Every August, A-level results day and University Clearing mark a pivotal moment in the higher education calendar. For universities, it’s not just about filling places, it’s about making the right connections with students at a time of heightened emotion and pressure. For us, it’s one of the most important days of the year: the culmination of months of planning, research, and preparation.
On Clearing day this year, the Adgen team was buzzing. From the moment the first data sets started coming through at 7am, Teams was alive with insight sharing, live campaign monitoring, and strategic pivots to make sure our clients were best placed to succeed.
The Pulse of the Day
Our Clearing 2025 Teams hub was more than just a chat; it became mission control.
Some key insights included:
Market Context
- Clearing 2025 was sharper and more competitive than 2024.
- More high achievers secured firm choice offers, shrinking the pool for Post-92 universities.
- Russell Group providers gained between +3–6% year-on-year, while Post-92s lost -3%.
Student Behaviour
- Decision-making accelerated. By 1pm on Results Day, 79% of course searches and 86% of interactions had already taken place.
- Despite impressions falling -21% YoY, interactions grew +10% and calls rose +11%. Conversion was high too: 48% of calls resulted in offers, with 41% of those verbally accepted on the spot.
- Students who had enquired before Results Day were 3× more likely to accept an offer over the phone.
Subject Trends
- Law was the most searched subject nationally, with continued strength in Health & Medicine.
- High-demand areas also included Pharmacy, Psychology, Economics, Medicine, Accounting, Biomedical Sciences, and Computer Science.
- Growth was particularly strong in Engineering, Business/Management, and Biomedical Sciences. By contrast, Creative Arts, Humanities, Education, and Finance lagged behind.
- The Student Room (TSR) discussions mirrored these patterns, with high engagement in Medicine, Law, Engineering & Tech, and Computer Science.
Regional Patterns
- Cost-of-living pressures continued to shape choices. Students increasingly sought local options in the South East, South West, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, all showing stronger retention and growth.
- London demand softened as students prioritised affordability elsewhere.
- Meanwhile, the West Midlands and North East became fiercely contested battlegrounds, with aggressive non-local targeting.
These insights weren’t just observations, they powered live campaign adjustments. Budgets shifted to capitalise on late-cycle interest in Biomedical Sciences, messaging was tailored around cost-of-living support, and universities spotlighted NHS-linked placements, foundation routes, and combined courses to maximise engagement.
Energy, Collaboration, and Culture
If Clearing is the ultimate test of agency agility, this year showed just how strong Adgen’s culture of collaboration has become. The chat was filled not just with charts and data, but with encouragement, humour, and celebrations of wins:
- “Go on team Swansea ⭐”
- “Nice visual for Lancs that traffic is coming from UK & Hong Kong 🙂”
- “We’re seeing CPCs much higher again this year…”
That blend of rigour and camaraderie is what makes Clearing at Adgen unique. Every client had a dedicated focus, every insight was shared openly, and every win was celebrated across the group. The result? Universities knew they had a partner fully invested in their success on a day that could define their recruitment year.
What Universities Can Learn
University Clearing 2025 reinforced several important lessons for higher education institutions:
- Agility Wins – With peak activity done by lunchtime, the universities that performed best were those able to pivot messaging and budgets in real time. Speed matters.
- Pre-engagement Pays – Students who were nurtured before Results Day converted at much higher levels. Keep-warm campaigns made all the difference.
- Local Matters – Clear communications around affordability, accommodation, and support resonated in cost-sensitive regions, while London saw leakage towards “value-for-money” destinations.
- Niche is Big – Beyond traditional demand in Law and Psychology, niche courses like Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences showed particularly strong late-cycle conversion.
- Compliance Counts – Even strong campaigns can fall short if the basics, like cookie compliance and digital hygiene, aren’t in place.
Looking Ahead
University Clearing is often described as a sprint, but in reality it’s a marathon that peaks on Results Day. What sets agencies like Adgen apart is not just turning up on the day, but being ready with months of research, strategy, and testing behind us.
This year, the team’s energy, insight-sharing, and commitment ensured our university partners were ahead of the curve when it mattered most. Clearing will always be intense, but with the right preparation and the right people, it can also be one of the most rewarding days of the year.
Clearing doesn’t have to be stressful. Partner with us and turn Results Day into your biggest opportunity.
