A YORK university is trying to help students through the minefield of clearing for those whose grades aren't quite what they'd hoped.

York St John University has prepared some helpful tips to explain the university clearing process for anyone looking for a new course or university after getting their results.

Matthew Taylor, the university's head of admissions, said: “The most important advice to give at this time of year is to urge applicants without a place to keep calm. Do some research and then get on the phone and speak to universities. Remember that by calling a university, you are not committing yourself to anything, it’s only when you accept the place through UCAS that you are committed to a university. Don’t be afraid to call and ask questions and to make sure that you are happy with your choice before going ahead and accepting any offer. At York St John University we can guarantee callers to our Clearing hotline (01904 809700) that they will be able to speak to a trained member of staff, who will be well placed to talk them through their options."

"In almost all cases, we will be able to give a decision on an offer over the phone, which we will follow up with a written offer. We will not attempt to put pressure on applicants to give us an immediate reply and will allow applicants a suitable period to reflect and perhaps to visit us before making a decision. We believe that at this time of year, applicants are already under enough pressure and we will make the experience of applying through Clearing as simple and as stress free as we can.”

Vice chancellor, Prof Karen Stanton, said: “In a year when many universities have seen a drop in applications through the UCAS system, York St John University has seen a 14 per cent rise, while in 2016 we were England’s fastest growing university. This growth places us in a strong position, but we do still have a limited number of places available on an excellent range of courses and the University has a proud history of offering opportunities to people from all backgrounds and circumstances. For applicants who are still making this really important decision our team will be able to give useful advice and hopefully offer a place to students who would like to join us.” Go to: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/clearing/clearing-top-tips/