uk university personal statement length

How to write a UCAS personal statement

Writing a great personal statement

Read our guide on what it is, what to include, how to start, length and what makes a good personal statement 

Once you've decided which universities and courses to apply for, completing your application is pretty simple – until it comes to how to write your UCAS personal statement.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to write a personal statement for university. We look at what it is and how you can start your personal statement. We've also got questions to guide you and a suggested personal statement structure you can use so you know what to put in it.

If you'd like even more resources, support and UCAS personal statement examples, you can sign up to access our personal statement hub .

What is the UCAS personal statement?

How universities use your ucas personal statement, how to start a ucas personal statement.

• Get feedback on your UCAS personal statement

The personal statement is part of your UCAS application. It's how you show your chosen universities why you'll make a great student and why they should make you an offer.

Your personal statement also helps you think about your choice of course and your reasons for applying, so you know you’ve made the right decision.

Get feedback on your personal statement

Sign up to our personal statement hub to get feedback on your draft. You'll also get access to videos, help sheets and more tips.

Sign up now

UCAS personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. 

This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper.

You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.

Applying for multiple courses

Although you can apply for up to 5 courses on your UCAS application, you can only submit 1 personal statement. So it needs to cover all your course choices.

If you really want to show your commitment to applying for different courses, we will accept a second personal statement from you to reflect your application e.g. if you are applying for Law elsewhere, but Criminology and Criminal Justice with us.

Lots of students who apply to university have achieved the basic entry requirements and many more students apply than there are places available. Admissions teams can use your UCAS personal statement to get to know you and decide why you're more suitable than other applicants.

Some universities read every personal statement and score them. Then they use them alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you a place or interview. Other universities put less emphasis on the personal statement and use it with students who have borderline entry requirements.

Universities might refer to your personal statement again on results day if you don't get the grades you need. So a good personal statement could clinch you a uni place even if your grades aren't what you hoped for.

Starting your personal statement can seem scary when you're staring at a blank screen. But, things will seem less daunting once you start.

• Set aside some time in a place where you're comfortable and won't be disturbed. Grab a notepad or computer.
• Write down anything and everything that's influenced your decision to go to university and study your chosen subject. Jot down your skills and experience too.
• Use the questions below to guide you. Don't worry about the personal statement length at this point – you can cut things out later.

When to start your UCAS personal statement

Ideally, you want to leave yourself plenty of time – a few weeks or even months – to plan and write your personal statement.

Try not to leave it to the last minute, as tempting as this may seem when you've got so many other things to think about.

Questions to guide you

Your motivation.

• Why do you want to study at university?
• Why do you want to study this subject?
• How did you become interested in this subject?
• What career do you have in mind after university?

Academic ability and potential

• How have your current studies affected your choice?
• What do you enjoy about your current studies?
• What skills have you gained from your current studies?
• How can you demonstrate you have the skills and qualities needed for the course?
• What qualities and attributes would you bring to the course and university?

Your experience

• What work experience (including part-time, charity and volunteer work) do you have and what have you learnt from it?
• What positions of responsibility have you held? (For example, prefect, captain of a team or member of a committee)
• What relevant hobbies or interests do you have and what skills have they helped you develop?
• What transferable skills do you have, such as self motivation, team working, public speaking, problem solving and analytical thinking?

Research and reading

• How do you keep up with current affairs or news in your chosen subject?
• What journals or publications relevant to your chosen subject do you read?
• Which people have influenced you, such as artists, authors, philosophers or scientists?

Now it's time to write your personal statement using your notes. It's best to draft it on a computer, and remember to save it regularly.

You can copy and paste it into your UCAS application when you're happy with it.

Personal statement structure

While there's no set template for a personal statement, you may find it useful to follow this personal statement structure when you decide what to put in your statement.

What to include in a personal statement

• Reasons for choosing this subject(s)
• Current studies and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Experiences and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Interests and responsibilities and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Your future after university
• Summary including why you'll make a great student

Further tips for a good UCAS personal statement

• Use information on university websites and the UCAS website. This often includes the skills and qualities universities are looking for in applicants
• Ask friends, family and teachers to remind you of activities you've participated in. They might remember your successes better than you do
• Don’t include lists in your application, like a list of all your hobbies. Focus on 1 or 2 points and talk about them in depth to show their relevance to your application
• Explain and evidence everything. It’s easy to say you have a skill, but it's better to demonstrate it with an example of when and how you’ve used it
• Avoid clichéd lines such as ‘I've always wanted to be a teacher’ as it says nothing about your motivations or experiences
• If you’re applying for a joint degree or different subjects, give equal time to each area and try to find common aspects that show their similarities
• Never lie or plagiarise another statement – you'll be caught and it could result in your application being automatically rejected
• Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud and ask friends, family or a teacher to check it for you

Sign up to our personal statement hub

Watch videos, get top tips and download our help sheets – that's what our personal statement hub is for. It's for you to write your story, so you can show your strengths, ideas and passion to your chosen universities.

You'll also be able send us your draft, so you can get feedback and feel confident about what you've written.

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Personal statement

You will need to submit a personal statement of around 500 words, outlining your academic history and relevant experience.

Your personal statement is an important part of your application: it will help selectors to decide whether you are a good match for the programme you have applied for and, just as importantly, whether the programme is right for you.

Areas to cover

Your personal statement gives you the opportunity to outline your academic history and relevant experience in order to demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate for the programme you have applied for. 

You should also use your personal statement to outline your motivation for your chosen area of study. Try to answer questions such as:

• Why are you interested in studying at Edinburgh?
• Why have you chosen this particular programme?
• If you are studying for career development, what are your career plans and how will your studies support these?

If you have any other relevant experience, for example paid or voluntary work experience or additional qualifications not stated elsewhere, then please include this information in your personal statement, or you can add it to the “Relevant knowledge/training skills” field in the application form.

If you are applying for more than one programme you should write a tailored personal statement for each of your applications. This enables you to refer to the specific programme you are applying for and to highlight how your academic background and skills make you suitable for this particular programme.

Remember that your personal statement is an opportunity to tell us about yourself. The information you give us must be true. Copying information from elsewhere or asking someone else to write your statement, including the use of AI apps such as Chat GPT, could be considered fraud.

Length and writing style

Your personal statement should be no more than 3,500 characters (approximately 500 words) in length and should be written in formal English, using appropriate grammar and punctuation.

It is a good idea to ask a friend to proofread your statement for you before you submit your application.

How to write a personal statement

How to approach writing your personal statement for graduate applications.

If you’re applying for a grad course that requires a personal statement (sometimes also called a ‘statement of purpose’), it can be difficult to know where to start and what to include. Read on for tips from some of our masters’ students about their process and what they found helpful.

1. Before you start

The academic work is the most important reason why we’re here, but that also translates into work experiences, internships, volunteering. I think a big part of the personal statement is crafting that narrative of academic self that fits alongside your professional experiences, to give that greater picture of who you are as an academic. Lauren (MSc Modern Middle Eastern Studies)

Start by thinking about the skills, knowledge and interests you’ve acquired over time and how the course at Oxford will take them forward.

Your statement is the story you want to tell about yourself and your academic work to the department you are applying to.

Most of your application and its supporting documents communicate plain facts about your academic career so far. Your personal statement is your best opportunity to put these facts into context and show assessors how you’ve progressed and excelled.

Make sure you highlight evidence of your achievements (a high grade in a relevant area, an award or scholarship, a research internship).

Presenting yourself

When I was writing my personal statement, I went onto my course website. I looked at what they emphasised and what kind of students they were looking for, and I wrote about my experiences based on that. Kayla (MSc in Clinical Embryology)

Make it easy for an assessor to see how you meet the entry requirements for the course (you can find these on each course page ).

Don’t make any assumptions about what Oxford is looking for!

Get to know your department

You want to study this particular subject and you want to study at Oxford (you’re applying here, so we know that!) but why is Oxford the right place for you to study this subject? What interests or qualities of the academic department and its staff make it attractive to you?

Use your academic department’s website for an overview of their research, academic staff and course information (you'll find a link to the department's own website on each course page ).

I said, ‘why do I actually want to be here? What is it about being at Oxford that’s going to get me to what I want to do? Sarah (Bachelor of Civil Law)

Talk it out

Talking to others about your statement can be a great way to gather your ideas and decide how you’d like to approach it. Sarah even managed to get benefit out of this approach by herself:

“I spent a lot of time talking out loud. My written process was actually very vocal, so I did a lot of talking about myself in my room.”

