How to write a UCAS personal statement

Personal Statement Writing

How to write a UCAS personal statement when applying
to study at a UK university.

UCAS Personal Statements

Drafting your personal statement

The UCAS Personal Statement is your chance to sell yourself to the universities, and prove that you will be the best candidate for the course. The Statement is made up of three questions: 

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

The same UCAS statement will be sent to all of the universities you apply for, so make sure not to mention a specific university or location by name. 

UK Personal Statements should be facts and evidence based, rather than emotional or story telling. Give clear specific examples and show how they have helped you to develop your skills, preparing you for the course and potential future career. 
The UCAS statement can be up to a maximum of 4,000 characters including spaces across all three questions. Try to keep your answers a similar length, so aim for around 1,300 characters per question. 

Personal statement tips

  • Make sure you are being specific and relevant throughout
  • Don’t include negative information
  • Mention career aspirations if related to the course
  • Don’t go too far under the character limit, or over at all
  • Check spelling and grammar

Non-UCAS Personal Statements

Personal Statements for any courses where you apply directly to the university (usually postgraduate courses) have a very different structure. This should be a short essay that is more focused to the specific university. It should include:

  • Your motivations for studying the course
  • Why you have chosen this specific university
  • How the course will help you reach your career goals

Non UCAS statement requirements will vary depending on the university, so make sure you research the requirements of each school you want to apply to. Generally, keeping to a 4,000 character limit is recommended, but some universities may have shorter limits.

As with UCAS statements, your essay should be clear, concise, and evidence-based, not story-telling. Give specific examples of things you have experienced both academically and outside of education. Volunteering, work experience, research projects, lectures you’ve attended and books you’ve read that have inspired you are all great things to include. 

Non-UCAS Personal statement tips

  • Format your statement logically
  • If you are uploading a word document / PDF ensure you have used a professional font and reasonable font size (11-12)
  • Don’t duplicate information from your resume
  • Show a clear understanding of the specific universities ethos and how you align
  • Check spelling and grammar

How we can help

If you would like more support in drafting your Personal Statement, we offer a Personal Statement Service, with assistance from a professional editor. Reach out to your consultant if you are interested in this service. 

SI-UK works with editors to assist students who sign up for this service Our editors are based in Canada and have several years of experience assisting Canadian students with their personal statements.  

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

SI-UK's service is fast, reliable and efficient. My consultant improved my chances of getting into a top university.
Carla T.
International Business Economics at City University

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  • Oxford Brookes
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  • National University of Ireland, Galway
  • University of Cumbria
  • Birmingham University
  • Liverpool John Moores University
  • university-college-london
  • manchester
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Leeds
  • sheffield
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