Writing your personal statement

• Grab the reader’s attention straight away with an engaging introduction that clearly explains how you’ve chosen your subject, while highlighting your interests and future ambitions. To make it even more impactful, reference an experience or moment that sparked your interest in the course. Aim to keep this concise, using around 10% of your character count.
• Mention your academic achievements and how the knowledge and skills you’ve gained have prepared you for success in your chosen subject. It’s also worthwhile to write about any further reading you’ve engaged in, as this this shows your enthusiasm for the subject beyond what you've learned in the classroom. 
• Discuss any work experience, employment or volunteering you’ve undertaken and how this experience will help you at university. It's important to include transferrable skills you’ve gained including teamwork, time management, leadership communication, organisation or problem solving. Link these back to your chosen course and your future aspirations where possible. 
• It’s also worthwhile to reference the extra-curricular activities you’ve participated in, any skills or awards you’ve gained, and how the experienced built will benefit your university journey. These could be academic achievements, leadership roles, voluntary work, participation in subject related clubs, creative accomplishments like passing music exams or sporting success.
• Finish with a strong closing statement, taking up roughly 10% of your character count, emphasising and reiterating key points that you’ve mentioned throughout your personal statement. You could also talk about your goals for the future and how your course will help you to reach them. 

Get started by trying UCAS’ personal statement builder, which will help you to think about what to include and how to structure your work. 

When writing your personal statement for 2026 entry, it's important to bear in mind that each question requires a minimum of 350 characters. There's no set guide on how to split your available characters across each, though we recommend making sure that answers are balanced and thoughtful to give yourself the best chance of showing why you’d be a great fit. Don’t worry about where to include examples if they’re relevant to multiple questions – universities will read your application as a whole, so the key is to make sure that all important points are covered without repeating yourself. 

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

• Think about what started your interest in this subject, whether a key moment in your life, a role model or simply a passion that you want to explore further. This is your opportunity to showcase your unique journey and everything that’s led you to this point.
• Show your enthusiasm towards the course by mentioning how you’ve explored it beyond the classroom. Whether you’ve delved further into the subject by reading a thought-provoking book, or you’ve been inspired by a leading expert in the field, this is a chance to express your curiosity.
• Look to the future and consider how this course aligns with your aspirations and goals. If you have a specific career path in mind, explain how it will support that ambition, but don’t worry if you’re still exploring your options as you can reflect more broadly on how the skills and knowledge you’ve gained will help you.

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

• Highlight how your studies link to your chosen course, whether it’s a subject you’re currently studying at school or college or anything similar that’s relevant. If you’re no longer in full-time education, focus on your most recent learning experiences.
• Think about the key skills that make you a strong candidate, and how the subjects or modules you’ve studied have helped you to gain valuable transferrable skills, like problem solving, critical thinking or communication. Be specific when explaining why these skills will be directly useful for your next step. 
• Bear in mind that universities will already see your qualifications as part of your wider application, so instead, save word count by focussing on other academic accomplishments. This could be winning an award, leading a team, or excelling in a key project or presentation. 

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

• Universities want to see what you’ve learned from real-world experiences, whether work experience or volunteering. Don’t worry too much about whether the experience is directly linked to your chosen course – it’s more about the skills you've developed and how they’d be transferrable. Reflect on how these have shaped your abilities, perspectives and motivations.
• Have personal challenges inspired your goals or outlook? Perhaps you’ve taken on significant responsibilities such as caring for a family member, managing a long-term health condition or balancing work commitments with your studies. Draw from these experiences, and talk about how they've helped you to build resilience, empathy, problem solving or determination.
• Set yourself apart by writing about the hobbies and extracurricular activities that define you, as these examples give universities a sense of what motivates you.
• It’s great to highlight any achievements that you’ve gained outside of school or college. Whether you’ve had the opportunity to take on a leadership role such as being captain of a sports team, earned a music qualification, won a writing competition or accomplished something else that you’re particularly proud of, it’s important to mention this.
• If you’ve left full-time education, talk about how you’ve been spending your time, whether that’s in employment, taking online courses, volunteering or any other personal development activities, and how these have prepared you for university.

It’s never too early to think about your personal statement, and it’s a good idea to start as soon as possible – ideally several months before the UCAS deadline. Most schools and colleges will set an internal deadline, earlier than the official submission date, aimed at giving you plenty of time to gather feedback and make necessary changes.

When used effectively, quotes can help to convey your point – but remember that university Admissions teams want to hear your voice, not someone else’s. Use them sparingly, make sure they’re directly relevant and explain why the message matters to you. 

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

No, universities will already see your qualifications as part of your application, so there’s no need to waste word count by listing them again. Instead focus on how your studies have shaped your skills and passions relating to the course.

Writing a personal statement that works for two contrasting courses is challenging, but not impossible! Look for common ground between each, and focus on the transferrable skills and experiences that apply to both. This could be qualities like problem solving, research skills, adaptability, creativity, effective communication or anything else that’s relevant. 

In this scenario, your application will be marked as late, and while this doesn’t mean that you won’t be considered, it could impact your chances of getting a place on competitive courses where places are limited. Getting started well before the UCAS deadline is the best way to produce a personal statement to be proud of and avoid any unnecessary stress, while giving yourself the best chance of securing a place on your preferred course.

If you've missed the UCAS deadline, don't panic, you're not out of options! You can still apply through UCAS Extra or Clearing – which both offer great opportunities to find your perfect path.

Yes! Admissions teams read hundreds of statements, so a strong opening section can help yours to stand out. If you’re unsure on how to start, focus on writing the main body of your statement first. Once your key points are clear, it will be easier to write an introduction that ties everything together. 

The best way to stand out is to tell your own story. Avoid getting sucked into the trap of using clichéd quotes or vague statements, and instead share experiences, interests and skills that reflect who you are, why you’re passionate about the subject area and what you’ve learned from your experiences. Give Admission teams a glimpse of your journey to this point and get them interested in where you plan to go next!