2. The writing process

Know your format.

Make sure you’ve read all the guidance on the How to Apply section of your course page , so you know what’s needed in terms of the word count of the final statement, what it should cover and what it will be assessed for. This should help you to visualise roughly what you want to end up with at the end of the process.

Make a start

When it comes to writing your personal statement, just getting started can be the hardest part.

One good way to get around writer’s block is to just put it all down on the page, like Mayur.

First - write down anything and everything. In the first round, I was just dumping everything - whatever I’ve done, anything close to computer science, that was on my personal statement. Mayur (MSc Computer Science)

You’ll be editing later anyway so don’t let the blank page intimidate you - try writing a little under each of the following headings to get started:

• areas of the course at Oxford that are the most interesting to you
• which areas you’ve already studied or had some experience in
• what you hope to use your Oxford course experience for afterwards.

3. Finishing up

Get some feedback.

Once you’ve got a draft of about the right length, ask for feedback on what you’ve written. It might take several drafts to get it right.

This could involve getting in touch with some of your undergraduate professors to ask them to read your draft and find any areas which needed strengthening.

You could also show it to people who know you well, like family or friends.

Because they’re the first people to say, ‘Who is that person?’ You want the people around you to recognise that it really sounds like you. It can be scary telling family and friends you’re applying for Oxford, because it makes it real, but be brave enough to share it and get feedback on it. Sarah (Bachelor of Law)

Be yourself

Finally - be genuine and be yourself. Make sure your personal statement represents you, not your idea about what Oxford might be looking for.

We have thousands of students arriving every year from a huge range of subjects, backgrounds, institutions and countries (you can hear from a few more of them in our My Oxford interviews).

Get moving on your application today

To find out more about supporting documents and everything else you need to apply, read your course page and visit our Application Guide .

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This content was previously available through our  Applicant advice hub . The hub contained links to articles hosted on our  Graduate Study at Oxford Medium channel . We've moved the articles that support the application process into this new section of our website.

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Personal statement tips

The personal statement is an important part of your UCAS application.

It helps admissions staff at the University decide whether to make you an offer. Some courses have many more applicants than places and there may be many students with good grades applying for the same course as you. 

What is it?

Your personal statement is a short written piece about you. It gives evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience. It’s your chance to tell us why you want to study a particular course and why you would make a great student. Read about:

How to write a UCAS undergraduate personal statement (UCAS website)

Top tips for writing the perfect personal statement (The Complete University Guide)

Maximum length

47 lines or 4,000 characters maximum – whichever comes first.

What to include

Your personal statement is your chance to stand out from the crowd. It is unique and individual to you, but some things to include are:

• Enthusiasm and motivation – your passion for the course should be clear and relate to you and your experiences (eg projects, field trips or experiences at school that sparked your interest in your subject). 
• Understanding of the subject – you need to show you have some knowledge and understanding, even if you have not studied the subject at high school or college. If you have done some reading about the subject, outside of school, mention this.
• Academic prizes or scholarships – this will help you stand out and show evidence of your potential.
• Career aspirations – even if you do not have clear career plans yet, you can show you have thought about your future career and how your chosen degree could help you achieve this.
• Relevant work experience/voluntary activities – explain what skills you have gained from the experience, including skills that would be useful in your university studies. 
• Non-academic interests – your hobbies (such as sports, baking or reading) show your personality and can be a chance to demonstrate different skills.
• What you will contribute to the university community – we want to know what you can bring to Leeds, as well as what you want to get out of university life.

International and EU students

If you are a non-UK student, you should also mention:

• Why you want to study in the UK.
• Why you want to be an international student, rather than study in your own country.

What to avoid

• Plagiarism (copying) – all statements will be checked for plagiarism. Your statement must be your own work so do not use templates. If you have applied before, check your personal statement is completely up to date and relevant to your current application.
• Skills without examples – show how you have developed the skills you think you will need, don't just list them.
• Listing subject knowledge – explain how your knowledge has helped you build career aspirations, choose your degree, or prepare for coming to university.
• Repeating qualifications – don't repeat information covered elsewhere on the application. This uses up valuable space in your personal statement.
• Short personal statement – make the most of the space you have. A short statement suggests you lack of passion or commitment to the course you are applying for.

Our top tips

• Write your personal statement in MS Word (or similar) first, so you can check your spelling and grammar before you add it into your application.
• Get someone else, like your tutor, family or friends, to read your statement to check for any errors and make suggestions before you submit it. You may need a few drafts before you are happy with the final version.
• If English is not your first language, you could mention any opportunities you have had to use English (eg an English-speaking school or work with a company that uses English).
• Use plain, clear English. Be careful with humour, quotes or anything unusual. The admissions tutor might not have the same sense of humour as you!
• Don’t exaggerate. If you get an interview, you might be asked for more detail about what you have written.
• Check the faculty or school website of your chosen course for guidance on your personal statement - especially important if you are applying for a course in medicine or dentistry. For example, see Leeds University Business School's 8 ways to perfect your UK university application .
• Check UCAS application deadlines  to make sure you apply before the closing date. For courses in medicine and dentistry, this is earlier than many other courses.

Related links

How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement [With Examples]

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

What are the big challenges students should be aware of before writing their UCAS Personal Statement?

• The essential ingredients for writing a great Personal Statement
• How to write the UCAS Personal Statement [with examples]

Final hints & tips to help your students

Join 10,000 other counsellors & educators & get exclusive resources delivered straight to your inbox.

The UCAS Personal Statement can sometimes be a student’s only chance to impress a UK university. Read our in-depth guide to helping your students plan & write a winning application.

There are hundreds of articles out there on how to write a UCAS Personal Statement that will grab the attention of a UK university admissions officer.  

But if you’re working with students to help them perfect their Personal Statement in time for the  relevant UCAS deadlines , we can sum up the secret to success in three words.

Planning, structure and story. 

The UCAS Personal Statement is a student’s chance to talk about why they want to study for a particular degree, course or subject discipline at a UK university. 

As they set about writing a personal statement, students need to demonstrate the drive, ambition, relevant skills and notable achievements that make them a  suitable candidate for the universities they have chosen to apply to . 

But the UCAS Personal Statement requires students to write a lot about themselves in a relatively short space of time. That’s why lots of planning, a tight structure and a compelling story are essential if a student’s Personal Statement is to truly excel. 

As important deadlines for UK university applications grow closer, we at BridgeU have put together a guide, outlining some of the strategies and techniques to help your students to write a personal statement which is both engaging and truly individual.

Handpicked Related Content

Discover the simple steps that will boost the confidence of your native English speaking & ESL students alike in  University Application Essays: The 5 Secrets of Successful Writing .

As they begin to plan their Personal Statement, students may feel intimidated. It’s not easy to summarise your academic interests and personal ambitions, especially when you’re competing for a place on a course which is popular or has demanding entry requirements. In particular, students will likely come up against the following challenges.

Time pressure

Unfortunately, the Personal Statement (and other aspects of university preparation) comes during the busiest year of the student’s academic life so far.

Students, and indeed teachers and counsellors, must undertake the planning and writing of the personal statement whilst juggling other commitments, classes and deadlines, not to mention revision and open day visits!

Because there is already a lot of academic pressure on students in their final year of secondary school, finding the time and headspace for the personal statement can be hard, and can mean it gets pushed to the last minute. The risks of leaving it to the last minute are fairly obvious – the application will seem rushed and the necessary thought and planning won’t go into  making the personal statement the best it can be . 

Sticking closely to the Personal Statement format

The character limit which UCAS sets for the personal statement is very strict – up to 4,000 characters of text. This means that students have to express themselves in a clear and concise way; it’s also important that they don’t feel the need to fill the available space needlessly.  Planning and redrafting of a personal statement is essential .

Making it stand out

This is arguably the greatest challenge facing students – making sure that their statement sets them apart from everyone else who is competing for a place on any given course; in 2022 alone, UCAS received applications from 683,650 applicants (+1.6k on 2021) students. In addition, UCAS uses its own dedicated team and purpose built software to check every application for plagiarism, so it’s crucial that students craft a truly  original personal statement which is entirely their own work .

The essential ingredients for writing a great UCAS Personal Statement 

We’ve already mentioned our three watch words for writing a high quality Personal Statement.

Planning. Structure. Story. 

Let’s dig deeper into these three essential components in more detail.

Watch: How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement with University of Essex

Planning a ucas personal statement.

