have received them safely. If you do need to contact us, the telephone number is: +44 (0)1707 284800.

What to do if you didn't take any GCSEs or other Qualifications

Give us a ring on +44 (0)1707 284800 to find out what is happening.

Holidays during Clearing

Q: I'm on holiday during Clearing, will this be a problem?

Not necessarily but we do usually recommend that you are available during Clearing just in case something unexpected does happen. Hopefully you will meet all of the conditions of your offer and there will be no issues.

We need to know that you meet all of your offer conditions for UCAS or see proof that you have met all of these conditions so that we can proceed with your application at this stage. If we don't have all of the information or you need to make an application through Clearing while you are away, we will be unable to wait or hold a place for you.

You can appoint someone to talk to us about your application while you are away but only if you have specifically given us permission to talk to them before you go away. We need their:

full name
date of birth
contact number

If your nominated person has your UCAS ID number then they will be able to make enquiries on your behalf. Please note: They will not be able to make any decisions for you due to data protection laws.

If at all possible, we highly recommend that you make yourself available during Clearing – just in case!

Insurance/First choice switch

Q: The University of Hertfordshire are my insurance but now I'd prefer to study with you, can I switch?

Unfortunately, we can't just swap around with other universities due to the rules set out by UCAS.
If your course has gone into Clearing at the University of Hertfordshire you could ask your first choice institution to release you into Clearing and apply to us that way.

Make sure you have met all of our criteria for your course before you do that though, otherwise you could end up without a place anywhere!

If your course has not gone into Clearing, I'm afraid we are unable to help you.

Joining instructions

Q: How do I get my joining instructions?

You will automatically receive your joining instructions by email once you have accepted an unconditional firm offer with us. Please be sure to check your junk mail folders as some emails may end up there.

If you haven't received your joining instructions a few days after you accepted your unconditional firm offer, please email admjoin@herts.ac.uk.

The link in my joining instructions doesn't work, what should I do?

Contact admjoin@herts.ac.uk and explain the problem.

Message receipt

Q: I contacted you a while ago and haven't heard back, did you get my message?

What to do if you haven't heard back from us

At this time of year we are confirming a lot of places and we receive a really high volume of e-mails and calls. We try to respond to everyone as quickly as possible but it can take us up to five working days at this busy time.

We understand that you're anxious and that you want to know as soon as possible and we're doing everything we can. Please be patient with us and don't resend your message as that just adds to the backlog and may cause an additional delay.

No GCSE English Language or Maths

Q: I didn't get a C in GCSE English Language and/or Maths. Can I take a university test or retake while I study?

Unfortunately not. We don't run any additional entry tests and we require all students to have a grade C GCSE (or equivalent) for English and Maths before they can be accepted on to a course. We take a hard line on this in order to be fair to all applicants – there are no exceptions.

Open days during Clearing

Q: I would like to visit the University of Hertfordshire, are there any open days coming up?

We are holding Clearing open days, which will provide you with the perfect opportunity to come and have a look around.

If you can't make any of these days, you are welcome to come to the campus at a more convenient time for you. Unfortunately, you won't be able to access libraries or classrooms outside of an open day visit.

Qualifications received

Q.I sent my qualifications in via e-mail but nothing has changed, did you get my e-mail?

We send out an automated response when you e-mail us. If you got this when you sent your qualifications to us then we have received the information and we are dealing with it. We have a high volume of e-mails coming through at this time of year so it may take us a little while to make the change.

If you didn't get the automatic response then it may be that we didn't receive the e-mail you sent us. You should check that the address was correct, with no spelling errors or typing mistakes.

If you have sent us more than one e-mail then you may not get an automated response for e-mails after the first one due to the way our e-mail system works.

If you are worried or still unsure contact us on +44 (0) 1707 284800.

Rejection error

Q: I think my application has been rejected in error, can someone check this for me please?

We can only apologise for this, occasionally mistakes can happen while we are processing applications.

Please don't worry. We will always honour the offer we made to you provided the conditions have been met.

Please follow the steps below so that we can sort out the mistake as quickly as possible:

Read through your offer again very carefully and check that you have
a) all of the UCAS points asked for
b) met any specific course requirements and
c) any GCSEs or equivalents that are listed on your offer.
Make sure you check everything.
If you definitely have everything we have asked you for, log on to UCAS and make sure all of those qualifications are listed on there. We can only accept qualifications listed on UCAS so if you have forgotten to list something this may be why you have been rejected.
Make sure that you have submitted all you GCSE, Access and other qualification certificates to us before 31 August (we can't accept anything after this date).
If you have checked everything listed above and you still think there is a problem call us on +44 (0)1707 284800 or e-mail us at ask@herts.ac.uk and we will have another look at your application.