As a parent, we know you want to do everything you can to help your child navigate the university application process.
Hear from Paddy Robb, a parent from Northern Ireland. His son is in his first year studying Mechanical Engineering.
They live 45 minutes outside of Belfast and his son decided to stay at home and commute to university. Paddy says that "it hasn't cramped his university experience. He's still very active in a lot of the clubs and societies and still has a great social life".
Find out what Liza Rossiter, a parent from the Isle of Man, has to say about how her daughter secured a place studying English Literature at Queen’s through Clearing.
Liza says that although it was a big change on results day '"it absolutely felt right. It was really exciting."
Results day can be a particularly nerve-wracking time, especially if your child does not get the outcome they had hoped for. But it's important to stay calm and remember that your child still has plenty of options available to them.
Especially since the course places offered through Queen's Clearing process mean that a fantastic student experience at one of the best universities in the world is still possible for your child.
If your child is close to meeting the grades for their conditional offer, they may still be accepted onto their first choice course. Your son/daughter should log on to UCAS Track to check the progress of their application.
Once your son/daughter has established that they will not be accepted onto their preferred programme(s), they will be released into Clearing – a process which matches unplaced students with available courses.
Be prepared to make plenty of phone calls and research alternative courses online. Most universities – including Queen's – publish available course places online, and UCAS update their website as places are filled.
You may not have previously considered the idea of your child living and studying in Northern Ireland. But as a Russell Group University, Queen's can offer your child a world-class degree in one of the UK's safest cities – and we're just around an hour from all major UK airports.
Don't think your child has been left scraping the barrel on a course nobody wants: 64,300 UK students obtained places through Clearing last year. Many of these places are at top universities like Queen's and on highly sought-after courses, so stay positive. Getting a place through Clearing can actually be exciting.
If you see a course that your son or daughter might be interested in, they should contact us through our Clearing hotline and we'll do our best to help them. They'll need their Clearing number and Personal ID to hand.
Don’t feel rushed into a decision. Do your research on living and studying in Belfast. If your child is coming from outside Northern Ireland, they will be guaranteed a place in our quality accommodation and we’ll do all we can to help them settle in and make friends. Many parents are surprised to discover what a safe, friendly and affordable student city Belfast is.
Once we’ve accepted your son or daughter on to a course over the phone, they can click ‘Add Clearing Choice’ on the UCAS tracker – which is their formal acceptance of the offer. They are free to apply for other courses until we confirm their details and the offer is marked as ‘accepted’ on the ‘Choices’ page.