Got my Level 3 results - What next?

Stay calm and explore your options 🙂

What do I do next?

Did you get the results you were expecting?

If your plan is to go into higher education make sure you check that your contact details are up to date on UCAS Track before results day!.

UCAS Track is available from 8am on results day for you to check your status and see if you’ve been accepted into university or college.

BUT the results will only be there if the higher education setting has updated UCAS.

Getting hold of your results is always the best way to make sure you’ve got what you need. 

Going on to higher education

Got the grades you needed? Congratulations! You don’t need to do anything. Your university/college will have received your results and confirmed your place, so you don’t need to contact them. 

I didn’t get the grades I expected

If you’ve received a conditional offer check on UCAS Track to see if you have been offered a firm place or contact the admissions team at your preferred university or college to see if they’ll still accept you.

Not been offered a place? See what your options are through UCAS Clearing. From 5 July to 18 October, you can apply for a course that has places using Clearing, if you haven’t been offered a place or you did not like the offers that you did receive. The following video gives a good step-by-step guide on how to use UCAS Clearing to get a University place.

Remember to…

1. Stay calm. Take time to look through your options, get advice from an adviser at school or college or the university staff – they are used to helping students trying to make a decision. 
2. Get on the phone! The best way to decide whether a different university course is right for you is to speak to someone at the university. When you phone the admissions service at a university/college, it has to be you who calls. They will only speak to you, not to your parents unless you have officially nominated them to talk on your behalf during the higher education application process.
3. Don’t feel pressured to go to university – make sure that whatever you choose to do it is the right choice for you – like consider how far away you will be from your family, and if you like the university accommodation on offer and the location where you will be living for the next 3 years.
4. If you didn’t get on to the course that you wanted it is disappointing but it will be Okay as UCAS Clearing can help you find the perfect course for you.

Going to uni to study a subject that's new to you? 

It might help to take a look at doing a free online course to learn more about the subject area before starting uni. 

MOOCs (massive open online courses) are gaining popularity, and offer an easy way to get clued up quickly. Future Learn offer a big range of short online courses for free, including business, creative arts and media, health, psychology, languages, law, literature, politics, science and more! 

Why not see what you could learn by checking out Future Learn's courses.

Alternatives to higher education

It’s not just about going to Uni! If you’ve not decided what you want to do next you will need to do some research. Head over the the National Careers Service Website for some ideas or explore this section further.

Have you thought about an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships offer you the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’.

Higher apprenticeships (level 4 and 5) are equivalent to a higher education certificate, diploma or a foundation degree, and a level 6 is equivalent to a bachelor degree.

Read more on our Apprenticeship page.

“I want to take a break from education?“

If you feel like you need a break from education, you could think about a gap year. You could work, travel or volunteer, but it needs to be properly planned. Read about taking a gap year.

Explore the your future section for information on becoming self employed or finding a job.