Over 660,000 students have applied to universities in the UK this year. UCAS have predicted that more than 170,000 of these applicants may be left without a university place.

If you’re a student who has been disappointed by your results today, and haven’t achieved the grades you needed, don’t panic yet. There is another option – Clearing.

Clearing is the process by which students who have missed out on their grades, turned down their offers or applied too late through UCAS can try to be matched up with a university course. The demand for Clearing will be high this year, but if you are considering it, here are some points to bear in mind:

• Discuss your options with a teacher or careers adviser who will be able to offer you advice.

• If you have your heart set on a particular course and missed out by several grades, consider spending the next year taking re-sits, gaining work experience or taking a gap year before re-applying. With some courses now offering entry in January, you may not have to wait too long.
• Visit the UCAS Track website to find out if you are eligible for Clearing. Although the deadline is September 20th, places are likely to be snapped up much sooner, so don’t delay.
• Research courses and universities online and get ready to spend some time on the phone. Call up any universities you are interested in to find out whether they may accept you onto their course. Be prepared to talk about why you would be a good candidate for the course and ask any questions you might have about the degree programme and institution. Most calls may take 15-30 minutes, but you may well be offered a place over the phone in that time. Always ask for written confirmation.
• If you receive an offer, consider it carefully; you can only accept one offer.
• Try to visit the university in the next few days, if possible, before confirming your offer. Many universities will hold open days on the 21st or 22nd of August.

Above all else, don’t panic; if you haven’t made it into university this year you can always re-apply later and spend the coming year building up your qualifications and experience to make yourself a stronger candidate. Everyone at i-studentadvisor wishes UK A Level students the best of luck today!

Latin America, the Caribbean as well as Central Asia show an increase in female enrolments and in a number of countries, a female-to-male ratio being two to one. North America and Europe show there are a third more women than men on campus. In Canada, women make up 55% of masters students. A connection has been established between the high proportion of women in Canadian Universities and poor performances of boys in high school. It is found amongst school exam results that 46% of girls earned an average result of 80% and above while 32% of male students earned results of the same standard. Similar situations have been found in Australia too.

Enrolment in Arab states show equality in both genders which shows a great increase in females furthering their education. Reports show that if the trend continues, women will soon take the lead in that region as well. Saudi Arabia plans to launch the world’s largest women’s university in 2010. Enrolment in the Arab states may be high but female employment remains extremely low.

South African government statistics show 59% of graduates were women despite them only representing 55.5% of all enrolments. Women began making remarkable gains in South African higher education after the first democratic election. By this time, the number of female students grew by 5.5% a year against the overall undergraduate enrolment growth of 4.9%

Ireland’s seven universities show a female majority of 59% to 41%. Irish lawyers, pharmacists, dentists, doctors and physiotherapists in the future will be female dominated occupations.

Though Men still dominate fields of engineering, manufacturing and construction, there is no doubt that women are planning to leap into the professional world. A third of the world’s countries have achieved parity and it is fair to say the rise in female graduates will push to take a greater place in the world job market.

846,977 students across England, Northern Ireland and Wales sat the exams, with a total 75.1% passing with a grade C or above, and 97.5% passing with a grade E or above. The amount of students passing the exams with A to E grades has risen 0.8% from last year.

Entry numbers for students sitting A Levels this year increased by 2.3% from 2008. Figures for students sitting subjects such as maths, further mathematics, chemistry, physics and Spanish were also up from last year. However English, maths and biology are still amongst the top choices favoured by A Level students.

Director of the JCQ, Dr Jim Sinclair said: “These are excellent results. They are the outcome of the hard work of students and teachers, who deserve to be congratulated. It is particularly good to report improved uptake and outcomes for mathematics and science.”

As predicted the grade increase has received criticism, one comment posted on a Guardian Online article entitled ‘One in Four A Levels Passed at Grade A’ read: “25% of grades ‘A’. 75% of grades A – C. It’s a bit of a joke, isn’t it?” Whilst another read “This system is not working. The ever better results are not, to a large extent, a true reflection of ability or hard work, but merely a manipulation intended to make the system and those in charge look good.”

Defending the exam results, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said, “there is no difference in the quality of the examinations and there can be no question mark about the effort put in by young people.”

i-studentadvisor would like to congratulate all A Level students who received their results today.