| MATRICULATE | Cut material unusually to qualify for tertiary education |
| RIDGETILE | Bit of building material unusually dire? Leg it! (5-4) |
| UNIVERSE | For tertiary education to prevail, poetry should contain all that is |
| UNIDEAL | Imperfect arrangement for tertiary education? |
| MAKEWEIGHT | Unimportant person having to shed pounds to qualify for bout? |
| DONOR | One of 130,000 needed to qualify for the next Democratic debate |
| LE | First black American golfer to qualify for US Masters, initials (2) |
| OPEN | Tournament that anyone can try to qualify for |
| WIE | Youngest player to qualify for an L.P.G.A. Tour event |
| MISSEDTHECUT | Failed to qualify for Saturday at a golf tournament |
| PREPARED | Was ready to qualify for a degree (8) |
| GREECE | Only former Euro champion that failed to qualify for Euro 2020 |
| SOCCER | Olympic event that Brazil shockingly failed to qualify for |
| DEADHEAT | Draw late round to qualify for final (4,4) |
| HOTSEAT | Heats, to qualify for question site (3,4) |
| FALDO | Former World No. 1 golfer who, at the age of 20, became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Ryder Cup (5) |
| REPECHAGE | A heat in a rowing competition in which eliminated contestants have another chance to qualify for the next round (9) |
| DENMARK | Winners of football's European Championships in 1992, despite failing to qualify for the tournament |
| SCOTLAND | Football nation that beat Serbia in a play-off penalty shoot-out to qualify for Euro 2020 (8) |
| WILDCARD | In sport, an extra opportunity to qualify for a championship competition (4,4) |