It might sound like a no-brainer, but it’s vital that students plan their Personal Statement before they start writing it. Specifically, the planning phase could include: 

• Students thoroughly researching the UK university courses they plan on applying to. 
• Deciding on what relevant material to include in their Personal Statement (we’ll cover this in more detail later on). 
• Writing an unedited first draft where they just get their thoughts and ideas down on paper. 

Structuring a UCAS Personal Statement

As we’ve discussed, the UCAS Personal Statement requires students to be extremely disciplined – they will be required to condense a lot of information into a relatively short written statement. This means that, after they’ve written a rough first draft, they need to think carefully about how they structure the final statement. 

A stand out Personal Statement will need a tight structure, with an introduction and a conclusion that make an impact and really help to tell a story about who your student is, and why they are drawn to studying this particular degree. 

This brings us nicely to our third and final ingredient…

Telling a story with a Personal Statement

The UCAS Personal Statement is a student’s opportunity to show a university who they are and how their life experiences have shaped their academic interests and goals. 

So a good Personal Statement needs to offer a compelling narrative, and that means making sure that a student’s writing is well-structured, and that every sentence and paragraph is serving the statement’s ultimate purpose –  to convince a university that your student deserves a place on their subject of choice. 

How to help your students start their UCAS Personal Statement

In order to ensure that a personal statement is delivered on time and to an appropriate standard, it’s essential to plan thoroughly before writing it. Here are some questions you can ask your students before they start writing:

How can you demonstrate a formative interest in your subject?

It may sound obvious but, in order for any UCAS personal statement to have the necessary structure and clarity, students need to think hard about why they want to study their chosen subject. Ask them to think about their responses to the following questions:

What inspired you to study your chosen subject?

Example answer:  My desire to understand the nature of reality has inspired me to apply for Physics and Philosophy

Was there a formative moment when your perspective on this subject changed, or when you decided you wanted to study this subject in more detail?

Example answer:  My interest in philosophy was awakened when I questioned my childhood religious beliefs; reading Blackburn’s “Think”, convinced me to scrutinise my assumptions about the world, and to ensure I could justify my beliefs.

Can you point to any role models, leading thinkers, or notable literature which has in turn affected your thinking and/or inspired you?

Example answer :  The search for a theory of everything currently being conducted by physicists is of particular interest to me and in “The Grand Design” Hawking proposes a collection of string theories, dubbed M-theory, as the explanation of why the universe is the way it is.

Asking your students to think about the “why” behind their chosen subject discipline is a useful first step in helping them to organise their overall statement. Next, they need to be able to demonstrate evidence of their suitability for a course or degree. 

How have you demonstrated the skills and aptitudes necessary for your chosen course?

Encourage students to think about times where they have demonstrated the necessary skills to really stand out. It’s helpful to think about times when they have utilised these skills both inside and outside the classroom. Ask students to consider their responses to the following questions. 

Can you demonstrate critical and independent thinking around your chosen subject discipline?

Example answer :  Currently I am studying Maths and Economics in addition to Geography. Economics has been a valuable tool, providing the nuts and bolts to economic processes, and my geography has provided a spatial and temporal element.

Are you able to demonstrate skills and competencies which will be necessary for university study?

These include qualities such as teamwork, time management and the ability to organise workload responsibly.

Example answer:  This year I was selected to be captain of the 1st XV rugby team and Captain of Swimming which will allow me to further develop my leadership, teamwork and organisational skills.

How have your extracurricular activities helped prepare you for university?

Students may believe that their interests outside the classroom aren’t relevant to their university application. So encourage them to think about how their other interests can demonstrate the subject-related skills that universities are looking for in an application. Ask students to think about any of the following activities, and how they might be related back to the subject they are applying for.

• Clubs/societies, or volunteering work which they can use to illustrate attributes such as teamwork, an interest in community service and the ability to manage their time proactively.
• Have they been elected/nominated as a team captain, or the head of a particular club or society, which highlights leadership skills and an ability to project manage?
• Can they point to any awards or prizes they may have won, whether it’s taking up a musical instrument, playing a sport, or participating in theatre/performing arts?
• Have they achieved grades or qualifications as part of their extracurricular activities? These can only help to demonstrate aptitude and hard work. 

How to write the UCAS Personal Statement [with examples] 

If sufficient planning has gone into the personal statement, then your students should be ready to go!

In this next section, we’ll break down the individual components of the UCAS Personal Statement and share some useful examples.

These examples come from a Personal Statement in support of an application to study Environmental Science at a UK university. 

Watch: King’s College London explain what they’re looking for in a UCAS Personal Statement

Introduction.

This is the chance for an applying student to really grab an admission tutor’s attention. Students need to demonstrate both a personal passion for their subject, and explain why they have an aptitude for it .  This section is where students should begin to discuss any major influences or inspirations that have led them to this subject choice. 

Example :  My passion for the environment has perhaps come from the fact that I have lived in five different countries: France, England, Spain, Sweden and Costa Rica. Moving at the age of 15 from Sweden, a calm and organized country, to Costa Rica, a more diverse and slightly chaotic country, was a shock for me at first and took me out of my comfort zone […] Also, living in Costa Rica, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, definitely helped me realize how vulnerable the world is and how we need to take care of it in a sustainable manner. 

This opening paragraph immediately grabs the reader’s attention by giving the reader an insight into this student’s background and links their academic interests with something specific from the student’s personal backstory. 

Discussing Academic Achievements 

The next paragraph in this Personal Statement discusses the student’s academic achievements. Because this student has had an international education, they frame their academic achievements in the context of their personal background. They also cite useful examples of other curricula they have studied and the grades they have achieved. 

Example : 

Throughout my academic life I have shown myself to be a responsible student as well as a hard working one, despite the fact that I have had to move around a lot. I have achieved several other accomplishments such as a high A (286/300) in AS Spanish at age 15, and also completed a Spanish course of secondary studies for ‘MEP’(Ministerio de Educacion Publica), which is a system from Costa Rica.   

You’ll notice that this student doesn’t just list their achievements – their strong academic performance is always linked back to a wider discussion of their personal experiences. 

Showcasing Extracurricular Activities

As well as discussing academic achievements, a good Personal Statement should also discuss the student’s extracurricular activities, and how they relate back to the student’s overall university aspirations. 

By the third/fourth paragraph of the Personal Statement, students should think about incorporating their extracurricular experiences, 

Another valuable experience was when my class spent a week at a beach called ‘Pacuare’ in order to help prevent the eggs of the endangered leatherback turtle from being stolen by poachers who go on to sell them like chicken eggs. We all gained teamwork experience, which was needed in order to hide the eggs silently without scaring the mother turtles, as well as making it more difficult for the poachers to find them. 

When the poachers set fire to one of the sustainable huts where we were staying, not only did I gain self-awareness about the critical situation of the world and its ecosystems, I also matured and became even more motivated to study environmental sciences at university.

This is a particularly striking example of using extracurricular activities to showcase a student’s wider passion for the degree subject they want to study. 

Not only does this Personal Statement have a story about volunteering to save an endangered species, it also illustrates this applicants’ wider worldview, and helps to explain their motivation for wanting to study Environmental Science. 

Concluding the UCAS Personal Statement

The conclusion to a UCAS Personal Statement will have to be concise, and will need to tie all of a student’s academic and extracurricular achievements. After all, a compelling story will need a great ending. 

Remember that students need to be mindful of the character limit of a Personal Statement, so a conclusion need only be the length of a small paragraph, or even a couple of sentences. 

“ After having many varied experiences, I truly think I can contribute to university in a positive way, and would love to study in England where I believe I would gain more skills and education doing a first degree than in any other country.  “

A good Personal Statement conclusion will end with an affirmation of how the student thinks they can contribute to university life, and why they believe the institution in question should accept them. Because the student in this example has a such a rich and varied international background, they also discuss the appeal of studying at university in England. 

It’s worth taking a quick look at a few other examples of how other students have chosen to conclude their Personal Statement. 

Medicine (Imperial College, London) 

Interest in Medicine aside, other enthusiasms of mine include languages, philosophy, and mythology. It is curiously fitting that in ancient Greek lore, healing was but one of the many arts Apollo presided over, alongside archery and music.   I firmly believe that a doctor should explore the world outside the field of  Medicine, and it is with such experiences that I hope to better empathise and connect with the patients I will care for in my medical career. 

You’ll notice that this example very specifically ties the students’ academic and extracurricular activities together, and ties the Personal Statement back to their values and beliefs. 

