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UK University Application - the Personal Statement

Drafting a personal statement

The personal statement is a one-page document which outlines what you hope to do on the course, after the course and why you are applying to this particular university. Common personal statement errors can include:

• The personal statement is too short/long
• The personal statement does not include important information/includes negative information
• The personal statement’s structure is confusing

How long should my personal statement be?

Length varies depending on the university, but generally, the average length for an undergraduate application is between 4000 characters including spaces, around one side of the A4 paper. Certain postgraduate degree courses may require 1000 words, but this will be clearly specified. A standard personal statement will be structured as follows:

1. Your career aim
2. How you became interested in this field
3. What you have done to get closer to your aim
4. Why you are applying to this university
5. How you will use what you learn

Personal statement tips

• Use a clear font such as Arial or Times New Roman
• A maximum font size of 12
• Maximum of five paragraphs
• Include why you chose the university
• No negative information
• Don’t duplicate material from your resume

How we can help

Once you have completed your personal statement, visit SI-UK North America for a free consultation.

We will take your personal statement and professionally edit it to ensure the English is clear and grammatically correct. Once this process is complete, we will return your personal statement within 1-3 working days! 

Visit our Personal Statement Service page for more information on how SI-UK can help you. 

Example personal statement

Please see below for an example of a personal statement to a Development Studies course.