Tens of thousands of Britain's students were battling for a university place through Clearing today - after the A-level grades they received were down on the past two years, but remained higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Some 20,360 pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland found out today that they were unplaced and therefore eligible for Clearing, based on exam results. This total was up by 46 per cent on the 2021 figure of 13,930 - when students were assessed by teachers - but down on the last pre-pandemic figure of 24,260 in 2019.
More than 27,000 courses are available through Clearing - the system which matches unplaced students with leftover course places - as well as 3,700 apprenticeship jobs. However, students trying to get into Cardiff University this morning faced a scramble after a fault with its systems saw them endure problems on phone lines.
Students took to social media to complain they were being cut off after waiting 40 minutes, with one tweeting: 'Trying to call Clearing, cannot get through, please help!' The university said it was 'working hard to resolve the issue' and urged prospective students to contact the relevant department to 'discuss potential vacancies'.
