The top 20 subjects to get into through clearing

Despite what you may think, clearing is not just for unpopular subjects, at universities which find it hard to fill their places. The Good University Guide's John O Leary explains more...

"The top 20 subjects in terms of places filled through clearing last year include many of the most sought-after degrees. Perhaps not medicine – unless you want to try complementary medicine,which was available at two universities, Middlesex and Anglia Ruskin, this morning – but most of the other big draws were there.

Law took the most students in clearing last summer and, counting the numerous combinations with other subjects, there were no fewer than 1,471 courses with vacancies today. They were at all sorts of universities too, including Essex, Lancaster, Newcastle, Reading and Sussex.

Of course, regardless of the number of places on offer, some subjects offer a better chance of success in clearing than others. Less than 8 percent of places in English were filled through clearing, compared with more than 14 percent in subjects (such as occupational therapy) which are "allied to medicine"

Nearly all universities are in the lists somewhere, although some consider it a badge of honour not to appear. Oxford and Cambridge are never in clearing and there is no sign of the London School of Economics, St Andrews University or University College London. There was just one lonely course available at Bristol University this morning – in audiology. Don’t expect it to be in the lists for long...

See below for the top 20 subjects in clearing from last year.

Read our posts on whether examination standards really have fallen and what to do if you get better or worse results than you expected.

You can also check out the Times' Good University Guide and clearing special.

Comments

[strawberrycheesecake]

@Jo: yes, UCL is on the list, however:

http://tinyurl.com/66zrps

[Akaninyene Vincent Utioh]

I like the courses offered but how about oil and gas engineering,however i have a B.sc in Computer Science from the University of Calabar,What would be your advice to me.

[Jo]

i saw LSE and UCL in the clearing list 08

http://www.ucas.com/clearing/instlist.html