Economic History with Economics (London School of Economics)

The highlight of my extra-curricular activities has been my visit to Shanghai with the Lord Mayor’s trade delegation in September 2012. I was selected to give a speech at this world trade conference due to my interest in economic and social history. […] I particularly enjoyed the seminar format, and look forward to experiencing more of this at university. My keen interest and desire to further my knowledge of history and economics, I believe, would make the course ideal for me.

By contrast, this conclusion ties a memorable experience back to the specifics of how the student will be taught at the London School of Economics – specifically, the appeal of learning in seminar format! 

There’s no magic formula for concluding a Personal Statement. But you’ll see that what all of these examples have in common is that they tie a student’s personal and academic experiences together – and tell a university something about their aspirations for the future.

Watch: Bournemouth University explain how to structure a UCAS Personal Statement

Know the audience

It can be easy for students to forget that the person reading a personal statement is invariably an expert in their field. This is why an ability to convey passion and think critically about their chosen subject is essential for a personal statement to stand out. Admissions tutors will also look for students who can structure their writing (more on this below). 

Students should be themselves

Remember that many students are competing for places on a university degree against fierce competition. And don’t forget that UCAS has the means to spot plagiarism. So students need to create a truly honest and individual account of who they are, what they have achieved and, perhaps most importantly, why they are driven to study this particular subject.

Proof-read (then proof-read again!)

Time pressures mean that students can easily make mistakes with their Personal Statements. As the deadline grows closer, it’s vital that they are constantly checking and rechecking their writing and to ensure that shows them in the best possible light. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to giving feedback to students writing their Personal Statements, make sure you’re as honest and positive as possible in the days and weeks leading up to submission day. 

And make sure they remember the three key ingredients of writing a successful Personal Statement. 

Planning, structure and story! 

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How to write a personal statement for a uk university, by kathryn abell, 19 october 2015 - 05:11.

Kathryn Abell of  Edukonexion  shares some tips.

When applying to a UK university, the discovery that school grades alone are not enough to gain entry onto the programme of your choice can come as an unwelcome surprise. This is especially true for international students, many of whom see the words 'personal statement' for the first time when starting their university application.

But far from being a barrier, the personal statement is, in fact, one of the stepping stones to achieving your goal of studying at a UK university.

A personal statement can help you stand out

If you have selected your study programme well – that is to say, you have chosen something that you are truly excited about that matches your academic profile – then the personal statement is simply a way to communicate to admissions tutors why you are interested in the programme and what you can bring to it. And given the fact that many universities receive multiple applications for each available place, and that most do not offer an interview, your written statement is often the only way you can express your personality and say 'choose me!'.

The 'personal' in 'personal statement' suggests that you should be allowed to express yourself however you want, right? Well, to a certain extent that is true: admissions tutors want to get a picture of you, not your parents, your teachers or your best friend, so it has to be your work. However, the purpose of the statement is to persuade academic staff that they should offer you one of their highly sought-after university places; although there is no strict template for this, there are specific things you should include and certain things you should most certainly leave out.

The importance of the opening paragraph

The online Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) undergraduate application form allows a total of 4,000 characters (around 700 words), meaning that you need to craft the statement carefully. The most important part is unquestionably the opening paragraph, as it acts as an invitation to continue reading. If you are not able to catch the attention of the admissions tutor, who has hundreds of statements to assess, then it is highly unlikely they will read through to the end.

The best advice here is to avoid much-used opening lines and clichés such as 'I have wanted to be an engineer since I was a child'. This kind of thing is not the invitation readers are looking for. Instead, try using an anecdote, experience or inspirational moment: 'Although tinkering with engines had always been a childhood hobby, it was the vision of the fastest car on earth, the Bloodhound, at an exhibition in London, that roused my desire to learn everything I could about automotive engineering'. Really? Tell me more!

Of course, your opening paragraph could start in a variety of ways, but the fundamental purpose is to grab the reader’s interest.

Provide evidence of your commitment and skills

Following on from that, you have to provide evidence of your passion and commitment to your chosen programme, and highlight the specific and transferable skills you possess to study it successfully. You can do this by following the  ABC  rule.

Action:  Include examples of what you have done, experienced or even read that have helped you in your choice of degree and boosted your knowledge of the subject area.

Benefit : By doing these things, explain what you learned or gained; in the case of a book or article, put forward an opinion.

Course : The most successful applicants ensure that the information they include is relevant to their course in order to highlight their suitability. Flower-arranging may allow you to realise your creative potential, but will it help you study astrophysics?

It is perfectly acceptable to base this ABC rule on school-based activities, as not all students have opportunities outside the classroom. However, if you can link extra-curricular pursuits to your desired programme of study, you are further highlighting your commitment. As a general rule of thumb, the information you include here should be around 80 per cent academic and 20 per cent non-academic. So, for example, as a member of the school science club – a non-curricular, academic activity – you may have developed the ability to analyse data and tackle problems logically. Taking part in a work placement falls into the same category and could have helped you develop your communication, time-management and computer skills. You get the idea.

Non-academic accomplishments may involve music, sport, travel or clubs and can lead to a variety of competencies such as team-working, leadership, language or presentation skills. A word of warning here: it is vital that you sell yourself, but arrogance or lies will result in your personal statement landing in the 'rejected' pile. Keep it honest and down-to-earth.

Provide a memorable conclusion

Once you have emphasised your keen interest and relevant qualities, you should round off the statement with a conclusion that will be remembered. There is little point putting all your effort to generate interest in the opening paragraph only for your statement to gradually fade away at the end. A good conclusion will create lasting impact and may express how studying your chosen course will allow you to pursue a particular career or achieve any other plans. It can also underline your motivation and determination.

Use a formal tone, stay relevant and be positive

As you have to pack all this information into a relatively short statement, it is essential to avoid the superfluous or, as I like to call it, the 'fluff'. If a sentence sounds pretty but doesn’t give the reader information, remove it. In addition, the tone should be formal and you should not use contractions, slang or jokes; remember, the statement will be read by academics – often leaders in their field.

Referring to books is fine but don’t resort to using famous quotes as they are overused and do not reflect your own ideas. Also, while it's good to avoid repetition, don't overdo it with the thesaurus.

Negativity has no place in a personal statement, so if you need to mention a difficult situation you have overcome, ensure you present it as a learning experience rather than giving the reader an opportunity to notice any shortcomings. Also, bear in mind that your personal statement will probably go to several universities as part of a single application, so specifically naming one university is not going to win you any favours with the others.

Get some help but never copy someone else's work

Checking grammar, spelling and flow is essential and it is perfectly OK to ask someone to do this for you. A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective always help, and, as long as the third party does not write the content for you, their input could be of vital importance. And while you may get away with not sticking to all of the above advice, there is one thing that you absolutely must not do: copy someone else’s work. Most applications are made through UCAS, which uses sophisticated software to detect plagiarism. If you are found to have copied content from the internet, or a previous statement, your application will be cancelled immediately. Remember, it is a  personal  statement.

Get your ideas down in a mind-map first

Finally, I will leave you with my top tip. If you understand all the theory behind the personal statement and have an abundance of ideas floating in your head, but are staring blankly at your computer screen, take a pen and paper and make a simple mind map. Jot down all your experiences, activities, skills, attributes and perhaps even include books you have read or even current items that interest you in the news. Then look for how these link to your course and highlight the most significant elements using arrows, colours and even doodles. Capturing thoughts on paper and making logical deductions from an image can give structure to your ideas.

Get more advice on your application from our Study UK site .

You might also be interested in:

• How to use a learner's dictionary of academic English
• Five ways UK students can improve their career prospects
• Ways of saying 'darling' in the UK

View the discussion thread.

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Personal statements for university applications

Forming a key part of your university application, you should use the UCAS personal statement to showcase how your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good fit for the course

What is a university personal statement?

With two sides of A4 to work with, this is your opportunity to tell course tutors in your own words the reasons why you feel you'd be an asset to their university.

How long should a personal statement be?

There's no maximum word count, but you'll need to remain within the 4,000 character limit (including spaces and punctuation) allowed in your UCAS application, as well as keeping the statement to a total of 47 lines of text.

UCAS recommends that you write your personal statement in Microsoft Word before copying and pasting it into the online application form. This is because the application page times out after being inactive for 35 minutes. You'll still need to account for how individual characters are counted differently between Microsoft Word and the online form.

What do I write about?

When considering what to include in your personal statement, take time to think about the reasons you're applying to university and what makes you a suitable candidate.

To make this work for different courses and universities, you'll need to find some common ground by providing examples of why you'll be a success - demonstrating enthusiasm for the choices you've made and how they fit in with your career ambitions.

