Thousands of students across the London will got their A-Level results yesterdat and are now finding out whether they have secured a place at their chosen university... or not.

Some students may not have got the grades they required but all is not lost as university places are still available through the clearing system.

Each university will have its own clearing team who will advise students on courses available and most can make offers of places there and then over the phone.

Students who are unable to secure a university place with their current grades are given guidance about alternative routes.

Last year over 43,000 students took up university places through clearing which is an indication of how many places are still vacant when A'Level results come out.

Clearing starts on the day A'Level results are published and will continue until the end of September or October. Students who are eligible for clearing will automatically receive a clearing entry form from the Universities and Colleges Application System (UCAS) with a clearing entry number and a letter listing all of the options available to them.

The clearing entry number is exclusive to each individual and acts as a student's 'passport' to the clearing system.

Useful websites include: UCAS website www.ucas.ac.uk, www.tvu.ac.uk the TVU website and www.uxbridgetimes.co.uk

The Clearing Survival Guide 2002:

If your grades let you down, ring your first choice university, speak to the course co-ordinator and ask whether they will still admit you or offer an alternative course

Make sure you have your Clearing Entry Form, this should have been sent to you automatically if you did not get your first choice university

Check out the newspapers with clearing vacancies (see our list) and BBC2 Ceefax and Teletext

Ring universities and colleges direct to see what courses are available

When looking at the courses available, look beyond the title as the course content may suit you

When you make the call make sure you have everything you need, your grades, your clearing number and an answer to the question 'why do you want to do this course?'

When you telephone universities, be persistent, most course vacancies go within the first two weeks. But don't make rash decisions

Also when ringing around, do it yourself. They want to talk to you not your parents

If you really want to impress an admissions tutor, ring first and make an appointment to visit in person, it shows commitment

If nothing comes of your efforts you still have one last shot in October as some students will have dropped out of courses while others simply do not turn up