Secondary school exam season has come to an end, but for one group exam-related stress is just beginning to ramp up: university IT departments counting down to Clearing in August.
University Clearing is the UK admissions process run by UCAS that helps students find university places after they receive their exam results. It is available to students who didn’t receive any offers, didn’t meet the conditions of their offers, declined their place, or decide to apply to university late, allowing them to apply for courses that still have vacancies.
Ged Attwood, Head of Operations at University of Worcester, comments:
“It’s a tough period, possibly the most intense part of the year, and universities train and plan months in advance. It’s worth it in the end though because you want people to get in and be on the course of their dreams. We work hard on this because we don’t want to have people being stressed. Last year during the Clearing period, 3,325 calls were taken with an average wait time of 32 seconds. Even more impressively, on the first – and busiest – day, the average wait time was no longer than ten seconds.”
Last year, more than 77,000 students entered Clearing looking for a university place – and with each student representing an average of £27,000 in tuition fees, there is approximately £2 billion on the table. For universities, a missed call isn’t just a poor experience – it’s a direct hit to the bottom line!
Last year’s Clearing exposed a stark divide in how universities handled one of the most high-stakes contact days in the academic calendar. When A-level results dropped, students scrambled to secure places – and many were forced to wait for long periods of time on hold to do so.
While Clearing technically runs until October, the first few days are critical, with places awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. People who called certain 8×8-supported universities were able to speak to university staff within 8 seconds. Not everyone was so fortunate.
The cost of delay
James Starvella, UK University Lead at 8×8, Inc. adds insight, stating:
“The number of applications through Clearing has been growing year on year for some time and it’s likely to top above 80,000 people this year – it’s an utterly stressful time for applicants. When they are trying to get through they have no idea if they are going to be on the phone for three seconds, three minutes, or three hours in trying to secure the course that could determine the rest of their life. But beyond this, it’s a stressful time for the university teams because they want the calls to get through quickly and for people to have a positive experience. Financially though, every dropped call is a costly failure – and one that’s utterly preventable.”
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