A step-by-step guide to Adjustment

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/aug/06/step-by-step-guide-adjustment

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The day of your final exam: Dad washed your lucky pants, you memorised the scribbles on the post-it notes stuck to the fridge, and you bossed it. A-level results day rolls around and, no, you didn't forget how to read over the summer, that really is an ABB not an ABC.

Most people have heard of Clearing – when you miss the grades required by your chosen universities and have to find another available course – but what about when you exceed those grades? Ucas lets you swap your confirmed university place for one at another university in a process known as Adjustment. Here's how to do it.

Prepare in advance

Adjustment doesn't open until results day – the 2014 deadline is 14 August. But you can prepare in advance. Ucas doesn't have a list of places that will be available through Adjustment, but universities will have information on their websites. "You have to do all the leg work yourself," says Julie Taylor, an adviser for the National Careers Service. It can be quite time consuming, she says, especially as your original research may have been done over several months.

Narrow down your options: you might have a list of courses you like but didn't think you'd get the grades for, says Ross Sanger, customer service adviser at Ucas. You can make speculative calls and for some universities, such as Sheffield, where you can register your interest in Adjustment in advance online.

Register online

The 2014 Adjustment period is between 14 and 31 August. The first thing to do is register for Adjustment. "The applicant registers on Ucas Track, and then has five days to find an alternative place, while still keeping their place at the original choice. So it is a safe way of trying to find a university "more suited to their abilities for those who have done better than expected", says Roderick Smith, director of admissions at Birmingham University. Be aware that it may cost an extra £11 to use Adjustment.

Make contact - as soon as possible

Contact the universities you're interested in. "The best advice is to start early," says Dr Mark Goodwin, a senior admissions tutor at the University of Leicester. "Even the best universities may still have places available for students applying through Adjustment if you get in early enough, but they will start to fill up quickly as soon as the A-level results are available." Goodwin says students should phone up themselves and have their Ucas personal ID at the ready.

Some universities have an online system. "The day the results come out, the phones at the university are absolutely buzzing," says Dr Louise Robson, an admissions tutor at Sheffield University. Unless you have specific questions, she recommends you avoid wasting time on hold by going online. Your form will go straight to the admissions team and they will contact you. Be prepared for questions about why you want to switch course and university.

Be sure before you confirm a new place

Think carefully before confirming a new university place, because once this happens you will lose your original firm offer. "Your exams results may have come as a shock – albeit a nice one – and it's important that any decisions are made in the right frame of mind," says Taylor. She stresses that Adjustment is entirely optional, and it's important to keep calm, do your research and speak to the right people. You may want to visit university before accepting an offer; many universities offer an open day the weekend after results day. Remember that just because a university is seen as prestigious, it doesn't mean it's the right choice for you, she says.

Get on top of accommodation and finance

If a university has a place for you and you accept it, they will update your Ucas page for you. Be aware that taking a place through Adjustment may push you to the bottom of the queue for things like accommodation and bursaries. Make sure the Student Loans Company is aware of a change to avoid any delay in payments.

Adjustment can feel a little hectic but do the right research and you can make it work for you. As Goodwin says: "You've worked hard for those results, now's the time to make sure that they're working for you."