Clearing increase

Clearing has been busier than ever this year but the number of people accepted by institutions has remained stable. Of the 1,5 applicants placed by the start of this week, 31,084 had gone through clearing - about 2,000 more than last year. The final number of students placed is set to equal last year's 290,000. So far, 407,340 people have applied for courses, 4,000 fewer than in 1995.