More Scottish university and college applicants have been accepted into their first-choice institution this year.
As of midnight on Tuesday, 22,292 Scottish applicants had been accepted into a Scottish university or college compared with 21,630 at the same stage last year, an increase of 3.1%.
The higher rate of first-stage acceptances is in line with the record number of Scottish higher and advanced higher qualification passes.
Those students who have not made it into their first-choice institution will now have to go through the "clearing" process to gain a place in another institution. Applicants will need to call universities and colleges beforehand to discuss courses that interest them, in search of a provisional offer.
After checking their status, eligible applicants can browse clearing vacancies on the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (Ucas) website, www.ucas.ac.uk.
By the end of the application cycle last year, 30,800 Scottish applicants were accepted by universities and colleges through Ucas, 29,075 by institutions in Scotland.
Andrea Robertson, director of customer operations at Ucas, said: "More than 22,000 applicants from Scotland have won places at their chosen university or college today. Congratulations are due to all of them. For those whose grades haven't quite worked out as expected, there are several options available.
"If you don't have a place on results day, for whatever reason, you may wish to use clearing to find a course. Guidance on how to make the best of the process can be found on the Ucas website, alongside lists of courses still available. If you are flexible and make sure you match the requirements, there's a great chance of finding a fulfilling course.
"Making sure you are properly informed before you call the admissions staff will increase your chance of being made a provisional offer. It's likely you'll then be given a set period in which you must confirm your acceptance of the place. If you decide to apply again next year, courses beginning in 2013 are now available to view on our website."
In 2011, 1,395 Scottish students found a place through clearing, and 1,210 of those went to institutions in Scotland.
