How to Write a Personal Statement for University

Gaining entry into university or college starts with writing your personal statement. As intimidating as a blank page may be, we've singled out the most important features and tips on how to write a UCAS personal statement so that you can press the submit button with confidence! 

What Is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is an opportunity for prospective students to stand out from the crowd when applying to uni. This stage of your application gives you leeway to express what makes you, you, to the admissions office in ways that your grades can't.

UCAS Personal Statement Guide

There are some important guidelines when writing your UCAS personal statement. The statement used to be comprised of a single question and one long answer, but now the personal statement format includes three questions, so read UCAS’s official guidelines to stay updated on any changes in the coming years. 

How to Start a Personal Statement

Getting started can be one of the hardest steps in writing a university personal statement. After all, it's your first impression, and you want it to capture the attention of the person reading it in all of the best ways. Admissions tutors read your personal statement and decide whether or not to admit you. Deciding factors they look for include strong motives, enthusiasm, good grades, and real-life experiences. 

Let’s look at how you can leverage these factors to make your personal statement stand out! 

Opening Paragraph Tips

Here are some tips on how to prepare the opening paragraph of your personal statement layout:

• Get their attention. UCAS recommends starting out with a direct and authentic opener. Show excitement for the course you’re applying for, and let them know what your goals are in pursuing that subject.
• Connect personal life with the subject. This is your chance to show the admissions tutors what you’ve done leading up to uni to prepare for the course you’re interested in studying. Share hobbies, work, volunteering, and A Level experiences to highlight your unique perspective.
• Write the opening last. When drafting the opening paragraph, it can be helpful to get all of your thoughts out on paper in a rough draft. If you’re struggling with how to open your personal statement, it can be helpful to write the opening paragraph last, after gaining a sense of what you want to write about.
• Don't use cliches and quotes. To avoid sounding redundant, use original phrases. Remember, admissions tutors want to hear your voice, not another’s. 

What to Include in a Personal Statement (with Personal Statement Examples)

Personal statement templates have an intro, three questions, and a conclusion. The questions change annually. UCAS’s new personal statement questions for 2026 include the following: 

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

Let's break down how you can approach answering each of these questions to best prepare you for your personal statement.

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

This question’s purpose is to give you the stage to articulate why you're passionate about your chosen course(s). Universities and colleges want to know why they should choose you to ensure they select the best students for their programmes. Consider tying the question back to a personal experience or motivation that inspired you to pursue the subject and concluding with your future plans. 

UCAS personal statement examples include: Discussing inspirational figures, an influential book, your environment growing up, or even a show that moved you. 

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

Whether you have excellent grades to show for your qualifications or you participated in extracurricular activities during your formal education, dig into any course material or activities that exemplify your skills and interests in your given subject. If you’ve been out of education for some time, use this question to talk about any current experiences relevant to the subject you’re pursuing.

Good personal statement examples include: Focusing on specific modules, an essay you wrote, a project you completed, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), national, local, or school awards, private tutors or lessons, and online supplemental courses.

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

The last question for the UCAS personal statement wants you to state any additional experiences you have that don't involve your formal education. This can include work experience, volunteering, personal responsibilities, hobbies, and achievements that took place outside of the education system.

Personal statement examples include: Extracurricular activities, volunteering, caring for a family member, part-time or full-time employment, work-based learning, shadowing, tutoring, visiting educational institutions, exhibitions, museums, and other sites that have to do with your subject.

Personal Statement Structure

UCAS has a structured application for filling out personal statements. Each of the three questions is designed to elaborate on itself so that you naturally include relevant information about your chosen universities and colleges. You will find a question box for each question and a character counter that helps you keep track of the number of characters you've written. 

Personal Statement Character Limit and Length

If you’re wondering how long should a personal statement be, it depends. You have 4,000 characters to answer three questions, each with a 350-character count minimum. Blank spaces count as part of the character limit, so be sure to pay close attention to the word count when calculating the total character count of your personal statement. 

How Long Does it Take to Write a Personal Statement

How long it takes to write your personal statement varies by your writing style and speed. There is no right answer for how long it takes to complete a personal statement, but you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to finish writing your statement. Aim for a few weeks or even months before the deadline!

How to End a Personal Statement

Your personal statement’s conclusion should summarise important parts of your personal statement, reinforce your skills, and exude excitement for your chosen subject. Reiterate points you made in the beginning or in major sections of your personal statement, and talk about future goals you hope to achieve in pursuing a higher education.

Master's Personal Statement Tips

As with undergraduate admissions, applying for a postgraduate or master’s programme comes with writing a personal statement. A master’s personal statement structure is similar to an undergraduate one, but there are several key differences between an undergraduate and a postgraduate personal statement.

For one, you have more experience to draw on when crafting your master’s personal statement. Your statement is also specific to the university and programme in which you’re applying. As a result, the statement tends to be more concentrated and short. That means you’ll need to jump right in to describe your skills, showcase your passion, and stand out from other applicants.

How Personal Statements Are Assessed

How personal statements are assessed varies by the university. Universities that are harder to get into may have more rigorous assessment standards than easier programmes. Grades weigh the most when admissions tutors evaluate applicants, but a really strong UCAS personal statement can significantly boost your chances of being selected. 

According to research from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), the weight of importance for personal statements can be broken down by percentage:

• 88% of personal statements are used for determining how interested an applicant is in a given subject.
• 65% of statements are used to give contextual information.
• 40% of statements give insight into a prospective student’s academic potential.
• 29% of personal statements look at work experience as a qualifying factor.

Common Personal Statement Mistakes (optional)

So, you know what to do to prepare for the personal statement portion of admissions, but knowing what not to do can help round out your personal statement and keep you from falling for common pitfalls that direct the admissions tutors away from your hard work. Here are the most common mistakes when writing a UCAS personal statement:

• Don’t downplay your achievements and passions.
• Don’t overplay your achievements, either, as you could get disqualified during the interview stage.
• Ditch the quotes and cliches, such as “from a young age”, “I am applying for this course because…”, “for as long as I can remember”, and so forth. 
• Don’t procrastinate until the deadline. Allow ample time to review your work and create multiple drafts.
• Don’t use a spellchecker without combing through the statement yourself. Consider having an extra pair of eyes go over it to catch further errors.
• Don’t share your personal statement publicly online or with others who could use your statement for themselves. UCAS uses a detection system to scan personal statements and will flag your statement if it’s more than 30% similar to another statement. 
• Don’t stress too much. Easier said than done, but proper preparation and giving it your best are more than enough to showcase what you have to offer.

Final Checks and Submission

Checking your personal statement before submitting it can help you avoid grammatical errors, clichés, repetition, and weak spots. We recommend starting on your statement at least a month before it’s due so that you can revise it as needed. It's a good idea to wait a day or two before rereading your personal statement so that you can look at your statement with a fresh mind. 

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