4 August 2025

As A-level results day fast approaches, the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is reminding students that applying to university through Clearing can offer them the opportunity to study on a course they really want and, in many cases, get an offer of a place the same day.

Daniella Miles, Head of Student Recruitment at the RAU, explained: “Whether you don’t get the results you are hoping for – or perhaps those results will be better than you thought – applying through Clearing is a super quick and super flexible way to get a university place and start the next chapter of your life.”

Historically, the RAU’s Clearing campaign has been targeted towards those students who didn’t get the grades for a place at their first choice of university but the Cirencester-based university has recently found that more and more young people are applying through Clearing because they have decided they want to study something different to what they applied for back in January.

Daniella explained: “Clearing is a fantastic opportunity to get onto a course that you really want and one that could take you in all sorts of amazing directions. Often students think it’s too late to change their application – or, in some cases, to apply to university for the first time – but it’s not!

“If you missed the opportunity to apply earlier in the year – or maybe you didn’t think uni was for you back then and now you’ve changed your mind - then apply now! It’s quick and incredibly easy – just get in touch and we can take it from there. We are often able to offer a place within minutes of receiving your application.”

The RAU, which was founded, as the Royal Agricultural College, in 1845, was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world and celebrates its 180th anniversary this year.

As well as an extensive list of undergraduate degree programmes, the RAU also offers two-year Foundation degree courses which are designed to also offer the opportunity to continue onto a one-year ‘top-up’ course to gain a full Bachelor’s degree.

Daniella added: “We want RAU students to ‘stand out from the crowd’ and by ‘growing experts in every field’ we help them do just that! In addition to our popular agriculture courses, we offer a wide range of equine, farm management, business management, and environment and sustainability courses.

“All our courses offer experiential learning - with lectures in the field as well as the classroom – and we also have lots of scholarships and bursaries that students can apply for to help them cover the costs of coming to university.

“We put our students at the heart of everything and have a fantastic student support team who are committed to looking after their physical, mental, and emotional health throughout their time here. At the RAU you are a name and not just a number.

“And our graduates are in demand – 89% are in employment and/or further study 15 months after graduation.

“Just find us on social media or just pick up the phone and give us a call on 01285 889912. We can then chat through your options with you and we might even be able to make you an offer to study with us over the phone. Take that next step and get in touch - you’ve got nothing to lose!”

The RAU is holding a special Clearing Open Afternoon on Saturday 16th August giving prospective students and their families the opportunity to come and have a look around and find out more about life and study at the specialist university that prides itself on the relevance of its programmes, the employability of its graduates, and the fellowship of its global community of students and alumni.

RAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter McCaffery added: “The Royal Agricultural University may be 180 years old but we are more societally relevant today than ever as we equip a new generation of students to meet the most pressing challenges that face us in the world today – climate change, food security, sustainable land use, biodiversity loss, heritage management, and more. Come and see for yourself!”

For more information about Clearing and the courses available at the RAU just visit https://www.rau.ac.uk/courses/clearing, email admissions@rau.ac.uk, or call the RAU’s Clearing Hotline on 01285 889912. Or you can request a Clearing Offer form at https://your.rau.ac.uk/form/offer-request-2025.