Kingston University's Clearing hotline swings into action as eager students seek to secure degree place after A-level results released

Kingston University's Clearing hotline operation has been bustling with activity as eager applicants receiving their A-level results hit the phone lines to secure one of its remaining course places for September.

More than 130 hotline operators, academics and admissions experts have been busy fielding queries and guiding applicants through the Clearing process since the University's lines opened at 8am. By 2pm today the Clearing hotline team, which includes course leaders, lecturers and current students – some of whom have previously been through Clearing themselves, had handled over 8,000 calls from prospective students.

The hotline operators have been helping A-level students who didn't quite get the grades they were hoping for along with many who have changed their minds about their chosen course or place of study. They have also been answering calls from applicants who have done better than expected and those eager to return to education after a gap year or as a mature student.

The University's Student Recruitment and Admissions Director Clare Beckett said hotline operators had been taking calls from students interested in a range of subject areas, ranging from education and teaching to computer science, cyber-security and engineering.

Students phoning the hotline would be guided through the process step by step with the opportunity to discuss different options with the hotline team, she added. "We will continue to take calls from potential applicants until all our vacancies are filled. Courses are however filling up fast so I would encourage students to call the hotline as soon as they can to talk through their options and have the best chance of securing a place on a degree programme," she said.

As well as helping callers find a suitable degree course, the fully-trained team has been dispensing plenty of reassuring advice about topics ranging from accommodation to student support, answering questions about an array of subject areas and explaining more about university life at Kingston.

To get the most out of their calls, the University is reminding Clearing applicants to have their UCAS identification and full details of qualifications to hand, including subjects, grades, dates obtained and exam boards.

Prospective students can also find out more about Kingston University's facilities and campus life at a special Open Day on Friday 18 August. They will be able to learn more about courses, meet lecturers and current students and take tours of tis four campuses and accommodation.