You'll need to talk about the relevant skills, experience and achievements you've gained through extra-curricular activities - whether these are sporting, musical or creative.

As well as going through your academic record to date, your personal statement also gives you the opportunity to mention any work experience or volunteering you've undertaken, detailing what you've learned from it. For instance, you may have been involved with the Young Enterprise programme at school and have a better idea of how to manage your money.

It's never too late to show you're actively preparing for higher education. Get involved with an extra-curricular club, secure a part-time job or do some volunteering. You could even complete a free online course in a relevant subject with an organisation such as FutureLearn or the Tech Nation Digital Business Academy .

If you're an international student, you could discuss why the UK is your preferred study destination ahead of universities in your own country. Don't forget to mention the English language tests, courses and qualifications you've taken.

Finally, if there are any personal or financial circumstances that have had a strong bearing on your performance at school or college, you can outline these in this statement.

How do I write a personal statement?

By breaking your personal statement down into sections, you can ensure you cover the most relevant points.

Course-relevant skills and credentials should be given prominence in the overall structure. You can use the course descriptions to help you.

However, as you only have the one personal statement for all your choices, if you've selected a variety of subjects that aren't that similar, you'll need to focus on the transferable skills and common qualities typically valued by universities - for example, creativity or problem-solving.

Adopt a simple, concise and natural style for writing your statement, while still showing enthusiasm. Allow your personality to shine through.

It can often take a number of redrafts until the statement is ready, so allow plenty of time to write it properly, and set yourself a schedule.

Get used to reading your statement aloud and asking for feedback from family, teachers and advisers before redrafting to make sure your writing flows well. You'll also need to check for the correct punctuation, spelling and grammar and not just rely on a spellchecker.

Keep an up-to-date copy of your statement saved so you can refer back to it during the interview process.

How do I start a personal statement?

At this point, think about why you're applying for the course, and how you became interested in it in the first place. Was it through work experience or studying the subject at A-level?

Once you've noted down your reasons for choosing the course, you can move on to your skills and what makes you stand out positively from other applicants, providing evidence of where each attribute has been utilised.

After you've written this down, condense it so it's less wordy. You can then attempt to write a punchy opening paragraph showcasing your excitement at the prospect of going to university, and an understanding of what you're getting yourself into.

Get off to the best start by using the UCAS personal statement builder .

What should I avoid?

• As you'll only have the one statement, it's important not to mention universities by name - unless you plan on applying to just a single institution.
• Remember that admissions staff may not share your sense of humour, so steer clear of anything that might get misinterpreted.
• Refrain from using clichés or making arrogant or exaggerated statements.
• Resist any temptation to use somebody else's work as your own. The UCAS Similarity Detection Service utilises the Copycatch system, which will compare your statement against those stored within a comprehensive library of statements - those sent to UCAS and elsewhere (including paper publications).
• Be careful not to ramble. Structuring your work so you know how much space you have for each section will make sticking to your main points much easier.

University personal statement examples

While you can find some examples online - from the likes of Reed.co.uk and King's College London - it's important to use your own words and not copy them directly.

Indeed, the UCAS personal statement worksheet can prove just as useful when it comes to helping you decide what to put in your own personal statement.

You can simply print out this personal statement template and jot down any ideas into the various sections as you think of them.

Find out more

• Read the full lowdown on how to apply for university .
• Get tips on preparing for a university interview .
• For further advice on writing a university personal statement, visit UCAS .
• Take a look at The Topic for the latest news, insights and opinions.

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Personal statement

The quality of an applicant's personal statement is very important at LSE. The School does not interview for places so this is an applicant’s only opportunity to demonstrate they are a good fit for the course. Applicants should consult the advice here, as well as advice from UCAS when preparing to complete this section of their application. 

Please note that writing a personal statement following the guidelines below does not guarantee an offer of admission. Personal statements are looked at on a comparative basis and there is a great deal of competition for places at LSE. 

LSE does not accept additional or supplementary personal statements. We can only consider the personal statement submitted via UCAS.

Writing your personal statement

We expect that your submitted Personal Statement is structured and coherent and that you fully utilise the space available on your UCAS application form. We expect that you have checked spelling, punctuation, and grammar and that your Personal Statement flows in a logical order. We expect that your Personal Statement is entirely your own original work. We reserve the right to reject your application where it has been found that a statement has significant similarities to a previous submission or has been created with the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Before you start writing, do your research

Before you start writing your personal statement, you should visit our course guides . These guides give information on the course content of each of our undergraduate programmes. 

When assessing your personal statement our Admissions Selectors will look at how well your academic interests align with the LSE course. So, for example, the Anthropology Admissions Selector is likely to prefer a statement which focuses mainly on social anthropology - which is taught at LSE - over one which suggests the applicant is very interested in biological anthropology, or a combined degree with archaeology, as these courses are not offered at the School. 

Similarly, a personal statement which shows an interest mostly in modern international history (the focus of LSE’s International History course) is likely to be more competitive than one which shows a significant interest in ancient history, as LSE does not offer any ancient history units.   

If you are applying for a range of slightly different courses, we recommend that you focus your personal statement on the areas of overlap between them, so that your statement appeals to all of your UCAS choices. It is important to note that LSE does not accept replacement or supplementary personal statements. 

What to include in your personal statement

Your personal statement should discuss for the most part your academic interest in the subject you wish to study. One way to think about the personal statement is to reflect on what we expect from LSE undergraduates: we ask them to learn about topics relevant to their course, through reading or other experiences, and then discuss the ideas they have encountered in academic essays. This is the skill we look for in the personal statement and we recommend at least 80% of your statement should be dedicated to this type of academic discussion. 

How you show your wider engagement with your subject is entirely up to you. Our Selectors look for students who can best reflect on the experiences and academic ideas they have encountered through the opportunities available to them, not those who have had the best opportunities. If you are not sure where to start, you could try listening to podcasts of LSE public events or look in the prospectus for examples of suggested reading. Remember we are interested not just in a list of what you have read/encountered, but evidence you have reflected on the academic ideas. 

To help you begin, there are several questions you could think about:

• Why have you chosen the course? What attracted you to the subject? Which aspects of the subject have interested you sufficiently to want to study it at degree level? Is there a specific area of the subject you wish to focus on? What are the big issues in the subject, and what do you find most interesting about them? What are your thoughts on these topics?
• Have you developed your subject interest outside of your school studies? For example, have you undertaken any additional reading to broaden your knowledge of the subject? Have you attended lectures or explored online material relating to the subject? What did you find interesting in your reading/in the lectures you attended and what are your thoughts on the topics covered?
• Have you gained any skills from your other school subjects that complement your application to study your chosen subject? Have you had the opportunity to undertake work experience relevant to your application? If you did, how did this experience give you a wider understanding of the topics you will study at university?
• Have you attended any schemes or activities at LSE or other universities, such as Summer Schools, Saturday Schools, LSE Choice, etc? What you have learned from these? Have they furthered your knowledge of or interest in your chosen subject?

If you are applying for deferred entry, as well as thinking about the questions listed above, you may also wish to indicate (briefly) why you are taking a gap year and what you plan to do during the year. 

If you are applying as a post-qualified student (ie, you have already received your final results), you may wish to mention briefly what you have been doing since your exams. 

Please note : You are not expected to simply answer all of the questions above; these questions are merely intended to give you some guidance as to what to think about when writing your statement. 

Extra-curricular activities

At LSE you are admitted to study a particular degree course so the majority of your personal statement − at least 80% − should focus on your academic interest in that subject. Many students like to include some details of their extra-curricular activities such as involvement in sports, the arts, volunteering or student government. As our Selectors are most interested in your academic interests, we recommend that no more than 20% of your statement is spent discussing extra-curricular activities. 

Applying to combined degree programmes

LSE offers a number of combined degree programmes. If you are applying to one of these programmes, you are advised to give equal weighting to each subject in your statement. For instance, if you are applying to our Politics and Economics degree, you must show evidence of interest in both subjects; a statement weighted towards only one aspect of the degree will be significantly less competitive.

Example of a poor personal statement

"I have always dreamed of coming to LSE since I was young. It has been a dream of mine to study at this institution, which is well renowned for its social science courses.  

I am currently studying History, English and Business and Management at Higher level and Italian, Maths and Chemistry at Standard level in the International Baccalaureate, and feel that these subjects are providing me with a solid background for university study.  

