Personal statement help

A personal statement forms part of your UCAS application and is organised around three questions. It is sent to universities of your choice to help you stand out from the crowd.

Structure and format

There are three different sections that contain question prompts. Each section has a minimum 350-character count, with a maximum of 4,000 characters across the three of them. To enhance your personal statement, you should be aiming to get around the maximum character limit.

The new personal statement questions

  1. Why do you want to study this course or subject?

    Think here about your motivations for wanting to studying this course. Have you been inspired to study this subject, for example, after attending a webinar? Have you got any relevant experience? Think about your own knowledge of the course. Do you understand what the course is offering you and the different modules you could be studying during your university degree? Think about your career goals and where you see yourself in the next few years after graduating.

  2. How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

    Pick out relevant points from the current course you are studying, showing how this can fit into your chosen degree pathway. Think about the transferable skills you gained and how you can bring this to the course. Don’t just list these – go into a little bit of detail if you can here as this will show your own individual personality strengths. Have you any educational achievements you could mention here?

  3. What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

    Work experience will always go down well. Don’t just think of paid work experience as it can be voluntary. The skills you’ve learnt will be really valuable. Go into detail when you talk about your work experience as you want to showcase to the university that you’re going to be the perfect applicant for the course. A few courses will require you to have some work experience as part of your application, so the more you can talk about here the better. It will help you stand out. Life experience is also very valuable when answering this question. Is there anything you have done outside of work which can further re-emphasis your passion to study this subject? Do you have any hobbies, interest and personal achievements which are relevant?. Remember this is the first bit of information the admissions tutor will know about you, so the more you talk about your skills and attributes, the more you can wow them.

Structuring your answers

There are a couple of options you could use here, which might help when structuring your answer and creating your perfect personal statement:

Example structure 1

  • Point – what are you trying to say
  • Evidence – back it up with examples
  • Explanation – explain how this supports your point
  • Link – how will this link to or benefit your course/career

Example structure 2

  • A – Activity
  • B – Benefit
  • C- Course

What universities will want to consider

  • Is this course the right fit for you
  • Are you passionate about this subject
  • Are you a committed and motivated person
  • Can you study independently
  • How much knowledge do you have about the course already

Research is the key 

If you’re still unsure of your future options, there are many platforms that can help. Here are just some avenues you can explore:

Do...

  • Do talk about why you’re a good candidate
  • Do be enthusiastic
  • Do make it relevant
  • Do outline your ideas clearly
  • Do avoid the negatives
  • Do expect to produce LOTS of drafts
  • Do ask people for help

Don't...

  • Don’t be modest or shy
  • Don’t exaggerate
  • Don’t use quotes
  • Don’t leave it until the last minute
  • Don’t let spelling and grammatical errors spoil your statement
  • Don’t copy and paste
  • Don’t post your statement on social media
  • Don’t use AI to write out all of your personal statement. It can be used to generate some ideas, but remember, this is your statement and the use of AI could be seen as cheating

Remember

  • Discuss your choice of course​
  • Leave plenty of time for drafts and re-drafts​
  • Show off your skills, experience and interests ​
  • Demonstrate how you’ll benefit from life at university
  • Stand out from the crowd and let your personality shine through​
  • Be interested and enthusiastic ​
  • Get feedback

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2025

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021