As we approach the end of the 2025 admissions cycle, you may still be undecided about your next steps. Every year, over a million students register for a Ucas account and yet 400,000 of those registered in the system never reach the stage of submitting an application. This shift reflects a broader trend: more students are delaying their decisions, reassessing their options, and using Clearing not as a fallback, but as a strategic route into higher education.

If you’re receiving your A-level results this year, you may have heard of clearing. This is the process students can go through if they don’t receive the grades they were expecting and miss out on their first and insurance places.  

Our guide to Ucas clearing explains what clearing is, how to apply for clearing and when, so you can use clearing to your advantage.

With A-level results day fast approaching (results are out on 14 August), students will be eager to find out whether they have secured their first (or second) choice of university.

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the Duolingo English Test.

For international students, one of the most common questions during the application process is: Do schools actually prefer TOEFL, IELTS or the Duolingo English Test (DET)?

The short answer: No, they don’t.

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the Duolingo English Test.

The Duolingo English Test (DET) has rapidly grown in popularity over the past few years, but misconceptions still surround it. Whether you’re applying to a university or a visa programme, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. We debunk four of the most common myths about the DET and set the record straight.

Sponsored content: created in partnership with Ho Chi Minh City Open University

The Rhodes Scholarship opens for applications in June 2025 for applicants who will begin their postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in October 2026. 

The Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The rankings, which started in 2019, have seen growing numbers of universities across the globe participating. Their evaluation criteria explore the research, stewardship, outreach and teaching universities are conducting to support the SDGs.

As a former admissions counsellor who reviewed applications at the university level and as a university and careers counsellor guiding students internationally, I’ve seen firsthand what makes an applicant stand out. 

In today’s admissions landscape, students need to find ways to distinguish themselves outside of GPA and standardised test scores.