🎓 60 Years of Clearing: How Integration and Automation Can Shape the Future of Admissions

In 2025, Clearing celebrates its 60th anniversary – a remarkable milestone for a process that has helped millions of students secure places in Higher Education. Once seen as a last-minute option, Clearing has evolved into a critical part of the UK admissions landscape. But as UCAS outlines in its recent blog, “The New Era of Clearing”, the role of Clearing is changing fast – and the systems supporting it must evolve too.

Universities are dealing with more competition, tighter timelines, and rising applicant expectations, all while managing legacy systems and overstretched staff. In many cases, institutions are limited not by their ambition, but by disconnected technologies and inefficient processes.

So what if Clearing didn’t have to feel chaotic?

What if it could become a model for how modern, connected admissions should work?

🚨 The Challenge: A Process Under Pressure

Clearing today is more dynamic, visible, and data-driven than ever before. According to UCAS:

• Over 50,000 applicants secured places via Clearing last year.
• Students are increasingly using Clearing as a first-choice route, not just a fallback.
• Universities must deliver real-time updates, personalised support, and rapid responses – often across multiple systems, departments, and platforms.

And yet, for many institutions, Clearing still relies on manual processes, spreadsheets, siloed student records, and phone-based communication. This leads to:

• Delays in confirmation and offers
• Poor applicant experiences
• Inconsistent data across teams
• Burnout for admissions staff

This is where integration, automation, and AI can reshape Clearing – not just make it faster, but smarter, more transparent, and more human.

🔧 How Technology Can Shape a New Era of Clearing

Join us for a focused session on:

🗓 Thursday 19 June | 2pm – 2.45pm 🎟 Register now: 👉 https://salesforce.zoom.us/webinar/register/7017473993763/WN_TIrXGvJ_Qr6w770W_amCfw#/registration

We’ll explore how UK universities can start using Salesforce + MuleSoft to build a more connected Clearing experience – not by replacing core systems, but by orchestrating data, automating tasks, and powering real-time insights across platforms like SITS, CRM, and marketing tools.

🔍 Key Technologies We’ll Explore:

• Education Cloud – a unified view of students and applicants
• Experience Cloud – dynamic, self-service portals for applicants
• MuleSoft – API-led integration between core systems (SITS, Student CRM, UCAS feeds, finance, etc.)
• AgentForce – AI-powered agents that triage enquiries, provide instant support, and surface relevant next steps

⚙️ What This Could Mean for Your University

1. Faster, Smarter Decisions

By integrating systems and using Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), institutions can automate confirmation checks and rapidly evaluate applicant data – giving admissions staff more time to focus on edge cases and personalised offers.

2. Improved Applicant Experience

With real-time data and automation, students can get faster responses, accurate guidance, and clear next steps – via portals, emails, or even AI-powered agents. It reduces friction and builds confidence at a key moment.

3. Less Chaos for Staff

Connected systems mean fewer spreadsheets, fewer manual handoffs, and better visibility for everyone involved in the admissions process – from admissions officers to academic leads.

4. Agility and Future Readiness

Integrating Clearing is just the beginning. The same infrastructure supports year-round recruitment, retention strategies, student support, and marketing automation – all critical in today’s competitive environment.

💡 Reframing Clearing as a Strategic Asset

UCAS highlights that universities can no longer treat Clearing as an afterthought. It's become a strategic opportunity to fill places, diversify intake, and deliver on access and participation goals.

But to do this well, institutions need systems that are interconnected, scalable, and intelligent.

By combining the best of Salesforce, MuleSoft, and AI technologies, universities can reshape Clearing into a model of what a modern, student-centred admissions journey looks like – efficient, compassionate, and data-informed.

🎤 Hear from Experts – Live on Thursday 19 June

This short, high-impact session will include:

• Real-world use cases of Salesforce and MuleSoft in admissions
• A walkthrough of how integration enables rapid decision-making
• A discussion of where AI (including AgentForce) fits in
• Live Q&A to explore your Clearing challenges

Whether you're an admissions lead, IT director, or marketing and recruitment manager, this is your opportunity to see how technology can help you deliver the best Clearing yet.

🚀 Don’t Miss Out

📅 Thursday 19 June 🕚 2pm – 2.45pm 🔗 Click here to register now

Let’s mark 60 years of Clearing not just by looking back – but by taking a bold step forward. We look forward to seeing you there.