Students who fail to make the grade at A level will be able to text-message their way to a higher education place under a new clearing system at Middlesex University, writes Paul Hill.
The university is the first in the UK to try to reach "generation text" by allowing prospective students to register their interest for clearing with a text message.
"In previous years we've had to employ additional resources to avoid losing callers," said Frank Jeffs, corporate communications manager at Middlesex.
"With this system, we can handle every inquiry with existing staff."