Universities Brace for A-level Results

Tomorrow is A-level results day and admissions departments all across the UK are bracing themselves for the storm – the busiest day of the year for the admissions office.

Students who met the conditions of their offer will be phoning universities to confirm their acceptance

Those that fell just short will be even more anxious to contact their institution and discuss their position. A select few will even opt-in to the UCAS Adjustment period; a system that allows students who achieved better grades than expected to hold their original offer open whilst looking at other courses with more stringent requirements.

This means absolute chaos as admissions officers battle long phone queues and a flood of e-mails

Here is a quick run-down of what to expect following this year’s A-level results.

5.30am – UCAS social media support opens, enabling students to get real-time answers to their clearing questions on Twitter and Facebook. Members of the admission team are either waking up, on their way to work or already in the office.

7.00am – The UCAS telephone contact centre opens. Some Admissions teams have opened their lines and are already receiving phone calls.

8.00am – UCAS Track system goes online for students to log in and check their status. It’s all hands on deck as applicants confirm their place, apply for clearing or make a case for acceptance despite missing the conditions of their offer.

5.00pm – The full Track system opens. Allowing students to make their formal clearing choice online through the UCAS website. Many admissions departments operate longer open hours to deal with clearing questions.

The weeks that follow A-level results are similarly hectic as clearing students contact admission teams to discuss extenuating circumstances, UMS marks and priority remarks. This can drag out since clearing students can continue adding new choices to their application right up until October 22.

August-September is crunch time for the admissions teams as they spend what little time they have left answering enrolment questions via phone, email and live chat. There are also special cases to handle, like international students that require advice on grade conversion. Second and third year students also draw on admissions resources, requesting resits for certain modules or asking to be transferred to a different course mid-term.

Click4Assistance is already working with the University of East London, Glyndwr, Liverpool and other major UK universities to make life easier for admissions and accommodations teams. Admissions Officers using our web chat software are approximately four times more efficient at answering student queries than their phone-bound colleagues. Contact us on 0845 123 5871 for a demonstration.