Helping your young person prepare for a university interview

By:: University of Bradford
Published: 30 October 2025
Tagged under:: Clearing; Parents and carers

Your young person may need to take part in a selection interview – here’s how you can support them.

A student is sitting and smiling at someone facing away from the camera

Our handy interview tips are designed to help you support your young person to get organised and stay calm and focused.

This is especially important during Clearing, when things can happen fast. Your young person’s interview might take place within days, or even hours, of applying through Clearing.

How do our interviews take place?

Main application process

If your young person's application is successful, we will send them an email with an invitation to an interview/selection day. These take place between November and April. Along with an individual interview, they might have group exercises or individual aptitude tasks. They may also take part in a tour of the campus facilities and attend a welcome presentation. More details are available on our Selection and interview page.

Clearing

If your young person applies online, over the phone, or at our Undergraduate Clearing Open Day and their application is successful, they could receive an 'on-the-spot offer'. This offer will be dependent on presenting their qualifications and passing any required interview.

Interviews during Clearing tend to get scheduled quite quickly and take place online or over the phone.

Not all courses have interviews

Have your young person confirm that the course they are interested in does selection interviews. They can consult the list on our Selection and interview page.

Please note: not all of the courses listed on our Selection and interview page will be available during Clearing.

Explore our list of Clearing courses to check what's available. This list will be updated regularly as courses fill up and become unavailable.

Getting organised

The following questions can become a checklist for your young person:

Where and when will the interview take place? In person, online, or over the phone?
- For Clearing, it will most likely be over the phone or online.
If the date or time slot won’t work, have they asked for a suitable alternative?
Has the interviewer been made aware of any disabilities and has your young person requested appropriate adjustments?
If it’s an in-person interview, does your young person know the best route so they arrive in plenty of time?
If it’s online, have they done a practice run on camera – checking their camera angle, background, internet connection etc?
Have they confirmed that they will be attending the interview?
If they cannot attend on the day, have they contacted our Admissions team to let them know? That way, along with arranging a suitable alternative date, the team may be able to offer that interview spot to someone else.

General interview research and prep

Whether or not your young person has submitted a personal statement, the following questions, taken from UCAS' new 2026 personal statement format, can be helpful jumping off points for the types of general questions they may be asked.

Why do you want to study this course or subject?
How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

The following UCAS article, UCAS – The new personal statement for 2026 entry, is full of information to help guide your young person as they prepare their answers.

Specific course-related research and prep

Your young person should review our interview details for the course they have applied for, as they do vary from course to course, especially during the main application cycle.

Our podcast episode, University Interviews: Skills and Tips, is filled to the brim with helpful tips and advice that will help your young person give the best interview they can. We recommend listening to it together when they're beginning their research and preparation.

Our pre-recorded webinar, Interview Skills 2025 Entry - Including Top Tips by Course, is aimed at Year 13 students and adult learners who are applying for courses here at Bradford in 2025.

Your young person may also consider attending our Undergraduate Clearing Open Day. It's held every year on the Saturday after Results Day. They can learn more about, and apply for, courses that are still available in Clearing after Results Day.

Time for a rehearsal

Once your young person has done their research and prepared their answers, it’s time for them to mentally prepare. As their parent or carer, this is when your role as a helper can really shine.

Help them rehearse – your young person can create questions for you to ask, to give them a chance to practice by saying their answers out loud. Pick a quiet, distraction-free space at home and block out a good amount of time.

It may feel a bit awkward at first, but you’ll soon both get into the swing of it. It’s really just all about giving it a go, trying again, and getting them comfortable with speaking about themselves and their motivations, skills and achievements.

Remember to keep any feedback constructive and helpful – and make sure there’s time to digest, adjust and give it another try.

After the interview

Give your young person some time to rest and reflect on their experience. They may want to talk about it, or they may want to be distracted so they can decompress a bit. Make sure their favourite treat is on hand – they’ve earned it!