I want to study History because I want to be a world class Historian, and feel that this degree will help me. I am especially interested in Ancient History, particularly the history concerning the Roman Empire. I am fascinated by the way in which the empire was run, and the events that led to its downfall.  

"I was the captain of the school football team, and this has taught me the importance of working together as a team, and allowed me to prioritise my time between my studies and football practice. I feel that this has provided me with the experience to successfully balance my academic and social life, and I plan to continue this balance whilst at university.  

It is my dream to become an alumnus of the School, and I am sure that as I am the top student of my class, you will offer me a place."  

This brief example of a personal statement is poor. The applicant has mentioned an interest in history but they have not discussed this in depth or shown any evidence of wider engagement with the subject. Where the applicant does talk about history, the discussion is superficial and focussed on ancient history, which LSE does not offer as part of our history course. 

The applicant has specifically mentioned LSE, which is likely to be unattractive to their other choices, and has wasted space listing their International Baccalaureate subjects, which would be shown in the qualifications section. The applicant has described how a history degree will help them get the job they later want, rather than what they are looking forward to studying during the degree. 

The applicant has reflected on the transferable skills they have developed leading the football team. This is good, but it would be nice to see the same level of reflection applied to academic topics - this student has spent more time talking about football than about history. 

UCAS reference Your teacher's reference: what we're looking for

Watch this presentation LSE Admissions Specialist Paul talks about personal statements

Study at LSE webinars Watch our Personal Statement FAQs webinar

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A personal statement is your chance to convince universities they should offer you a place. So it’s natural that writing one comes with a lot of pressure.

Even applicants who enjoy writing often find their personal statement intimidating. Striking the right tone, the perfect amount of detail, knowing what’s relevant to put in and what isn’t, are just a few of the things you may be worried about.

In our guide, you will find:

• how to start and end your personal statement
• how to structure your personal statement
• how to make sure your personal statement is typo-proof

Watch our simple five step guide to your perfect personal statement

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We understand that the university applications can come with a lot of stress. But, try to trust the process and remember that whatever happens, there is always a space for you to grow and learn in higher education. For more information on writing your personal statement, download our Personal Statement eBook . 

How to write your personal statement

Download your complete guide to planning, writing and submitting an undergraduate personal statement.

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Writing a postgraduate personal statement

The personal statement is your chance to differentiate yourself from the other applicants applying for your programme, and to describe why we should offer you a place to study with us.

Primary page content

Your personal statement should be unique to you and tailored to the programme you're applying for - make sure you include the title of the programme. Lengthwise, it should be around 2 sides of A4 and written in formal English.

Before you upload your personal statement, get someone you trust to check it over. Be especially careful to check the spelling and grammar. The statement is supposed to demonstrate your writing skills and so there should be no mistakes.

Normally applications are read by an Admissions Tutor. They will more than likely be reading lots of applications from people with similar qualifications, which is why your personal statement really needs to stand out.

David Winstanley, former Head of Recruitment and Admissions, explains how to write a postgraduate personal statement

What should I include? 

Make sure your personal statement includes the following things:

Why have you chosen this particular programme?

Because the Admissions Tutor will probably teach on the programme you're applying for, they will be particularly interested in hearing about your passion for the course.

Take a look at the programme content carefully and work out what interests you about it. You can then make sure that your statement outlines how your interests match what's taught within the programme. You should discuss what you've studied in the past, including any relevant research or programme work you might have done, and show how the studying you've done is relevant to the course you're applying for. If you can, try and include subject-specific language that shows you have a grasp of the topic.

Also think about why you particularly want to study at Goldsmiths, for example, particular academic staff. It is useful to look at the staff profile of the programme leader on the relevant departmental webpage to find out about their interests. 

Your experience

As well as discussing your studies, you could also mention extracurricular activities, membership of clubs or societies, or relevant work experience that you have undertaken.

Focus on the skills that this experience has given you and how they are relevant to the programme you want to study.

If you are applying to a practical programme then discuss your relevant background in this area. Similarly, if you are applying for a theoretical programme, it would be helpful to demonstrate your knowledge in this area.

Future plans  

How could studying this programme help you in the future? Highlight any career aspirations that you might have and how studying this programme will help you achieve them.

• Remember to use the title of the programme you’re applying for
• Check your spelling and grammar: The statement demonstrates your writing skills and so there should be no mistakes
• Be positive: The statement should present your most positive aspects, so avoid statements like ‘I have no knowledge of’
• Be concise: Your statement should be 1-2 pages long
• Get the document checked by someone you trust

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What is a Personal Statement?

The personal statement is your opportunity to show the universities you are applying to that you are the ideal candidate for their course.  It should be all about you – why you’re interested in the course, what makes you unique and what makes you stand out.  With only one personal statement for all your choices, it’s important that you use this opportunity to show why you’re better than everyone else applying and why we should choose you.

But where do you start?  What do you say?  What should be your opening sentence? There are good and bad personal statements, so read our guide to help make yours the best it can be. 

How to write a personal statement

Before writing your personal statement it’s worth doing a bit of research to find out what your choice universities are looking for and what will make you stand out from the competition.

Whilst “personal statement” makes it sound like it’s a biography about you, some of the best personal statements we’ve seen are more like a mini essay related to the course. Think about what areas of the subject you enjoy and tell us what you understand about them; we want to know your thoughts about them and why you think that. Show us your passion, knowledge and skills by demonstrating your engagement with the subject. Think about how you can back up what you say and that you can critically engage with your subject. If you got excited about a course because of an article or book you read, or a lecture you went to, tell us about it! 

Most of the statement should be about the subject you want to study, but we also like to hear a little bit about what you get involved in outside of your studies. We know that some of our applicants work part time, have carer responsibilities or perhaps are involved in high level sport, music or drama, for example, and it’s exciting to see applicants who are successful with their studies whilst also balancing other demands on their time as there’s a lot to get involved with at Durham. If you have relevant interests to your course then we’d like to hear about those too, for example if you’re applying to an education course and have been involved in tutoring other students. 

There are loads of UCAS resources you can use to help get you started, including a  personal statement mind map and worksheet .

Dos and Don’ts

You’ve only got 4000 characters, including spaces, to convince us we should choose you, so make every word count. These do’s and don’ts should help you along the way.

• Stay focussed and relevant.
• Be specific; use examples and give evidence.
• Be authentic, enthusiastic and persuasive.
• Avoid generic and obvious statements.
• Ask someone you trust for ideas and feedback – they might think of something you don’t!
• Draft your personal statement then copy and paste into Apply.
• Check your spelling and grammar and make sure you proofread.  Read your personal statement out loud or ask friends and family to read it for you.
• Try for a memorable, strong opening, an engaging middle, and tie up the key points you want to make at the end.
• Think about what you’re saying and what it says about you. Sell yourself! 
• Repeat yourself, and avoid repeating words close together. 
• Write a chronological history – instead think about the structure and what you want to feature at the start. 
• Waste characters! You only have 4000 so don’t include things like lists of your qualifications – we can see those in the qualifications section of your application already. 
• Use ‘I’ all the time. 
• Use clichés 
• Copy. UCAS has software that will detect if your personal statement has been copied from someone else’s and they’ll let all  the universities you’ve applied to know. 
• Expect to get it right first time.  You’ll need several drafts before you’re happy with it.

Writing an excellent personal statement needn’t be scary if you remember to be focussed, enthusiastic and genuine. We want something that tells us all about you and the contribution you can make to our community.

Substitute Personal Statements

It is not necessary to write an additional personal statement, however we have a tool just for Durham applicants which allows you to submit a substitute personal statement if the Durham course you’re applying to is very different to the one in your UCAS personal statement. 

For example, if you applied to four Chemistry courses but you also applied to our Natural Sciences course (even including Chemistry, but with other subjects too), or perhaps you have applied to Medicine at four other universities but chose Anthropology as your fifth choice with us.

We ask that you: 

• Use no more than 4000 characters (including spaces) to match the UCAS personal statement length 
• Use plain text – don't use bold, italics, underlining 
• Submit it within three days of your application to Durham being acknowledged.  
• This is because until we have your application from UCAS we won’t be able to match the statement (and the system won’t let you upload this); it can take UCAS a few days to process all the applications they’ve received.  
• If you reach three days without acknowledgement, you can still try to upload the personal statement – if it works then we have your application and the statement will be matched to it. 
• Read the guidance for writing a personal statement on this page 
• Use one of the following browsers when uploading the statement: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer 10 (some users of Internet Explorer 11 have had difficulties uploading their statement).

