Top 5 ways universities can maximise their impact leading up to A-level results day

The Clearing period leading up to A-level results day is an extremely busy, pressurised and important time for universities. In 2023 a record-breaking 67,990 students found a place through Clearing, making it crucial for meeting recruitment targets and ensuring that courses are operating at sustainable levels.

This can be a stressful and frantic period, as institutions rally against one another to attract their share of the thousands of prospective students entering Clearing each year.

The good news is that there are practical ways in which universities can make the most out of Clearing. Emma Bridge, IDP Connect’s Director of Marketing (Domestic B2C), previously Associate Director (Marketing Communications) at the University of Bradford, says: “The weeks leading up to A-level results day are all about ensuring that you’re ready for the big day. This period is about optimising paid and non-paid campaigns, engaging with prospective students and getting the call centres ready for results day.”

We’ve collated some of the best Clearing campaigns from top UK institutions and identified effective ways universities can optimise their impact before A-level results day.

A prominent theme at our Insight Day 2024 - hosted earlier this year - was the importance of utilising the student voice in your comms strategy. Prospective students are more prone to trusting what current students have to say about their study experiences. They tend to believe that institutions present biased content to market themselves, whilst the student voice is viewed as more authentic.

This makes it important to showcase student-generated content on your Clearing pages leading up to A-level results day. Brunel University London are doing this well by featuring two videos on their Clearing landing page of students who have gone through Clearing themselves.

In one video, a student shares how Brunel University London have his best interests at heart and supported him throughout the Clearing process. In the other video, a group of students share tips and advice aimed at prospective students navigating the process. They also have a chat bot that pops up allowing prospective students to chat directly with current students.

Similarly, Coventry University share student content effectively, by featuring a series of Clearing success stories on their Clearing landing page.

These are great ways to foster trust and connection with prospective students. Sharing student-generated content on your university’s Clearing pages and social channels is an excellent way of building momentum before A-level results day.

Students who enter Clearing want reassurance that they’re making the right choice with your institution. It’s therefore vital to showcase why your university is a great choice for them.

As we approach A-level results day, be sure to ramp up messaging focused on achievements, rank and awards. The University of Sheffield have presented their top accolades on their Clearing landing page, showcasing their status as University of the Year at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards.

Other Whatuni Student Choice Awards winners and runners-up can also share their achievements leading up to A-level results day, particularly seeing that these awards are voted for by students themselves.

Nottingham Trent University successfully use video content on their Clearing landing page, showcasing the reasons why students should choose their university. Video is a highly impactful and easy-to-consume way to market your unique selling points to prospective students. Be sure to share accolades and video content across your social media channels leading up to A-level results day.

Institutions should prioritise key call-to-actions and make them as easy as possible for researchers to find and access.

Coventry University do this well by displaying their Clearing hotline number at the very top of their Clearing landing page. They also have a CTA button at the top of this page prompting students to sign up to view available courses and tariff points in Clearing. They have also included a clear CTA for prospective students to sign up to open days before A-level results day.

Loughborough University have included a chatbot - powered by The Ambassador Platform - at the top of their Clearing landing page where prospective students can chat directly to current students. They’ve included a useful filter, enabling prospective student to customise who they talk to based on what they are studying, where they are from and additional themes. NTU have a CTA near the top of their Clearing landing page that leads prospective students to fill out a form giving them priority benefits leading up to A-level results day.

All these CTAs should be front and centre of your Clearing pages and can be shared on your social channels leading up to A-level results day.

Clearing can be a very daunting time for prospective students and difficult for them to understand. As higher education professionals, it’s easy to sometimes forget that not everyone knows the ins and outs of Clearing. It’s therefore vital to offer plenty of reassurance and explanations about what Clearing is, who it’s for and how it works.

Anglia Ruskin University are running an advert in the London underground with the headline: ‘CLEARING CALM’. The messaging is focused on how prospective students should feel calm during Clearing and letting them know that they are there to offer support and be the experts. They’ve also included an accolade on the advert.

Nottingham Trent University are doing a great job at offering explainers by including a Top 5 Clearing FAQS section, covering questions like: What is Clearing? When does Clearing open and close? And how do I apply through Clearing? Similarly, Coventry University have included a comprehensive Clearing Guide near the top of their Clearing landing page with tips and information included.

Whatuni, one of our top UK sites for local prospective students, also has a comprehensive Clearing 2024 guide that also offers advice for parents on supporting their children through Clearing and how applicants can manage stress during this time.

Institutions should share reassuring messaging and explainers around Clearing on their socials channels before A-level results to build trust and engagement with prospective students.

The use of colour, layout and graphics are vital ingredients for reflecting your university’s brand and creating an emotional connection with prospective students. How your Clearing pages look are the first impression that prospective students will have of your institution. It’s important that the visuals of your Clearing pages echo your institution’s ethos and style, making it unique from competitors.  

Loughborough University’s Clearing pages are particularly successful from a design and visual perspective. They’ve used bold and bright colours to draw attention and a uniquely innovatively theme of illustrations used throughout the landing page.

The length of the landing page is also relatively short, linking out to other pages, thereby ensuring that it’s not overwhelming for users. Content themes are neatly represented in clear and colourful boxes or circles, making it easy for users to navigate. They’ve displayed a results day timeline, which is effective in clearly showcasing key dates.  

To ensure that your Clearing pages are as visually appealing as possible, opt for a colour palette and illustrations that reflect your university’s brand and ethos, keep the length of your landing pages as concise as possible, and compartmentalise content sections to ensure a user-friendly experience.  

The last few weeks before A-level results day are about leveraging the content you already have on hand, particularly on your social channels. Maximise your impact by sharing student-generated content focused on Clearing and your institution in general, highlight your key CTAs and accolades, and share messaging that position you as a supportive and expert partner in the Clearing process.

To conclude, Emma says: “The days are long, and the to-do list sometimes never gets shorter! But it’s all about working as a team and getting everything ready leading up to A-level results day.

“To ensure a successful Clearing experience, I believe that it’s all about planning and following the processes you’ve set to get an offer to students and to make them feel part of your university community as quickly as possible.”

Discover how we can support your institution throughout Clearing here.