Clearing

How Does Law Clearing Work?

Clearing helps people applying late and those who have not met the conditions of their UCAS offers gain a place at university. 

Law clearing also allows universities to fill spaces on under-subscribed LLB courses. These law schools can offer spaces to students who have achieved the required grades for certain courses they offer.

When to Apply for Law Courses Through Clearing

You can apply to law courses through clearing from the 6th July – 20th October 2020.

While this is plenty of time to submit an application, we advise applying as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

How to Apply Through Clearing

Applying through clearing is fairly straightforward. You can do this directly through your chosen universities for all types of law degrees.

If the law school accepts you, you need to upload the course details via UCAS under the ‘Your Choices’ section and then ‘Add a Clearing Choice’ in Track.

Some universities hold clearing open days which you can attend to get a better idea of what to expect studying there.

Which Law Schools Offer Clearing Places?

Clearing for law courses is available at certain universities depending on yearly demand. Since law is an extremely competitive degree subject, many universities are unable to offer spaces on undergraduate law courses.

You can find a full list of law schools offering places for this year using the UCAS search engine, or by having a look at the table below.

What if I Can’t Get a Place Through Clearing?

If you are unable to secure a university place via Clearing, you could take a year out and reapply the following year.

A gap year can be a hugely beneficial opportunity for you to assess your options, strengthen your application for the following year and even undertake some legal work experience. Be sure to check whether the universities you wish to reapply to accept reapplications beforehand. 

Related content: How a Gap Year Can Boost Your Law Applications

Our contributor and TLP Ambassador Ali had to go through Clearing, and is now at Royal Holloway, which he adores! Read his insight into studying at this prestigious university.

For a comparison of some of the UK’s best universities for law, check out our universities table.

More information on studying law at university:

• LLB Law Degree Overview
• Choosing the Right University
• UCAS Law
• Mature Law Applicants 
• Uni by Uni Law Course Comparison