Submit a substitute personal statement

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Similarity in Personal Statements

UCAS checks all personal statements with their Similarity Detection software (CopyCatch) to ensure your work doesn’t contain the same or similar text to websites, another applicant's personal statement, or other documents. When a personal statement is detected as having similarity to one of these sources, UCAS provides us with a report highlighting the similarity and an indication of what the text in the statement is similar to. 

Once we are notified that an application contains text similar to elsewhere, we will use information from UCAS and from the applicant to determine the seriousness of the similarity found in the personal statement and departments will then make an academic decision which is communicated to applicants through UCAS as normal. 

Each applicant whose personal statement is flagged to us by the UCAS Similarity Detection Service will be contacted by the UG Admissions Team to offer the opportunity to explain how the similarity occurred. 

For those admitted as a student, Durham University takes all forms of Academic Misconduct, including 'plagiarism' or 'copying' very seriously and submitting work which is not entirely a student's own can lead to expulsion from the University. We also operate a fair and transparent admissions process and as such, need to ensure that all information provided to us is honest and accurate. 

If you have submitted an application to us and you have been notified that UCAS has detected similarity in your personal statement, you can contact us directly to explain the similarity though.

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How to write your personal statement

It can be hard to know where to begin when writing your UCAS personal statement. We've put together some top tips and advice to help you make the most of your personal statement.

As part of the UCAS application process, you'll need to complete a personal statement. Your personal statement might be the only chance you have to ‘speak’ directly to an Admissions Tutor so it’s important to get it right. Many people find it difficult to write about themselves. Particularly their own strengths, so don’t worry if you’re struggling for ideas. You can use this guide to help ensure you write a great personal statement. 

Guide to writing your personal statement

Discover how to write a great personal statement with our handy guide. It covers everything you need to know from structuring to tips on what to include.

Hear from our students

Writing about yourself in a personal statement can be difficult, I’ve put together some tips that I found useful when writing my own personal statement.

Hi, my names Parsa, I am a 4th year pharmacy student. Writing a personal statement can be stressful and time consuming, but it doesn't need to be. Read my tips to help you to write the very best statement.

Your personal statement questions answered

What is a personal statement.

A personal statement is a short written account used to support your university application. It is your opportunity to ‘sell’ yourself to universities. And to show how and why you are a good candidate for your chosen course. A well-written application may convince a university to make you an offer or invite you to an interview. 

How to start a personal statement?

It’s never too early to start work on your personal statement. In fact, we’d recommend you give yourself as much time as possible.

Before you begin it’s important you have an idea of the course or subject area you want to study. Your personal statement needs to be specific so knowing what course you’re interested in will make it easier to start writing. It’s a good idea to check out the course descriptions in university prospectuses or on their website. This way you can find out the skills and experience that you’ll need. You can then reflect on how these relate to your own interests and qualities. 

Where to begin?

• Start with an engaging and positive introductory sentence which makes the admissions Tutor want to read on.
• Make it different. The most overused opening phrases are: “From a young age I have always been interested in…” and “For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with…”
• State your reasons for applying to your chosen course and what it is that motivates you.

What makes a good personal statement?

The great thing about a personal statement is that it’s exactly that - personal. This is your chance to stand out from the crowd and explain why you’re the right choice for your chosen course.

It’s important that the statement reflects you, so you need to write in your own individual style. However, there are certain facts Admissions Tutors will be expecting to see. So it's important that you include these to ensure you give the best account of yourself, your skills and your experience.

Everything that you write should be relevant and linked to the course(s) you are applying for. Whilst you will only submit one personal statement it will be seen multiple times by all the universities and courses you have applied for.

Here are some questions to think about to ensure your statement stands out:

• Why do you want to study the course? You need to show that you have a genuine interest in the subject area and the motivation to immerse yourself in it.
• What makes you suitable? This is your chance to show how your experiences have prepared you to meet the demands of the course.
• What makes you stand out? Think about what you can offer outside of the lecture theatre and how you will contribute to the university community as a whole.

Download our guide to writing your personal statement for more top tips.

How long should a personal statement be?

Your personal statement needs to stay within the 4000 character limit set by UCAS. This includes spaces and blank lines. This might seem like a lot, but it's only around 1 side of typed A4 paper. So you need to keep it clear and concise. Use the UCAS personal statement tool to help you keep within the limit as well as tips on how to structure your statement.

How to structure a personal statement?

There is no set layout for your personal statement. But here are some style and structure tips to help you along the way:

• Make sure you sound interested in the course. Admissions Tutors will recognise applicants who aren’t totally committed.
• Don’t use bullet points. A personal statement is a chance to show how you can make a reasoned argument in continuous writing.
• Avoid repetition.
• You need to show rather than tell the Admissions Tutor that you are a good candidate. So don’t just list all your skills and achievements. Pick the most relevant, explain them carefully and provide examples.
• Check your statement for spelling and grammar. And then check again.
• Ask your parents, friends and/or teachers to read through your finished statement. They can help to make sure it flows and that you’ve not forgotten anything.

Personal statement dos and don'ts

Read it out loud., check it’s all there., do some practice., be well prepared., don't be negative., don't complicate it., don't copy or paraphrase., don't include irrelevant facts..

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Completing and submitting your UCAS application

Start your UCAS application

You will need to start your UCAS application around September in the year before you want to apply to university. For example, if you want to start in September 2025, start your application in September 2024.

You can start you application as early as May, but you won't be able to submit until September.

You'll need to submit your form to college so they can add your reference.

Apply by the deadline

Make sure you submit your UCAS application online by the deadline. Deadlines vary each year and are different depending on the course you want to study.

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After you apply

Once you submit your application through UCAS, they will send you an acknowledgement. They will then forward your application to your chosen institutions.

Getting a decision on your application

Once you've submitted your application, you may have several stages before you find out if you have an offer.

Institutions will look at a number of things to make their decision. This includes your personal statement, reference and predicted grades.

Interviews and auditions

You might be invited to interview or audition to see if you're right for the course. This is also your chance to see if it's the right place for you.

Receiving an offer

If you submitted your application by the January deadline, you should receive all of your offers by March. Some courses and late applications may not receive responses until later in the cycle.

You can receive a conditional or unconditional offer, depending on whether you already have your grades or not.

Offer holder days

Some universities might invite you to an offer holder or applicant day . This is a great opportunity to get a taste for your course and meet your tutors. 

Accepting your offer

Usually, you'll need to reply to any offers you have received by May. This depends on when you submit your UCAS application.

If you have conditional offers, you'll be able to choose one university as your firm choice, and one as insurance .

If you've used all five choices on your application, and you're not holding any offers, then you can add extra choices to your application - free of charge.

Wait for your results and prepare to enrol

If you're waiting for your results, you should receive these in either July or August. This depends on what qualification you have taken. 

Your offer will either be confirmed or rejected based on your results.

If you don't receive the results you expected, or you apply after July, you will be entered into UCAS Clearing . This helps match you to university places that haven't yet been filled.

Once you've confirmed your offer at your chosen university, you will receive information about how to enrol .

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Current students share their thoughts on planning for university, student life and what it’s like to study at the university of surrey., personal statement top tips.

We know that writing your personal statement can be a difficult and confusing experience, so we have come up with some tips that can help make the process easier! 

Showcase your enthusiasm for the course through wider research

Universities want to see that you’re applying for their course because you are genuinely interested in the subject. Reading a book, attending a lecture and watching documentaries are great ways of showing your interest in your desired course as it will allow you to show universities what specific aspects of the course interest you.

Mind map your motivations for applying to your particular course

We know it can be hard finding ways to show your motivations that aren’t cliche or cringey. Making a mind map can help you break down your ideas and give you topic headings for each paragraph. 

For example, if you are applying for law: do you want to qualify as a solicitor at the end of your degree? Do you have a passion for advocacy? Do you believe that English Law needs to be reformed to be in line with today’s society? 

Talk about your extra-curricular activities

Universities want to see that you are a well rounded individual. Do you regularly partake in a sport? Can you play an instrument? Are you an avid home baker? Do you have a large TikTok following? 

Extra-curricular activities are great because they show that you know how to organise your time and understand the importance of taking care of your mental health. Universities want to know what your hobbies are, so make sure you tell them!

Explain how your A-Levels will help you on your case

There are so many transferable skills that you gain from your A-Levels. For example, Chemistry can help develop your analytical thinking which can be incredibly useful for Law or Business as well as Biomedicine and Chemistry. Drama can help develop your public speaking skills as well as creativity and teamwork. 

What characteristics do you display that would make you a good fit for the course

Is there something about you that you believe makes you an ideal candidate? Are you very organised? Are you resilient? There may be times in your degree that are more challenging than others. If you can show that you have the skills to help yourself through those hard times universities want to know!

Have someone read each draft

Sometimes it can be useful getting someone else to read your work as they can give you advice on the punctuation and the flow of the statement. If it is someone who is close to you, they may also give you ideas of other things that you could include. 

We hope that you’ve found these tips helpful and that they’ve given you some ideas of what to write. At the end of the day, universities want to read why you want to apply and why you are the best applicant.

Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) at University of Surrey

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Writing a personal statement

Updated on 7 July 2023

A personal statement is a short piece of writing that you are usually asked to submit when applying for postgraduate study or research, but you may also be asked for one when applying for jobs or work experience.

Before you start writing your personal statement

A personal statement is an important part of the application process and is often one of the main ways in which the selectors will make their decision about you.

It is important that you demonstrate your suitability and motivation. You'll need to provide evidence of your suitability by giving real examples from your studies, work experience, extra-curricular activities, and so on.

Avoid using negative language or volunteering weaknesses about yourself. Present any gaps in skills or experience in a positive light and try to show how setbacks were overcome.

Make sure you answer any questions asked directly. Some applications will simply ask you to "provide evidence in support of your application", while others will have one or more specific questions to answer.

Read and follow any instructions given. For example it may specify that the documents should be hand written, provide detail on word limit etc.

Be succinct and avoid using complicated language and overly long sentences. Ensure your spelling and grammar is flawless - don't give recruiters an easy excuse not to select you. If possible, always get someone else to read your personal statement to ensure small mistakes are not missed.

A good personal statement is clearly structured with a clear introduction and conclusion, and clearly sums up what you have to offer.

It is often a good idea to use headings, which can be based on the essential and desirable criteria set out in the person specification, specific questions you are asked or on the contents listed below.

Each application will have different requirements and you should always tailor your personal statement to meet the essential and desirable criteria of the course, job or experience that you are applying for.

Why do you want to do the course/the research/apply for the job?

• What has attracted you to this particular institution/organisation?
• Do they specialise in a particular field?
• Is there a particular member of staff you want to work with?
• Why are you interested in the course/ research or job?

Give examples of your knowledge and experience in this area including essays, dissertations, seminars and conferences, work experience etc.

What can you offer?

Make sure you state your interest and enthusiasm in the area of study/research or employment and give clear reasons for that interest.

Detail your skills, knowledge, and experience highlighting its relevance to the course/research or job applied for. Give examples of how you developed these skills or when you have used them. You can draw on academic work, part-time employment, voluntary work, membership of clubs and societies as well as leisure activities and personal commitments.

Mention any relevant prizes or scholarships you have won, study, travel abroad, and any other relevant achievements.

What relevant experience do you have?

• Do you have paid or unpaid work experience that is relevant? Are you a member of a relevant society or club? This is especially important for vocational courses such as teaching, medicine and social work.
• Think about what skills you gained or what you learnt through observation. Reflect on how this experience will help you in the course/research or job.

What are your career aims?

How does this course/research or job fit in with you future plans? Having some idea about what you hope to achieve will strengthen your commitment to do well in the course/research and therefore impress selectors.

Can you offer anything else?

Do you have any additional skills & experience that would be relevant to the course/research or job? e.g. trainee teachers should mention expertise in extra-curricular areas such as arts, sports, etc.

Example of personal statement

You can view an example of a personal statement for a postgraduate teacher education application (PGDE/CE). This will give you an idea of content and layout.

Writing a Postgraduate Teacher Education personal statement

Applying overseas

The conventions, requirements, and content of personal statements can vary greatly depending on where in the world you apply. In some countries these may even have different names such as letter of motivation or statement of purpose.

GoinGlobal has information about working practices and recruitment procedures in a wide variety of countries.

Another way to help you write the most effective and appropriate personal statement is to use existing or new networks (like family, professors, or friends who have studied in the country to which you are applying) to help you understand what works best there.

You can also check out the country profiles on Prospects and TARGETjobs . Our careers advisers will be happy to provide you with feedback on your personal statements.

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Related guides

Exploring the Relationship Between Early Life Exposures and the Comorbidity of Obesity and Hypertension: Findings from the 1970 The British Cohort Study (BCS70)

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Background Epidemiological research commonly investigates single exposure-outcome relationships, while children’s experiences across a variety of early lifecourse domains are intersecting. To design realistic interventions, epidemiological research should incorporate information from multiple risk exposure domains to assess effect on health outcomes. In this paper we identify exposures across five pre-hypothesised childhood domains and explored their association to the odds of combined obesity and hypertension in adulthood.

Methods We used data from 17,196 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study. The outcome was obesity (BMI of ≥30) and hypertension (blood pressure>140/90mm Hg or self-reported doctor’s diagnosis) comorbidity at age 46. Early life domains included: ‘prenatal, antenatal, neonatal and birth’, ‘developmental attributes and behaviour’, ‘child education and academic ability’, ‘socioeconomic factors’ and ‘parental and family environment’. Stepwise backward elimination selected variables for inclusion for each domain. Predicted risk scores of combined obesity and hypertension for each cohort member within each domain were calculated. Logistic regression investigated the association between domain-specific risk scores and odds of obesity-hypertension, controlling for demographic factors and other domains.

Results Adjusting for demographic confounders, all domains were associated with odds of obesity-hypertension. Including all domains in the same model, higher predicted risk values across the five domains remained associated with increased odds of obesity-hypertension comorbidity, with the strongest associations to the parental and family environment domain (OR1.11 95%CI 1.05-1.18) and the socioeconomic factors domain (OR1.11 95%CI 1.05-1.17).

Conclusions Targeted prevention interventions aimed at population groups with shared early-life characteristics could have an impact on obesity-hypertension prevalence which are known risk factors for further morbidity including cardiovascular disease.

Competing Interest Statement

R.O. is a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Committee, member of the NICE Decision Support Unit (DSU), and associate member of the NICE Technical Support Unit (TSU). She has served as a paid consultant to the pharmaceutical industry and international reimbursement agencies, providing unrelated methodological advice. She reports teaching fees from the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). R.H. is a member of the Scientific Board of the Smith Institute for Industrial Mathematics and System Engineering.

Funding Statement

This work is part of the multidisciplinary ecosystem to study lifecourse determinants and prevention of early-onset burdensome multimorbidity (MELD-B) project which is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR203988). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Ethics approval for this work has been obtained from the University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine Ethics committee (ERGO II Reference 66810).

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The BCS70 datasets generated and analysed in the current study are available from the UK Data Archive repository (available here: http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?&sitesectionid=795 ).

View the discussion thread.

Supplementary Material

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about medRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

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How to strengthen your personal statement

To strengthen your university application, consider the following advice about writing your personal statement.

Personal statement is the section on your UCAS application that universities use to check that the course you have applied for is right for you.

To help you stand out, our Head of Admissions has shared these 10 personal statement top tips:

• Interest in a particular course; Explain why you are interested in a particular course and describe what you have done to go beyond just taking an interest in the subject area. Try to support what you say with evidence and avoid sweeping statements such as 'I have always had an interest in physics', without anything to back them up.
• Experience; Detail any relevant work experience and the skills you have acquired.
• Extended project work experience ; If you are doing an extended project qualification (EPQ), mention your research and explain how it is helping you prepare for studying at Southampton.
• Career aspirations ; Show commitment to your chosen subject area by writing about your career aspirations related to the course you want to study.
• Hobbies and interests ; Include details about your hobbies and interests, especially if you are in a position of responsibility or they relate to your chosen degree course. Don't just give a list, consider choosing two or three interests to talk about in detail. You should also talk briefly about the skills you have gained from these activities.
• University expectations ; What do you hope to get from university? Mention any societies or activities you plan to become involved in. Include areas you are active in now and any that would be completely new to you.
• Be truthful ; Never lie in your personal statement. Just be you, let your potential show.
• Strong conclusion ; Try to finish your personal statement with a strong concluding paragraph. You could sum up the type of person you are.
• Save your work ; The UCAS apply website times out after an hour, so it may be easier to write your personal statement in a word processer, then cut, and paste it into your application. Remember to 'save' your work regularly.
• Check and check again ; Take your time to proofread your personal statement and make sure your application is completed and accurate. Get at least one person, or ideally several people, to check your personal statement for spelling and grammar mistakes.

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